The Sustainability Awards

Every year USU hosts the Annual Sustainability Awards to recognize contributions to a more environmental, economical, and equitable USU community. Thank you for your work on sustainability this year.

• Student Sustainability Leadership Award- This award recognizes a current undergraduate or graduate student (or student group) who has provided exemplary leadership in sustainable actions within the USU community, including volunteerism, class projects, club events, and similar activities.
  
  
• Sustainability Educator Award- This award recognizes a faculty member who has made
  exemplary contributions to the education of students through sustainability-related education or research opportunities.
  
  
• Employee Advocacy Award- This award is recognizes any USU employee who has made exemplary contributions as an advocate for advancing sustainability initiatives at USU or supported campus initiatives.
  
  
• Innovation Award- This award recognizes any student, faculty, staff, or community member (or group) for ideas, actions, or programs that support USU community-wide sustainability efforts.

Student Leadership Award

BRENDA HAWLEY

Brenda Hawley has been the Caine College of the Arts Sustainability Fellow for three years. During her tenure, she solidified the Impact Art Show as a kick-off to Earth Week. The solar panels that are now on top of the Fine Arts Visual building are also a Brenda Hawley original. She organized the team that wrote grants and secured matching funds for the project. Outside her fellowship, Brenda is found climbing mountains or designing graphics. You might even find her enjoying the sunrise outside Old Main.

Advocacy Award

CHARLES DARNELL

Charles Darnell has been a champion for sustainability in many ways through the Facilities Department since he became the Associate VP for Facilities in 2011. He created the sustainability coordinator position and provided for the Sustainability Council budget. Additionally, he also has supported student grant applications, providing matching funds for important projects like the permaculture garden, solar panel projects, and the university’s composter. Charles has made energy conservation central to the central energy plant and utilities, resulting in significant energy savings. He has also become a statewide leader in bringing the greenhouse gas reduction into organizations such as UAPPA and UAE.

Educator Award

DORIS MACGONAGILL

Professor McGonagill is an active proponent of sustainability issues on many fronts. Over the past year, she has successfully initiated a conversation about sustainability at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS), spearheading an effort to create and fund an AmeriCorps Student Sustainability Fellow for CHaSS. In addition to publishing and presenting her own research on environmental issues, she has led students to share their research on environmental issues as well. She has collaborated with others to provide a venue for other researchers to share their findings through last year’s Future Memory conference and a planned symposium for this year’s Earth Day celebration.

Innovation Award

ROB DAVIES

Rob is the "go to" faculty regarding the climate crisis. Rob is known for his ability to present climate change through captivating visuals and compelling narrative. He has made numerous well attended and well received presentations both on and off campus, and throughout the intermountain west. Rob developed and teaches a course, entitled Unveiling the Anthropocene. This course is a model for other climate education efforts. As a quantitative intensive, depth science for artists, it crosses the disciplines and reaches students in new ways and encourages the students to reach others in new ways.