| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.85 |
| Liaison | Andrea Trimble |
| Submission Date | Feb. 8, 2024 |
University of Virginia
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Dana
Schroeder Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Specialist Office for Sustainability |
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at students and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
Every May, the Office for Sustainability collaborates with essential partners, including UVA Recycling and the Housing & Residence Life team, to organize the annual two-week Hoos Reuse Donation Campaign geared towards students living in residence halls. This initiative involves coordinated efforts to communicate with the UVA community, establish donation locations in all residence halls, and efficiently organize collected materials.
Communication channels for this drive include direct emails, posters, LCD signage, website updates, and social media content. These communication methods aim to reach and engage all students, fostering awareness and participation in the Hoos Reuse Donation Drive.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
In 2023, the Hoos ReUse Donation Campaign introduced 24 indoor drop-off locations and an additional 16 outdoor drop-off bins. The combined efforts of these locations successfully diverted over 7,000 pounds of material from the landfill. UVA also distributed seven collection bins for non-perishable food across Grounds, resulting in 1,332 pounds of food. This food was distributed to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and the UVA Community Food Pantry.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
UVA’s Office for Sustainability hosted the second annual “Break Up With Your Space Heater” campaign this spring. As part of climate action at UVA, this campaign encouraged UVA faculty, staff, and students to trade in their space heaters for electric heating pads.
Through this spring’s campaign, UVA’s Office for Sustainability collected 11 space heaters which were then donated to local organizations around Charlottesville, and in exchange, participants received a free heating pad to use instead. This is in addition to the 26 space heaters that were swapped out in 2022. When some participants traded in their space heaters, they completed a survey, with 21 responses total across the two years. The survey showed that these 21 participants previously used their space heater for 432 hours per person per year on average.
https://sustainability.virginia.edu/blog/break-your-space-heater-2023-results
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Assuming that participants use electric heating pads for the same amount of time after the swap, we calculated that UVA could save $1054 per year, or $50 per person per year. Moreover, we calculated that 11,092 kilowatt-hours would be saved annually, which is approximately the average electricity consumption for an American household for an entire year. Approximately 6.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent would be avoided each year, which shows how even individual actions will be important for achieving UVA’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Laboratory Freezer Challenge
The Freezer Challenge is hosted yearly by My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) to promote energy efficiency in cold storage management, which can generate significant energy and cost savings while also supporting efficient research practices. This year, 25 laboratories at UVA participated in the challenge and have won the Top Academic Organization Award for the 2022 Freezer Challenge. Together, participating UVA labs saved an estimated 441 kiloWatt hours per day. If these maintenance practices continue, they would generate more than $15,300 in energy savings a year.
https://sustainability.virginia.edu/green-labs
"Shut the Sash" Fume Hood Competition
Labs across Grounds saved $7,600 in energy costs in October 2022 during the annual Shut the Sash Challenge. The annual competition, which encourages researchers to adhere to safety best practices when using chemical fume hoods, engaged 41 labs this fall.
https://sustainability.virginia.edu/green-labs
Plastic Free 2023 Campaign
The #PlasticFree2023 campaign was created to reduce single-use plastics on UVA Grounds and the greater community. 326 UVA students (81%), faculty (2%), and staff (17%) took the #PlasticFree2023 pledge. Participants received monthly newsletters including resources and monthly calls to action to reduce their plastic waste footprints. Those who participated in the monthly calls to action were invited to share the action(s) they took and each month a randomly selected winner was rewarded with a gift card to a local sustainable SWaM business.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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