Sustainability at SIT’s Zanzibar Learning Center

The program office uses solar, when possible.

Students working in rural areas carry mobile solar devices during their studies to charge devices.

We use a drinking water dispenser in the program office to reduce the purchase of bottled water (plastic use) by students.

We reuse any plastic or glass bottles as containers, as planters for our garden, or as floats or weights (when filled with sand) for marine research.

We use only reef-safe sunscreen and organic insect sprays. At the end of the semester, we compile all unused and unwanted sunscreen and insect spray for use by students in subsequent semesters.

At the end of the semester, we collect all unwanted electronics and reuse them or their parts in subsequent semesters.

At the end of the semester, students donate any unwanted clean and intact clothing to program staff and community members.

All unusable office or student electronics, including batteries, are disposed of properly.

We have a program meteorology station that collects weather data about events and to compile data about climate change.

We maintain an ornamental garden at the office which keeps it cool and mentally refreshing.

We maintain an herb and aloe garden at the office.

We have a compost pile at the office which is used to make ground cover for the garden to retain moisture and as fertilizer.

We reuse all paper as scrap.

We collect rainwater at the office for use in the gardens. We collect grey water at the office for use in cleaning outdoor spaces.

Each semester, we plant 250 mangrove propagules (seed pods) per student with a community forestry NGO in Zanzibar (usually on Pemba Island).

During spring semesters, we complete snorkelling and submersible drone surveys to monitor bleaching on coral reefs. Then, we can anticipate the effects of bleaching on marine protected areas and fisheries. We share this information with residents, local organizations, and the government in Zanzibar.

We share student field studies on sustainability with community organizations and archive student reports in our office library, which is open to the public. All student reports since 2016 have abstracts translated into KiSwahili.

Students complete original field studies that emphasize sustainability, and often produce short videos that make use of GoPros at the SIT office. Videos and other study artifacts are shared with community organizations to advance sustainability.

Students share project outcomes with experts and organizations in-country so that outcomes can be applied in the future.

Select students publish the outcomes of Independent Study Projects (ISPs).

Select students translate their program experiences and skills into sustainability work at their home institutions (universities) or into jobs where their knowledge can be applied to address sustainability.