Student engagement plays a critical role in our mission to advance sustainability on campus. Through our student programs, we seek to engage and empower students, train the leaders of tomorrow, and promote collective action. Our office manages several programs, including Bulldog Sustainability, the Sustainability Peer Education Program, and events for graduate and professional students. Students also have the opportunity to join environmental student interest groups on campus, engage in college initiatives, and share their thoughts and concerns though focus groups and surveys.
Bulldog Sustainability
Bulldog Sustainability is a group of student athletes that works at the intersection of sustainability and athletics. Launched in 2008, group members work to equip Yale athletic teams and fans with the knowledge and skills to play and live more sustainably. The students manage a green certification program for Yale sports teams; promote sustainability in athletics through a newsletter and Instagram; manage events and outreach programs, and conduct waste audits and community-building efforts for Green Team Liaisons. Follow the team on Instagram @bulldogsustain.
Meet our Bulldog Sustainability Coordinators
Yale Sustainability Peer Education Program
The Sustainability Peer Education Program’s mission is to educate, engage, and inspire Yale College students to participate in sustainable action through collaboration, community building, and strategic programming. Launched in 2023, the program builds on Yale’s long tradition of undergraduate student work in sustainability and aims to seamlessly integrate sustainability into student life at Yale and to build a culture of cultivated hope, empowerment, and action regarding the environment.
Fourteen students are selected from across the residential colleges to participate in the program. Our Peer Educators work on advancing sustainability programs and projects that support Yale’s mission, goals, and priorities as outlined in the Sustainability Plan 2025. Follow the Sustainability Peer Education Program on Instagram at @yalecollegesustainability.
The recruitment period for the 2024-2025 cohort will begin in August 2024. Sign up to receive updates.
Current Teams and Projects
Communications & Engagement
The Communications team works on developing communication strategies to engage undergraduate students in sustainability efforts. Members of the team work with the Office of Sustainability to develop meaningful and engaging content to raise the visibility of student programs on campus, increase participation of students in educational campaigns, inform the student population of sustainability efforts at Yale, and create community-led progress.
Zero-Waste Team
The Zero-Waste team is a group of students who are trained on Yale’s materials management systems (i.e., recycling and waste) and work with the Office of Sustainability to advance a culture of reduced consumption, higher recycling and reuse rates, low waste-stream contamination, and improved waste practices among the student community. They do this through data monitoring, educational campaigns, events, workshops, and relationship building across Yale College.
Green Certifications Team
The Green Certifications Team works with students and student organizations to advance a culture of enhanced sustainability standards. Students work under the guidance of our office to develop and review green certification programs for student organizations that are sustainable, inclusive, and easy to navigate. The team also collaborates with environmental student organizations with existing programs and materials to streamline access to sustainability resources and guides. Green Certifications seek to make sustainability practical, accessible, and empowering.
Green Community Team
The Green Community Team focuses on organizing events and programs for Yale College students centered around sustainability. The goal of their programs is to create culture change and to influence student behavior through community building, peer-to-peer engagement, experiential learning, art, and storytelling. Green Team programs and events design opportunities for students to learn through action, create inclusive, positive, and lasting relationships for the advancement of sustainability, and find strength and resilience in collective efforts.
First-Year Ambassadors
The First-Year Ambassador Team’s work focuses on building community, providing a variety of opportunities for engagement, and creating programs and events that are specially tailored for students that are newly arrived.