This May, each graduating senior will walk across the stage with a degree in hand, but some will also wear a green cord around their neck. The green cord, known as Green Graduation, symbolizes an impact that extends beyond their undergraduate program by recognizing and rewarding graduating students for their sustainable contributions to the University of Tennessee.
The initiative was created and implemented this academic year by Athena Jewell and Audrey Nash, two interns in the Sustainability Internship Program. The duo embarked on their internship in October without a project in mind. They became inspired by sustainability initiatives at other universities — particularly the University of Florida’s Green Gator Graduation Cord Challenge.
“We just loved how simple it was, but it’s also very visible and something that will get more students engaged with sustainability on campus and bring sustainability on campus to another visible audience,” Nash said.
Green Graduation operates on a point system to incentivize participation within the Office of Sustainability. Students who earn at least 10 points will receive a green cord to wear at graduation, while students who achieve at least 20 points will receive an additional medallion made from recycled materials. The medallion is composed of wood and features a chain made from recycled bicycle chains. These serve as a tangible reminder of the environmental impact students have made on their campus.
The point system operates on three levels — one, three and five-point opportunities. Common one-point opportunities include volunteering within the sustainability department or being an active member of a sustainability-related club or organization on campus. These opportunities are a great fit for students who are new to sustainability involvement.
“There’s very little barrier to entry to volunteer, as long as it relates to sustainability,” said Morgan Furman, the outreach and engagement coordinator within the Office of Sustainability. “There’s very few items that we won’t count. There’s multiple clubs that will range from a variety of different environmental interests and majors.”
Three and five-point opportunities require more long-term time and effort, such as completing a sustainability course, serving as an officer in a sustainability organization and completing a sustainability-related research project or internship.
“Whether or not that’s being a part of a university club, volunteering, doing an internship related to sustainability or even smaller things like encouraging your office to recycle when maybe they didn’t do that before. These are ways to honor people that have made these little changes and these big changes on campus, and we want them to know that we can see them,” Furman said.
It was important to Jewell and Nash that students don’t have to pay out-of-pocket for the cords and medallions to be recognized for their efforts. The project is funded by the Green Fee — a minimal sustainability cost included in student tuition every semester. In-state students pay $10 while out-of-state students pay $35. These funds are not only used toward Green Graduation, but also toward other sustainability projects on campus.
As the end of the semester draws near, those in Greek life, as well as clubs and organizations with a service hour requirement, scramble to find last-minute volunteer opportunities. The Office of Sustainability encourages students to give sustainability a try. It is an opportunity to leave a tangible legacy on UT’s campus while fulfilling a requirement and potentially even earning a cord.
“Sustainability is such a growing and emerging field,” Nash said. “Even if you think that it won’t be applicable in whatever career you want to do or whatever you want to do with your life, it will be, I promise. There’s so many ways that you can incorporate sustainability into whatever you’re going to do and whatever you’re passionate about and it’s such a great way to give back to the campus as well.”
Since Green Graduation is a pilot program, the Office of Sustainability welcomes feedback. The application form has been modified to include a text box where students can submit experiences that aren’t explicitly listed for consideration.
“We’re hoping to have really long longevity,” Furman said. “Hopefully it will build up more and it will incentivize people to care a little bit more about environmental practices.”
While the deadline to submit hours has already passed, students not graduating this spring are eligible to count hours throughout their undergraduate program toward graduation.
