Valparaiso University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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Reporter |
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:
Campus Race to Zero Waste is a university-wide campaign to increase recycling efforts and awareness on campus. For 8 weeks, there have been major advertisements and events to promote and educate about recycling. Clubs and departments received recycling and waste presentations. Another major event was Green Games, during a women's and mens basketball game our Office of Sustainability staff educated attendees about proper recycling. We also ran a clothing swap event, where 396 pounds of clothes were collected and students were allowed to shop and take any clothes for free, other clothes were donated.
http://www.valpotorch.com/eedition/page_722fa991-0510-5a57-bcc9-f87734583f9f.html
https://www.valpo.edu/facilities-management/sustainability/upcoming-events/
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Pilot Program was started in Brandt Hall Residential Hall. Over 40 students were given recycling cans for the rooms to help promote recycling in their rooms. Before the competition started Brandts Recycling tonnage was .1 tons and now they are currently have seen a 77% increase in recycling since the competition started. We have seen this competition educate and bring awareness to these students in the dorm. Overall from this competition, we have seen 34% increase in recycling per capita.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Plastic Waste Reduction Initiative or the PWRI is a partnership between Valparaiso University and Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction District. The program was implemented to help the community understand how much single-use plastic they are using on a day-to-day basis. This program is designed to help the community take accountability for the amount of plastic waste being generated in order to effectively reduce single-use and non-recyclable plastics, most of which occupies space in landfills. The Porter County Plastic Waste Reduction Initiative focuses on education, data, research, and behavior changes. Be a part of the solution, not the problem!
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
We completed our first waste audit at the university and complied with over 60 waste reduction recommendations. From this campaign, we have put new signage on all campus waste recetapates, started recycling at the football tailgating, we reduced 35,000 plastic waste bags per year by removing unnecessary recycling and trash cans.
Our student interns have went to Porter County schools and have done waste audits at other schools to reduce plastic waste, and to educate our community on better waste reduction practices. After our recommendations, those schools have made significant changes to improve recycling by clear signage.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.