Freshmen:
Welcome, Freshmen!
There are two ways you can get involved with REP. You can apply to be a paid Yard Rep or you can volunteer to become a Entryway Eco-Rep. Both positions will allow you to develop leadership and communication skills. Active mentoring will be provided by the Yard Captain and other House Reps, and we will alert you to relevant educational experiences when they arise.
1) To apply for a paid position, follow the directions found here.
2) To become a volunteer Eco-Rep for your entryway, answer the following questions and send them off to the REP captains at REPcaptains@gmail.com, subject: "Volunteer Eco-Rep," making sure to copy your proctor on the email. The questions marked with * are required. The rest are for us to get to know you.
************************************************
- *What is your name?
- *What is your dorm and entryway?
- *Why are you interested in reducing Harvard's environmental impact?
- What is your prospective concentration?
- What experience do you have in advocacy? Environmentalism?
- What would you like to gain from this experience?
- Skills? (examples: social marketing, leadership, public speaking, creating visual displays)
- Expertise in specific topics? (examples: where our trash goes, what happens at a recycling plant, how our food is produced, what lifestyle changes can be most environmentally beneficial)
- Other?
- How much time would you like to commit each week? On what sorts of projects?
- Would you like to be assigned to a group under the guidance of an experienced upperclassman Rep?
************************************************
Once you have submitted your answers, you will soon hear back from Rebecca Compton , our Yard Captain with information on the upcoming activities you can get involved with.
More about your role within the structure of REP
Yard Reps
Your role will be similar in many ways to the roles of the House Reps. However, key differences exist between the house community and the Yard, which requires the customization of your role. In addition to attending REP meetings and working on the bi-weekly campaigns, you will work with the Yard Captain to build on and improve the best ways to pursue REP’s goals in the yard. Together with Upperclass Rep mentors and the Yard Captain, you will support the volunteer Eco-Rep program, ensuring that the volunteers’ skills are utilized and that they are given opportunities to develop as leaders.
Entryway Eco-Reps
Volunteer entryway Eco-Reps are the key links between the three Yard Reps and the entire Yard. Eco-Reps will meet once every week or two with the 3 Yard Reps and Yard Captain and may also be assigned an upperclassman mentor. Eco-Reps will be asked to help out each week to publicize the current REP campaign or work on their own individual projects. The goals of these tasks will include educating on proper recycling procedures, promoting campus-wide and inter-entryway competitions, serving as models and contact people for conservation questions, and promoting involvement in specific energy-saving and water-saving activities.
We also hope that Eco-Reps will seek out opportunities to develop leadership skills with the guidance of experienced Reps. Possible ways to develop these skills include:
- Collaborating with an upperclassman Rep as s/he performs campaign activities
- Initiating individual or group conservation projects with a focus on peer-education
- Meeting with upperclassmen Reps for conversation over meals
- Attending the weekly REP dining hall dinners (time and location TBA)
- Participating in the bi-weekly REP campaign planning sessions
- Attending educational and/or recreational REP field trips
In addition to these opportunities for development, you will also get to meet and befriend like-minded students who care about environmental issues
Sponsors
FAS
Office of Physical Resources
University
Operations Services Department of Recycling & Waste Management
Harvard
Green Campus Initiative
FAS
Campus Energy Reduction Program
