Environmental Wellness

Definition

Circular icon image of a tree. Background of inner circle is white with brown tree trunk and green tree top in clip art style. There is a burnt orange ring encircling the inner portion of the icon and white outline on the outside of the thin orange ring.

Ithaca College defines Environmental Wellness as creating and living in healthy and nurturing environments that support well-being at home, work, school, and throughout our local and global communities. Educating how to coexist in harmony with local ecosystems and how to take action to protect them.

Student Campus Resources

Learn more about resources available on campus that help support student's environmental wellness.
  • Ithaca College Natural Lands: More than half of Ithaca College’s property is managed by students, faculty, and staff in four protected natural areas. The IC Natural Lands provides outdoor classrooms, research sites, forest resources, and recreational opportunities for Ithaca College and the surrounding community.
  • Ithaca College Organic Gardens: Ithaca College Community Gardens, located on the lower portion of the IC campus and off of Farm Pond Road, are student-run gardens. We experiment with many aspects of sustainable gardening and farming including permaculture design, crop rotation, companion planting, four-season food production, and heirloom seed saving.
  • Nature Rx: Ithaca College Campus Nature Rx provides learners with resources for improving emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and environmental wellness through a connection with nature.
  • South Hill Apiaries: South Hill Apiaries was founded in 2010 by Ithaca College student Hannah Whitehead and Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Jason Hamilton. With advice from local beekeepers in the Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club and Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries, the apiary officially opened in 2011. Hamilton and Whitehead started with just three hives. Over the past 10 years, the apiary has grown to over 20 hives. 
  • South Hill Forest Products: Student-run business on campus dedicated to providing high quality, all natural non-timber forest products to our customers.
  • Office of Energy Management and Sustainability (OEMS): OEMS focuses on supporting institution-wide, environmental- and social justice-focused projects initiated across the Ithaca College campus. We strive to integrate sustainability into every aspect of student, faculty, and staff life.
  • Student Organizations: Learn more about student-run organizations that are dedicated to environmental sustainability.
  • Prevention Education Network (PEN): Educate IC members regarding issues of sexual violence through awareness and prevention.
  • Residential Learning Communities (RLCs): Provide a residential experience in which students learn, work on projects, and take in faculty presentations on a set topic or interest area such as wellness, STEM, outdoor adventure, identity, and more. Students also enjoy group social events together, and do activities based on the theme of the RLC.
  • Bias Impact Reporting Form: Provides students, staff and faculty with a centralized way of accessing resources and reporting formal complaints of experienced or witnessed bias on campus, an affiliated event or online.
  • Environmental Health and Safety: Encourages and promotes the safety of Ithaca College's students, faculty, and staff by providing services related to fire safety, workplace (occupational) safety, and environmental management.
  • Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management: To connect, listen, support and provide resources to the campus.
  • Rave Guardian Emergency Notification: Ithaca College has partnered with Rave Mobile Safety to provide a comprehensive Emergency Notification System (ENS) that can deliver time-sensitive messages to members of the campus community via phone, email and text, as well as to provide access to critical safety resources through the Rave Guardian mobile app. We highly encourage all members of the campus community to download the free app, which can be found in the Google Play Store for Android and the Apple App Store for iOS.
  • Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol (SASP): Students trained to provide aux support to public safety officers. provide a safe escort program, patrol campus overnight, and assist with events.

There is a growing mental health crisis among college students. 

While not a cure for mental illness, spending time outside has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and can be helpful for managing other symptoms associated with mental illness.

​IC recognizes nature as a valuable asset for developing lifelong support skills for mental and physical wellness.

Learn more about Nature Rx and ways you can get involved by visiting the website: IC Campus Nature Rx

Employee Campus Resources

Learn more about resources available on campus to support employee's environmental wellness.
  • Ithaca College Natural Lands: More than half of Ithaca College’s property is managed by students, faculty, and staff in four protected natural areas. The IC Natural Lands provides outdoor classrooms, research sites, forest resources, and recreational opportunities for Ithaca College and the surrounding community.
  • Ithaca College Organic Gardens: Ithaca College Community Gardens, located on the lower portion of the IC campus and off of Farm Pond Road, are student-run gardens. We experiment with many aspects of sustainable gardening and farming including permaculture design, crop rotation, companion planting, four-season food production, and heirloom seed saving.
  • Nature Rx: Ithaca College Campus Nature Rx provides learners with resources for improving emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and environmental wellness through a connection with nature.
  • South Hill Apiaries: South Hill Apiaries was founded in 2010 by Ithaca College student Hannah Whitehead and Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Jason Hamilton. With advice from local beekeepers in the Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club and Sam Comfort of Anarchy Apiaries, the apiary officially opened in 2011. Hamilton and Whitehead started with just three hives. Over the past 10 years, the apiary has grown to over 20 hives. 
  • South Hill Forest Products: Student-run business on campus dedicated to providing high quality, all natural non-timber forest products to our customers.
  • Office of Energy Management and Sustainability (OEMS): OEMS focuses on supporting institution-wide, environmental- and social justice-focused projects initiated across the Ithaca College campus. We strive to integrate sustainability into every aspect of student, faculty, and staff life.
  • Bias Impact Reporting Form: Provides students, staff and faculty with a centralized way of accessing resources and reporting formal complaints of experienced or witnessed bias on campus, an affiliated event or online.
  • Environmental Health and Safety: Encourages and promotes the safety of Ithaca College's students, faculty, and staff by providing services related to fire safety, workplace (occupational) safety, and environmental management.
  • Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management: To connect, listen, support and provide resources to the campus.
  • Rave Guardian Emergency Notification: Ithaca College has partnered with Rave Mobile Safety to provide a comprehensive Emergency Notification System (ENS) that can deliver time-sensitive messages to members of the campus community via phone, email and text, as well as to provide access to critical safety resources through the Rave Guardian mobile app. We highly encourage all members of the campus community to download the free app, which can be found in the Google Play Store for Android and the Apple App Store for iOS.
  • Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol (SASP): Students trained to provide aux support to public safety officers. provide a safe escort program, patrol campus overnight, and assist with events.

There is a growing mental health crisis among college students. 

While not a cure for mental illness, spending time outside has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and can be helpful for managing other symptoms associated with mental illness.

​IC recognizes nature as a valuable asset for developing lifelong support skills for mental and physical wellness.

Learn more about Nature Rx and ways you can get involved by visiting the website: IC Campus Nature Rx