Sustainability Assignment Grants

Earn $100 for completing an assignment related to sustainability. With this program, students can apply for $100 grants when they research or apply concepts of sustainability to a course assignment.

Application Period for Spring Quarter: Applications for the grant can be turn in April 1st- May 15th. The completed, graded assignment must be turned in June 21st.

Only students of non-sustainability courses can apply.

What is a sustainability assignment?

In order to be eligible for this grant the student MUST complete an assignment that addresses sustainability. All assignments must fulfill the following criteria.

Complete an existing assignment according the syllabus’s requirements, incorporating sustainability as a primary focus.
The assignment is worth 10% or more of the final grade of the course.
A Sustainability Assignment applies methods of the course to knowledge of humanity, environment and their mutual interconnection across space and time. Important issues in sustainability include limits, the way in which human beings interact with or manage resources, consideration for future generations, systems, equity and justice of living things.
The entire assignment MUST be devoted to improving the student’s understanding of sustainability. If sustainability is only a minor component of the assignment, then the assignment will not be considered.

Examples of a Sustainable Assignment:

An accounting assignment that accounts for carbon used in a building or campus.
An engineering assignment that calculates resources (electricity, water, etc.) conserved by making a change to infrastructure.
A political science essay about the impact of climate change on other nations.

How does it work?

The final grade on the assignment must be a C- or greater in order to receive the grant. All interested students must submit an application with faculty approval signature to be considered.

Space is limited! Only 60 students will be accepted per quarter. Students may only apply once per year, so you if you are not accepted in the current quarter then you may have an opportunity in the following quarter. We will accept applications until 60 students have submitted the correct documentation, or until the deadline – whichever occurs first.

IMPORTANT STEPS

In order to apply, students must complete these steps.

Complete and submit the Sustainable Assignment Grant Application.
If you are applying through an online course, please fill out the application and email it to the Sustainability Coordinator. Request that your faculty member send the Sustainability Coordinator an email confirming your commitment to the Sustainable Assignment Grant.
Collect proof that the assignment is worth 10% or more of the final grade. Proof is demonstrated by a copy of the page from the syllabus that indicates the grade percentages. Circle the assignment you chose.
Submit the application and proof that the assignment is worth more than 10% of the final grade to the front desk in Student Programs (C212). Tell the person at the front desk that you would like to submit an application to the “Sustainability Assignment Grant.
Upon receiving the grade, applicants must submit proof of their grade to Student Programs Front Desk. Proof is demonstrated by submitting a photocopy of the graded assignment to the Front Desk. Do not submit the actual copy. Processing and reviewing the grant will take up to three or four weeks.

What is sustainability?

The Bellevue College Sustainability Task Force states, “Sustainability implies that the practices of a higher education institution are (at a minimum) environmentally, socially, and economically responsible; and that they will continue to be so indefinitely. The institution would function as a sustainable community, embodying responsible consumption of resources, treating its diverse members with respect, and supporting these values both locally and globally. A truly sustainable college would emphasize these concepts in its curriculum, preparing students to contribute as working citizens to an environmentally sound and socially just society.”

Sustainability comes in big and small ideas. The concept of sustainability can be applied to any subject.

For information about how Bellevue College implements sustainability, please follow the links under “What We’re Doing.” There you’ll find the College’s progress towards improving transportation choices, energy use, and water infrastructure. Also, subscribe to our Sustainability Newsletter to learn more sustainability projects and programs.