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University of Cincinnati Sustainability supporters continued to make the world a greener place during a weekend retreat in the Hueston Woods State Park wilderness near Butler County.

A group of 55 students and faculty members gathered over the weekend at Hueston Woods Lodge for the event.

Attendees participated in educational workshops aimed at building leadership skills and growing a larger student community advocating sustainable initiatives on campus.

“The Sustainability Summit gave student groups a space to collaborate and network to reach actual goals,” said UC Sustainability co-director Lauren Magrisso.“We were able to work with administration and Student Government to create a sense of community.”

The many student groups in Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC) came up with some concrete plans for the year. Preservation Action Network is planning on revamping the old YMCA building on campus and hopes to create a sustainability center.

Leaders in Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) plans to host a trip to a mountain top removal site to educate students about the environmental hazards associated with the practice.

Other student groups in attendance included Students for Ecological Design, Engineers Without Boarders, and the UC chapter of Green Building Council, PACES, and UC Sustainability. Members of the Fresh, Local, Organic Food, (FLOFF) and UC Beyond Coal campaigns were also present.

Two new goals were also pitched at the Summit. Jeff Bliss lead a group on increasing Sustainable Literacy on campus. The group plans on increasing advertising to make students more aware of the sustainability movement happening at UC. They also plan to increase sustainability education efforts aimed at incoming freshmen.

“From the second they start orientation, we want them to know that sustainability will be an integral part of the their experience at UC,“ said Geoff Bliss, a graduate community planning student.

The group plans to continue meeting this month and submit a plan to PACES within the next several weeks.

A new marketing campaign “SustainUC” was also developed during the conference.

“We met together to see how the different sustainability groups could have a unified marketing plan so that we could increase the awareness of the sustainability movement that has been exponentially growing here on campus,” said Daniel Traicoff, a third-year political science student, and President of UC Democrats. “The idea is that no matter where you go you will be able to see #sustainUC and associate it with the sustainability movement here on campus.”

Community organizers from 350.org, Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club lead workshops on Environmental Advocacy and faculty members Paula Breslin and Elissa Yancey taught students about engaging the community.

“Sustainability has become a huge initiative on campus. Student Government President Hagerty and other leaders before us have laid the ground work for bold progress in making UC more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable,” said Brian Kunkemoeller, co-director of Sustainability and a fourth-year environmental studies and biology student. “Our community got closer and smarter over the weekend. I am so excited to see what will be accomplished next.”