Resident Life Resources

Climate Intro

Everyone has their own talents, and we need all of them to address climate change. If you're specialty isn't climate science, these are the resources you need. We picked a few trustworthy sources with information even non-scientists can understand.

Climate Change: How do we know? by NASA
Skeptical Science provides scientific citations for an extensive list of questions.
Yale Climate Change Communication has some useful visuals and news articles.

Program Ideas

So many ideas have already been put together for sustainability programs that most the work is done! We've linked some great resources for designing sustainability programs and events for topics ranging from food to energy.

USU Energy & Recycling Programs in the ResLife format are perfect for Energy Wars or any time! These programs are fun whatever your residents' interests.
Knock & Talk, Programs, and Bulletin Boards—Auburn's RA resources have it all! This page even has a list of suggested documentaries to discuss. If you want to know which ones are available at USU, check with USU library's streaming services: Kanopy, Film Platform, and AVON.
Bulletin Boards—Several Housing areas have bulletin boards to check-out. For more ideas, Southern Illinois University has several. Some are even interactive!
ACPA Toolkit has several ideas for programs and partnerships.
DIYs reuse items and save money.
- USU Extension has recipes for cleaning supplies that are less toxic.
- Turn a T-shirt into virtually anything. The True Blue Reuse Store, USU's own thrift store, is one place to find resources.
- Can't sell back text books? Turn them into something new.
- Turn everyday items into phone speakers.
Let's be real. Utah has inversion problems. Explore how they work and what we can do with demonstrations and a lesson.
Keep it local with guests and tours right here at USU!
USU hosts Race to Zero Waste, which are perfect program themes.
Volunteer at the USU Recycling Center, SNAC, or Students for Sustainability tailgate recycling.

Useful USU Contacts:

If these resources have been helpful, or if you would like to contribute something new, let us know! Send success stories and photos.

Calculators

Online calculators can be a fun way to look at the parts of our lives that can be difficult to measure. How much carbon does your lifestyle emit? How many gallons of water does your pet use? How many slaves do you have? How many planets would your lifestyle require if everyone lived it? We have a calculator for you.

Other great visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words (maybe more). Here are some resources to show concepts that are too big to imagine. The Great Pacific Gyre may be the size of Texas or as big as Russia. What does that look like? We have resources.

Planet or Plastic? by NatGeo answers where the plastic comes from, where it goes, why it matters, and what we can do.
Feeding 9 Billion by NatGeo looks at how to feed people as the population grows.
Population Clock by Census.gov counts people on Earth in real time.
Can you guess what America will look like in 10,000 years? The New York Times produces this quiz focusing on sea level rise.
The New York Times also has a interactive visual comparing air quality in your city with others and another tracking traffic emissions.
NPR summarizes which plastics you can recycle and why.
U.S. Energy Mapping from EIA is a bit overwhelming. If you use the filters, it can show the resources and generation facilities for America's power.
The Washington Post has a simpler electricity generation map of the US.
Save the Food has tips and planning features, so we can eat without waste.
City Lab has fun and insightful articles on transportation and solutions.
Climate Central offers interactive infographics about climate effects.
Still looking? Try these.