Alumni Association

For Students

The EnviroAlums are dedicated to supporting students learning about sustainability through funding, real-world experience, and advice.

Specifically, EnviroAlums

  • Provide funding to student activists who are working in the Oberlin community;
  • Offer jobs, mentorships, and connections to alumni who work in the sustainability field;
  • And sponsor summer and winter term internship opportunities for students who are seeking real-world experience in fields related to sustainability.

EnviroAlums Fellowship Program

EnviroAlums are excited to continue our Fellowship program for Oberlin College students. The Fellowship supports students who are seeking to gain real-world experience in environmental organizations and business and develop professional skills and contacts. EnviroAlums strives to support the preparation of Oberlin students for satisfying and productive careers in environmental sustainability-related fields when they graduate. We believe that hands-on work is an important part of preparation for such work; hence the Fellowship provides talented Obies with opportunities to hone their professional skills.

The EnviroAlums Fellowship Program applications for 2024 are oclosed at this time. Please check back in February for the 2025 application link.

Current and Past Fellows

Student Sustainability Fund

Purpose

The EnviroAlums are interested in funding projects that help increase the sustainability of Oberlin College and surrounding community and that link on-campus/in-town activities to Oberlin’s Alumni network. We define sustainability broadly and recognize the important relationships among social, economic, and environmental sustainability

Request for Proposals

EnviroAlums Student Sustainability Fund will provide each academic year approximately six grants typically ranging from $100 to $500. Proposals will be evaluated as received by a subcommittee of the EnviroAlums Steering Committee. Decisions will normally be made in less than a month. Funding is on a first-come, first-served basis. The proposal should be no more than two pages. When appropriate, additional material can be included as attachments

For more information, or to apply for funding, please download the application  or contact us by e-mail . 

Funding Criteria

We will fund a wide range of activities and projects that meet the Project Criteria listed below. Preference will be given to those projects that are supported by an organized group, and benefit a definable community beyond those who directly organize the project.

Projects that will not be considered:

  • Upgrading facilities of physical infrastructure, such as retrofitting windows in dorms.
  • Travel expenses unless they are part of a project that meets other funding criteria. 

  1. Connection to Campus: Project directly addresses environmental sustainability on the campus or in the surrounding community.
  2. Campus Affiliation: Project proposal is submitted by an Oberlin student on behalf of an individual, program, organization, or group. Non-college affiliated Individuals and organizations may not submit proposals.
  3. Innovation: Project is innovative in nature and does not include routine maintenance or facilities upgrades.
  4. Feasibility and Institutional Support: Project is feasible and has support from appropriate campus individuals and entities. Relevant individuals could include faculty, staff or community members, and where possible written support secured upon the beginning of a project.
  5. Appropriateness of Schedule and Budget Request
  6. Cost/Benefit Analysis (as applicable): Project proposal outlines project payback, lifecycle costs and savings, etc. Some projects costing a few hundred dollars won’t have this kind of cost-benefit analysis.
  7. Project Benefits: Project demonstrates a reduction in Oberlin’s carbon footprint or provides other environmental benefits such as water conservation, storm water management, biodiversity conservation, waste minimization, etc.
  8. Outreach and Education: Project considers education and outreach opportunities and has included them as part of its implementation plan.
  9. Metrics: Project has a clearly-defined outcome, backed by metrics when possible (e.g pounds of carbon reduced, number of event attendees, experiences gained etc.).
  10. Self Sufficiency: Preference will be given to projects that can obtain matching funds from sources beyond the EnviroAlums Fund or include a plan for sustained funding if EnviroAlum funding is insufficient to complete the project.
  11. Potential for Broad Application: Project has potential to be scalable across the campus.
  12. Accountability: Project includes a mechanism for evaluation and follow-up after funding has been dispersed. At a minimum, a project plan should include appropriate progress reports to Enviroalums based on the duration of the project and a brief (2pg) final report within 60 days following completion of the project. These reports will be posted, along with contact information on the EnviroAlums website.

EnviroAlums On-Campus Internship

The EnviroAlums intern is the student, on-campus liaison between alumni and faculty, OES, CES, the ENVS department and interested students. Since the alumni cannot be on campus, the EnviroAlums intern is responsible for meeting with and organizing all on-campus resources such as the Career Development Office, Alumni Office and Office of Admissions. The intern will also send out periodic emails, follow the annual calendar, manage social media, prompt EnviroAlums to work on budgeting and connect students with available opportunities and mentors.

View the full description here.