The University of Arizona

Student Groups

The University of Arizona has very thoughtful and dedicated students who are concerned about society's problems. Several student organizations are working on environmental and social issues to help improve the quality of life on campus and in the surrounding community. Their energy and activism is critical to the success of UA's sustainability efforts. These student groups generate enthusiasm, stimulate interest, and initiate action to make change possible.

ECOalition


What's up? My name's Prabjit Virdee. I'm the President of ECOalition.

ECOalition is a coalition of student clubs that each deal with environmental issues on campus. ECOalition aims to 1) unite all students who are workingtowards a cleaner environment, 2) work to get more eco-friendly policies in place on campus, and 3) host social events to raise awareness about climate change issues.

If you're interested in learning more about ECOalition, send me an email at .

ASRA


The Arizona Student Recycling Association is an officially recognized University of Arizona club founded in 2001 to help voice student concerns about a lack of recycling in the area around the university. If you think it's strange that you can't recycle your Starbuck's cup on University Blvd or your water bottles at your apartment complex, you're not alone. Members of ASRA believe that a large portion of UA students, faculty, and staff agree that recycling should be offered in these student-oriented areas.

ASRA aims to bring students together through petitions, meetings and awareness events to voice these concerns and begin a dialogue between local businesses and the campus community. These businesses benefit substantially from their connections to the UA community, and we thus aim to work with them in order to develop a more well-rounded waste management policy that incorporate the concerns of all interested stakeholders.

If you are interested in participating, contact Stephan Classen:

PARASOL


In the spring of 2005, a student club called Participating Agents in Resource Allocation for Sustainable Living (PARASOL) formed to address sustainability issues on campus. Its mission is twofold: to address water use on the UA campus, and to facilitate cooperation among student groups, faculty, staff and the greater community. PARASOL's goal is to work with UA officials and decision-makers to increase the sustainability of campus operations. Through the hard work of its student volunteers, PARASOL has successfully implemented two on-campus rainwater harvesting demonstrations and secured over $20,000 in funding. The demonstrations can be found at the Aerospace and Mechancial Engineering Building, 1130 N. Mountain Avenue, and the Meinel Optical Sciences Building, 1630 E. University Blvd. PARASOL's third rainwater harvesting demonstration, at the UA Visitors Center, 811 N. Euclid Avenue, is under construction and will include UA's first cisterns and a 4 kW photovoltaic system to increase the building's energy efficiency.

SWES - Soil Water Environmental Science


The SWES Club, a student organization in the Dept. of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, aims to promote interest in the environment by students, faculty and professionals, and to increase communication among these groups. We build awareness and education of the environment and related issues through outdoor activities, educational tours, guest speakers, volunteer efforts, and social events.