Context
In order for your green living program (GLP) to be successful, it must be suited for your campus context. Be creative, and adapt the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) model or others to suit to your setting. Questions to consider when adapting the model include the following:
- What proportion of your undergraduate community lives on campus?
- What venues exist for reaching students?
- Does your school have an active fraternity and sorority system?
- Do students mostly eat on campus?
- Are cafeterias attached to the residence halls?
- Do only first year students live on campus?
- Do the residence halls occupy a particular area on campus?
- Are off-campus apartments owned by the college or university?
- Does your school function on semesters, trimesters or another schedule?
- How will your academic schedule affect the GLP's annual calendar?
- How does communication to and between students already occur on campus?
- Does your campus have a population—religious, international, cultural or other—upon which you can draw for support?
- What media organizations serve your campus community?
Questions like these will prompt a thorough consideration of your particular setting.