"The Sustainability Commissioner Program was started at Notre Dame in order to get the various dorms more active in sustainability initiatives on campus and in the local community. Over the years, dorms have held exciting and creative programs and have reached many people. Commissioners serve as leaders of sustainability initiatives within their dorms and coordinators of fun, original, and meaningful programs!"
While many might not know about the sustainability commissioners that reside in the residence communities on campus, they are making great strides to make Notre Dame a more sustainable place to live. Each residence hall is represented by at least one commissioner, while some have up to three. These student leaders are members of their respective dorms’ Hall Council and are required to host at least one “green” event per semester. Each month, there is a theme that the commissioner’s events revolve around. October focused on food, November on Green Building, and December will be centered on waste. Moving into the second semester, the themes will include utilizing social media to spread awareness, energy and the Megawatt Madness competition, and the Natural World.
In addition, these students come together once a month to discuss what they can be doing in their dorms to further their sustainable efforts. These meetings allow students to discuss what worked at the events that they've held and what can be improved on for future events. This ensures that the program is constantly growing and improving. This year’s events so far include: a “No Power Hour,” a local harvest dinner paired with a presentation on the importance of eating local, a reusable water bottle decorating, and many others. For more information on the responsibilities of the commissioners as well as a detailed list of the students from each dorm please visit this page.