Social Sustainability
Instructions: To obtain your Social Sustainability badge, it is recommended that you complete the following by November 1, 2024.
**Only submit the form once you have completed all of your actions. Remember, you only have to complete the prerequisite and 2 additional actions of your choosing. You do not have to complete all of the actions to earn your badge. |
Submit Form Here
Prerequisite:
Prerequisite Action: Watch Video and Join the WSU Sustainability Team on Motivote
Description: Watch the short video "What is Civic Engagement" to learn more about how civic engagement contributes to social sustainability. Afterward, join the WSU Sustainability team (part of the Weber State Votes team) on Motivote to get info about upcoming elections, earn points, and win rewards.
- Watch"What is Civic Engagement" (1:52)
- Join Motivote here!
Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Required Documentation: Upload a screenshot of your profile (click your name located on the top right and choose "My Activity" from the dropdown).
Choose at Least Two of the Following Actions:
Action 1: Attend the Weber County or Davis Candidate Night (Sept. 30th or Oct. 7th)
Description: Attend one of the Candidate Nights below to learn more about candidates in your county.
- Weber County Candidate Night
- When: September 30th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Where: Hurst Center, 1265 Village Dr, Ogden, UT 84408
- Davis County Candidate Night
- When: October 7th from 6:00 pm - 8:20 pm
- Where: Weber State University Davis, 2750 University Park Blvd, Layton, UT 84041
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the night you attended and what you learned from the candidates.
Action 2: Attend the 2024 Annual WSU Unity Conference (Oct. 3rd & 4th)
Description: This year's conference theme is "Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers - Harvesting Hope Through Food Security and Cultural Resilience" and aims to increase awareness on food insecurity, food justice, how our storied intercultural culinary contributions continue to influence cuisines around the world and how our intercultural culinary legacies foster cultural resilience. RSVP to attend the Unity Conference here or sign up to volunteer here.
- Day 1: Keynote Speaker, Jeanette Padilla
- When: October 3rd from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Where: WSU Davis, Stewart Center Ballroom
- Day 2: Breakfast, Keynote Speaker: Chef Alisa Reynolds, and Breakout Sessions
- When: October 4th from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
- Where: WSU Ogden, Shepherd Union
Time Commitment: 1 hour+
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the session you attended or volunteered for and what you learned.
Action 3: Attend a Debate (Oct. 8th or 10th)
Description: Attend the Utah House of Representatives District 10 Debate on October 8th or the Senate Debate on October 10th. To learn about which district you are in, enter your address and zip code here or create your free IssueVoter account here.
- October 8th: Utah House of Representatives District 10 Debate
- When: October 8th from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Where: Barlow Hall (Lindquist Hall, Room 101)
- October 10th: Senate Debate
- **Request tickets here
- When: October 10th from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
- Where: Browning Center
Time Commitment: 2 hours+
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about which debate you attended and what you learned about the candidates.
Action 4: Participate in the WSU Service Day of Remembrance (Oct. 9th)
Description: Join the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) for their 13th Annual WSU Service Day of Remembrance on October 9th. Service opportunities will take place for a variety of activities at various locations. View the different shifts and register via GivePulse.
*All benefits-eligible faculty and staff can use their employee service leave for this event (which is code "SERV" in Leave Tracker).
Time Commitment: 1 hour+
Required Documentation: Upload a photo of you volunteering.
Action 5: Attend the Issue Voter Webinar and Create an Account (Oct. 10th)
Description: Learn how to make your voice heard and become a more informed voter by attending the Introduction to IssueVoter. Create your free Issue Voter account to get alerts on new legislation, understand new bills, send your opinions directly to your representatives, and see how often your federal lawmakers agree with you. Create an account here.
- When: October 10th from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Where: Zoom or in the Stevenson Conference Room (Lindquist Hall 171).
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Required Documentation: Check-in at the event and upload a screenshot of your IssueVoter account.
Action 6: Attend "Simon Tam: Showing What is Possible In Arts and Activism" (Oct. 14th)
Description: Join Browning Presents! and the Walker Institute for this event with Simon Tam. Simon Tam is an author, musician, and self-proclaimed “troublemaker." He is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. He helped expand civil liberties by winning a unanimous, landmark case at the Supreme Court of the United States.
- When: October 14th from 6:30 pm - 8:20 pm
- Where: Wildcat Theater in the Shepherd Union
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about what you liked from the event and what you learned.
Action 7: Participate in a Great Salt Lake Research Study (Oct. 15th)
Description: Participate in a research study about community member's perceptions on the decline of Great Salt Lake. The project is focused on understanding individual and community experiences of decreasing water levels and what we should do about it, with the hope of contributing to plans for reducing existing impacts of drying lakes. Research activities will focus on discussions about connections to the Great Salt Lake, and what your concerns are for yourself, your friends and family, your community, and your environment when thinking about the impacts of the lake drying up. RSVP here.
**Those eligible to participate include adults (18+) that live near or are dependent on Great Salt Lake.**
- When: October 15th from 2:45 pm - 5:00 pm or 5:45 pm - 8:30 pm
- Where: Southwest Branch of the Weber Library (2039 W 4000 S St Roy, UT 84067)
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Required Documentation: Upload photo of yourself at the event.
Action 8: Participate in Expedition Vote (Oct. 25th)
Description: Join the Walker Institute for an exciting 24-hour scavenger hunt. Participate in community service at the County Clerk's office and earn points for every activity you complete. Gather your team of 2 to 6 students and compete for the title of the best team on campus and in the state, awarded by the Lt. Governor's office!
The rules are as follows:
- Teams are between 2 and 6 people, 2 have to be students
- Sign up with this form
- The LG's office will let Leah know what the scavenger hunt items are at 9am that morning and teams will have 24 hours to scavenge
- Team leaders submit their proof of items to Leah
- Winners will go to the October 29th Jazz Civic Engagement Night
Time Commitment: varies (2 hours+)
Required Documentation: Upload confirmation/proof of your participation after the event.
Action 9: Pledge to Vote & Participate in Vote Early Day (Oct. 29th)
Description: Make a plan to vote and stick to it! Help WSU win the national competition by Pledging to Vote. In addition, Vote Early Day is on October 29, 2024, two weeks before election day. Vote Early Day is a nonpartisan movement of media companies, businesses, nonprofits, election administrators, and creatives working to ensure all Americans have the tools to vote early. By voting early, you prevent last-minute voting situations and ensure your ballot is cast.
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Required Documentation: Take a picture dropping off your ballot in any ballot box. There is even a box located on the east side of the Shepherd Union on campus.
Action 10: Attend the Sustainability Screenings with SPARC (Oct. 31st)
Description: Attend this month's Sustainability Screenings with SPARC featuring "The Hypocrite". Everyone is welcome to attend and there will be free popcorn! Stay after the showing for a Q&A with the creator of the film, Amie Engerbretson. See details below:
- When: October 31st from 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
- Where: Shepherd Union, Wildcat Theater (Room 208)
Time Commitment: 1 hour+
Required Documentation: Check in at the event and write 3-4 sentences about what you learned from the film.
Action 11: Contact Your Representatives to Take Action
Description: Find an environmental issue important to you and contact your representatives to take action. The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators provides a great resource to learn more about local issues and associated legislation. To find current Utah legislation, click here and scroll down to Utah on the map. Find and contact your national, state, and local elected leaders here.
Time Commitment: 1 hour+
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the issue you chose and who you contacted.
Action 12: Get Involved with a Local Organization Working on Climate-Related Issues
Description: Get involved with a local organization working on climate-related issues! Some great examples include Utah Clean Energy, Foodscaping Utah, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, Sierra Club Utah Chapter, Healthy Environment Alliance Utah (HEAL Utah), Ogden Nature Center, Citizens' Climate Lobby, Utah Climate Action Network, and Utah Rivers Council. **Note that some organizations require dues.
Time Commitment: varies (30 minutes)
Required Documentation: Write 3-4 sentences about the organization you joined and what you hope to gain.
Innovation Action:
Description: Innovative actions are welcome, but please email greenbadge@weber.edu for approval before submitting this as one of your actions.
Time Commitment: varies
Required Documentation: varies
Additional Resources
- Community Engagement Network of Utah
- The Measure of a Citizen: Civic Engagement in Utah
- Utah Civic Engagement Toolkit
- Utah Society for Environmental Education
- Utah Voter Registration Website
- WSU's Center for Community Engaged Learning
- WSU's Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service