Campus and Community Engagment
The Sustainability, Equity, & Justice Fund Grant Program promotes sustainability by providing grants to create and implement projects that positively impact environmental, social, health, and economic practices on our campus and in our community.
Native Landscapes: Phase II – Art Annex
Amount Awarded: $3,788.20
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Spring 2024
Full Application: Link
Categories: Grounds Campus and Community Engagement
This grant was the second in a two-part series (see Native Landscapes Phase I – York Farm). The project aims to replace underutilized lawn space on campus with diverse selections of native plants in 2024. The goal of the Native Landscapes project is to create a model of sustainable urban landscapes by restoring our natural systems around campus and the city as native ecosystems. This small model implemented on campus will be combined with educational signage; these signs will promote student learning about native plants, explain the purpose of the Native Landscapes project, and hopefully encourage future student teams to expand on the idea.
The project, in partnership with WWU’s Grounds team, will be planted on the west side of the Art Annex on campus. The area was chosen by WWU’s lead gardener because it targets an underutilized space that the Grounds team was already looking to replace. Native vegetation that will be planted includes Pacific Bleeding Heart, Pacific Rhododendron, and Pacific Trillium. These native plants were chosen for their appeal to pollinators, their aesthetic, and their growing preference for shaded areas.
Sustainable Office Certification Toolkit
Amount Awarded: $4,840.50
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active, Spring 2023 - ongoing
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement Curriculum and Research Procurement Waste
This Sustainable Office Certification is a program housed within the Sustainability Engagement Institute that helps offices and departments in becoming certified as sustainable offices. It is a comprehensive certification process open to all offices, departments, organizations, and colleges on Western’s campus. It’s a way for these entities to contribute directly to the sustainability goals outlined in Western’s Strategic Plan and the Sustainability Action Plan, and to take action in strengthening Western’s role as a leader in sustainability in the Pacific Northwest.
The program provides recipients with the physical materials needed to realistically meet the goals stipulated in the broader certification. It ensures that the entities that have become certified can continue their sustainable practices without having to shoulder the financial burden of properly equipping their work areas with necessary materials. When offices are properly and wholly certified, they can inspire other people in the Western community to do their part in implementing effective behavioral changes in their own lives.
Project ZeNETH: Construction Phase
Amount Awarded: $20,803.72
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active – Implementation Phase
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement
Originally begun in 2017, Project ZeNETH (Zero Net Energy Tiny House) has been a (now long-running) objective aimed at engaging WWU students to design, construct, measure, and manage a net-zero, energy efficient mobile tiny house. Since its inception, the main emphasis for this project has been in maximizing students’ education at Western, and this project serves as a strong platform for incorporating disciplines and students from multiple colleges at Western.
The project was, as seen in every corner of the world, delayed indefinitely due to COVID-19. It picked back up in the 2022-2023 academic year; work was completed in electrical redesign, equipment sourcing, subcontractor and donor outreach, construction, and planning. However, due to the several year-long delay, additional expenses had cropped up during the final phases of constructing the tiny house. This grant served as a means to wrap up expenses and finally have the construction completed and installed on campus.
The tiny house will serve as a tangible design project and test bed for students in courses related to design, urban planning, environmental justice, business and sustainability, biology, environmental studies/science, electrical engineering, and energy policy. This will include using the house as a living laboratory, as well as a possible study space.
Native Landscapes: Phase I – York Farm
Amount Awarded: $367.20
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: May 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement
This grant was part of a larger project aimed at replacing underutilized lawn space on campus with diverse selections of native plants in 2024. Phase I of the project was to plant a small test plot at the York Community Farm, which is currently managed by WWU's Center for Community Learning (CCL). CCL is currently establishing York Farm as a community garden that centers shared learning and community connection. This plot allows the student team to gain experience in planting, managing student volunteers for regular watering, and recording success metrics. They planted Pacific Bleeding Heart, Camas, and Evergreen Huckleberry, all native plants, in one of the farm’s raised beds. These plants were chosen to showcase examples of edible native plants (like camas) and to increase pollinator support. The plot also allowed the team to reach the wider Bellingham community and educate visitors about their larger plan on Western’s campus.
This project will serve as an educational opportunity for the greater Western community by modeling sustainable landscapes that will include signs with QR codes linked to an educational webpage on the Sustainability Engagement Institute’s website.
Furniture Fest & Couchella
Amount Awarded: $22,497.96
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Summer 2023 – Summer 2024
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and CommunityEngagement Student Life Waste
Furniture Fest is a program aimed at combating furniture waste that accumulates in the spring when students start moving out of their off-campus housing by collecting furniture, refurbishing it, and redistributing it out to future students, free of charge.
The ultimate goal of this grant was to provide support in institutionalizing Furniture Fest as a permanent program on campus. The team first applied for funding in the 2021-2022 academic year, and after a wildly successful summer, applied again to keep this project going for two more years as they begin to look for permanent funding.
The project offers students many opportunities like student employment, an outlet where they can donate and/or receive furniture, and an event named “Couchella” where students can obtain furniture while enjoying live music, games, food, and learning about the many sustainable focused clubs offered at Western and in Bellingham.
Advancing the Morse Leadership Institute’s (MLI) Community Engagement Project Program
Amount Awarded: $35,000
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Spring 2023 - ongoing
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement Curriculum and Research
The mission of the Morse Leadership Institute (MLI) is to develop student leaders who can work collaboratively and inclusively with others by honoring diverse leadership values, styles, and perspectives, which can result in more equitable solutions and communities. It is the value of MLI to provide a variety of support mechanisms and opportunities for students across Western’s campus to develop as leaders. These include a broad spectrum of leadership studies courses, applied and global leadership opportunities, community engagement, peer and professional mentoring, support for students’ participation in academic conferences and professional development opportunities, and campus events and programs.
Over the years, students in leadership courses have developed and implemented several community engagement projects (CEPs) at Western and in the Whatcom community. The CEP program has become a series of four legacy projects that different students lead each quarter with the intention of long-term, sustainable change. The projects address solutions such as Nooksack restoration, trans advocacy, menstrual health advocacy, and nature and mental health.
This grant helped fund the creation of a couple of student employment positions within MLI, support an investment in materials needed to run the program on a quarterly basis, and allow for students and faculty to attend the International Leadership Association conference in Vancouver, BC, during fall of 2023.
WWU FASA Heritage Night
Amount Awarded: $1,000.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: May 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement Student Life
Heritage Night is an event hosted every year by the WWU Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) as a celebration of Filipino culture. This project assisted in funding catering, decorations, and entertainment for the enjoyment of the attendees. Through the celebration of Filipino culture, the event helped foster a sustainable community by solidifying the presence of Filipino-American students on Western’s campus, allowing for the continued strength and existence of this community at Western and Bellingham.
The theme of this year’s Heritage Night was Masayang Nakaraan, or A Distant Dream – the night was centered around nostalgia from the past, with performances featuring throwback songs from many of the students’ childhoods. The keynote speaker of the night was Janis Velasquez-Farmer, a FASA alumna from the 90s who talked about her experiences in the early days of FASA, as well as sentiments she wanted to pass on to the future generation.
Earth Day Fair Free Produce Table
Amount Awarded: $972.90
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: April 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement Student Life Dining Services Procurement
This grant allowed for the purchase of bulk produce from local farms to redistribute to students at no cost during the Earth Week Fair that happened April 21st, 2023. According to Western Washington University’s Office of Basic Living, 44.7% of students struggle with some level of food insecurity as of 2021. The purpose of this project was to bring momentary aid to students who are food insecure as well as expand students' knowledge of the concept of food justice, and how it plays into the larger idea of environmental justice.
In addition to a lack of food security, many financial barriers exist for college students that restrict them from acquiring healthy, locally grown food. With this project, the team wanted to bring food directly to campus, eliminating virtually any barrier that would restrict access to clean, healthy produce. The plan was for any leftover produce to be distributed to the various food pantries on campus; however, the produce was “sold out” within an hour of their table opening.
Produce was sourced from Puget Sound Food Hub, a local digital marketplace whose mission is “to support and champion local, family scale farms by providing a direct connection with buyers in our region seeking high quality, locally produced food,” according to their website.
Climate Leadership Certificate and Sustainability Pathways Capacity Development
Amount Awarded: $20,897.50
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active, April 2023 – Spring 2026
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and CommunityEngagement Student Life
The purpose of this project was to support underrepresented students in the Environmental Science (ESCI) program by increasing community and connections between ESCI faculty and other underrepresented students. The main idea was to host quarterly events where students and faculty could share a meal together and foster strong relationships and mentorships. This grant funded a three-year program, managed by the College of the Environment’s Diversity Recruitment and Retention Specialist, Shalini Singh.
Through these events, students, staff, and faculty will be able to meet while enjoying high-quality culturally relevant food, entertainment, and guest speakers. Food from different cultures gives students an easily accessible opportunity to experience food from a wide range of different cultures. In turn, this will increase representation for students as they might be able to identify with the food being served. The guest speakers will highlight the experience of working in the ESCI field as an underrepresented person. The hope is to ultimately attract more students of color into the College of the Environment, as well as to create a strong and lasting support system for them.
QUEERCON 2023
Amount Awarded: $3,700.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: April 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement
QueerCon is an annual one-day gathering of the local WWU and Bellingham queer community, to come together to connect students, artists, activists, and allies together under the united love for queer culture and sci-fi. The primary purpose is to provide a safe space for the celebration of the intersection of queer culture, science fiction, and fantasy. QueerCon is a multi-faceted event which focuses on education and enrichment through unique presentations and events, boosting the local economy by supporting local creators, and connecting the various parts of the queer community with other parts on campus and in the community.
This year's conference was held April 29th, 2023. Their keynote presenter was Seattle-based YouTube creator Jessie Gender, a fantastic activist, advocate for the queer community, and unapologetic Star Trek fan. The event also had presentations about creating queer characters, and for the first time, they hosted a drag show performed by Western’s own Royal Gambit Drag Club. They chose these presenters to highlight a diversity of experiences and to encourage attendees to express themselves in ways they might not have felt comfortable doing so in the past. As a lot of queer people continue to experience prejudice and daily systemic hardships of various forms, they wanted to create a space that fosters celebration and joy.
Indigenous Resilience: Sharing Our Stories for Mental Health Promotion
Amount Awarded: $30,000.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: April 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement
This project aimed to promote conversations about mental health challenges and strategies for overcoming those struggles, by hosting a series of events including a film screening, traditional salmon dinner catered by a local company, and a speaker panel with conversations surrounding mental health, suicide, and resilience.
The purpose was to bring the campus community together with local tribal communities to frame these conversations through the lenses of arts and film. This project promoted sustainable life systems by destigmatizing conversations around mental health and our everyday challenges as human beings. It helped our institutional mission of becoming a health promoting institution as guided by the principles in the Okanagan Charter. The films presented at the event showcased the power and resilience in Indigenous communities.
The film screening consisted of two short films. The first was Lakota, from award-winning filmmaker Kyle Bell (Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma). The film featured the story of Lakota Beatty (Caddo Nation of Oklahoma), a former award-winning Division I women’s basketball player who lost her sister to suicide when they were in college. The short film is a look into how Beatty dealt with her sister’s death mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and showing how she got through her struggles by connecting with her community and giving back to her own Native people.
The second film was put on by Children of the Setting Sunds Productions, one of their many films focusing on mental health, addiction, and resilience, through the power of community and Indigenous wisdom. The film follows one young Lummi woman in her journey to break the intergenerational cycle of addiction.
Members of the production team and the case participated in the event, as well as in community visits to different parts of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, the Nooksack Tribe, and other interested neighboring tribal communities.
Attending the American Planning Association (APA) National Conference 2023
Amount Awarded: $34,305.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: April 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement Student Life
This grant provided Urban Planning Club members with the opportunity to attend the American Planning Association (APA) National Conference in Philadelphia. Up to 20 Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy (UEPP) students were given the opportunity to talk to professional planners and government officials from across the nation to expand their perspectives and build professional opportunities. Students were given the opportunity to present several posters educating government officials and planning professionals on the importance of a deep analysis of environmental policy, climate change adaptation, and housing needs in their communities. Following the conference, the UEPP students were able to share their experiences with the greater WWU community and bring attention to the Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy department.
The WWU Urban Planning club (members of which attended the conference) aims to bring awareness to the following goals on a local and national level:
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Climate change adaptation and resilience
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Environmental sustainability
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Housing affordability, accessibility, and diversity
These goals are best represented in sustainable cities and communities. Western is a small university, and students are only exposed to what our university and this region can expose them to; however, traveling to the national conference expanded their perspectives and gave them opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had. They were able to bring professional experience back with them to improve the Urban Planning program, as well as their own professional lives.
Growth, Resilience, and Belonging: Strengthening membership and experiences for Black and Brown Men at WWU
Amount Awarded: $28,000.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: March 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Campus and Community Engagement Curriculum and Research Student Life
With the funding of this grant students from WWU’s Black and Brown Male Success Collective (BBMSC) were able to attend the Men of Color National Summit at Clemson University. The 2-day leadership conference (March 28-29th) included workshops and dialogues that emphasize the importance of education, best practices, and choices to increase high school and college graduation rates among men of color. The attendance of this summit by WWU’s students enhanced their overall college experience by providing them the opportunity to hear and learn from successful men of color across various industries and allow them to network.
The Men’s Resiliency Program founded the Black & Brown Male Success Collective during the 2019-2020 academic year. This research-based program is designed to engage male-identifying students from historically marginalized communities with academic success, exploring masculinity, community service learning, and cross-cultural identity development.