Eco Film & Media Arts Festival, Urban Trees Initiative receive national sustainability accolades
A student-led film festival and a USC tree research initiative received national recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), one of the leading organizations promoting sustainability in higher education.
The 2022 Eco Film & Media Arts Festival won the Student Sustainability Leadership Award, while the USC Urban Trees Initiative earned the Racial Equity and Sustainability Collaborations Award as part of the 2023 AASHE Sustainability Awards. The two programs beat out finalists from Yale University, Tufts University, Boston University and others.
USC Chief Sustainability Officer Mick Dalrymple said the recognition for both programs was well-deserved and reflects the continuing importance of sustainability at the university.
“AASHE is the recognized leader for promoting sustainability in higher education, so receiving these awards is a real honor for USC,” Dalrymple said. “The student-led Eco Film & Media Arts Festival is especially gratifying as it shows how deeply engaged our student body is in addressing and identifying solutions to climate change. And of course, the USC Urban Trees Initiative is a wonderful model for how public partnerships can apply research breakthroughs in climate solutions to the people and communities that stand to benefit most.”
The two programs were recognized during the virtual AASHE Sustainability Awards Ceremony on Thursday. The winners receive a plaque from Rivanna Natural Designs, a woman-owned company committed to sustainability.