| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.85 |
| Liaison | Chad Carwein |
| Submission Date | Jan. 17, 2023 |
East Carolina University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Chad
Carwein University Sustainability Manager HSC Facilities Services |
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:
Around graduation time at East Carolina University, many students throw confetti during photo-shoots or celebrations. Despite the few signs discouraging the use of confetti, many people choose to ignore them. However, this act is very destructive to the campus grounds and surrounding ecosystems in Greenville.
Confetti is made of a plastic called Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is not biodegradable and will not break down for thousands of years, and can sometimes contain glitter, which is usually the same material. This means it will find its way into nearby ecosystems as well as the nearby Tar River, eventually going into the ocean, polluting and affecting the ocean life. It can also be accidentally ingested by animals confusing it for food due to the shiny appearance.
Over the course of a piece of confetti’s lifetime, it can also shed microplastics, which are very tiny pieces of plastic. These can get into the bodies of organisms, some of which we eat. The health effects of these are still being researched, and some have even been found to have passed through the blood-brain barrier. In fact, the average human consumes 44 pounds of microplastics throughout their lives.
Despite the environmental effects, confetti is often left on the ground and litters the campus. It is extremely difficult to clean up confetti by hand so usually nothing can be done. This contributes to a less clean campus and negatively impacts it’s image. This can also result in injuries caused by slipping, as many students have observed that steps to many frequently used buildings become dangerously slippery when confetti is thrown on them.
East Carolina University directly encourages the use of confetti by refusing to enforce bans on confetti on campus, as well as selling it directly to students in their student stores. We demand that ECU places a campus-wide ban on plastic based confetti and ends the sale in their stores. These actions are paramount in ending one of ECU’s sources of pollution.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
The "Ban Non-Biodegradable Confetti on ECU Campus" petition on Change.org got 234 signatures and just in Fall 2022 the ECU Student Government Association passed legislation to recommend the University's Administration ban non-biodegradable confetti at ECU.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A Green Holiday is an observed extended break which serves to boost employee morale by providing a well-deserved break, as well as reduce campus utility consumption through minimizing heating, cooling and electrical loads during the holiday.
The University Winter Break schedule for December 2022 provides for an extended period of 24 days when most students and faculty will not be on campus: December 16 through January 8. During this time, the University will shut down buildings and operations in most residence halls and academic buildings. Starting on December 22 at 5pm, the University will shut down most other buildings and operations for the 11 days when staff will not be on campus either. You can visit the University holiday website to view the schedule: https://humanresources.ecu.edu/benefits/leave/holidays/
When leaving for break, occupants are asked to turn off and reduce electrical loads as much as possible. In addition, certain building temperature set points will be reduced to further extend the conservation opportunities (campus research labs, occupied support spaces, and patient care areas will be scheduled to coincide with operations over the break). As a result of everyone’s combined efforts, the University conserve both electricity and natural gas; thereby helping the University reach its required 40% energy reduction by 2025 and reduce the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as net impact on the environment.
Those who choose to be on campus during the break can expect to find many buildings with decreased lighting and cooler temperatures. In accordance with the defined holiday schedule, buildings will not be returned to normal occupied conditions until the end of the break.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Over the past three winter breaks (2020, 2021, and 2022), ECU has saved on average $50,000 per "Green Holiday" by setting back building temperatures, turning lights off, shutting blinds/curtains, and shutting down non-essential equipment.
https://www.change.org/p/ban-non-biodegradable-confetti-on-ecu-campus
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Offices that choose to participant will be helping ECU work toward carbon neutrality and reaching its sustainability goals. This program is intended to take the guess work out of campus sustainability and to provide resources so that all employees can do their part to reduce environmental impacts. Offices that complete the certification process will receive recognition through articles published in the SustainECU newsletter as well as posts on our website and social media outlets. Certified Green Offices will also be awarded with a framed certificate to display and an official logo to upload to their website.
The Green Office Program assigns weighted credits to sustainability criteria in order to define the rating levels below:
- Green Office Participant (0-74 credits)
- Certified Green Office (75-99 credits)
- Green Office Champion (100-130 credits)
Individual offices will earn credit toward their rating as they check off items in the following categories:
- Energy Conservation
- Waste Minimization
- Materials Management
- Meetings and Events
- Participation
Prior to starting the program, offices will need to designate a primary contact person and obtain commitment signatures from 75% of their staff. In order to participate, offices are also required to setup a Go Green Bulletin Board and contact the Sustainability Manager to schedule their energy and waste audits. These audits will provide data to make baseline comparisons, evaluate program effectiveness, and report outcomes. Pre-Certification Requirements will ensure certain objectives are completed, but the remaining items consist of categorized electives worth 1-4 credits each. Once the participation requirements are complete, service-learning students will guide office contacts through the certification process using the Credit Worksheet and always be available to answer questions or provide assistance along the way.
2017 Green Offices:
1. Campus Recreation and Wellness - 30 employees
2. Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement - 10 employees
2018 Green Offices:
1. College of Engineering Technology Systems Department - 30 employees
2019 Green Offices:
1. College of Business Student Success Center - 15 employees
2. Office of Student Transitions - 10 employees
3. Health Sciences Campus Facilities Services - 15 employees
4. Student Health Services - 60 employees
TOTAL EMPLOYEES REACHED: 170
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
No Confetti ECU - https://www.instagram.com/no_confetti_/
Green Holiday- https://campusoperations.ecu.edu/sustainability/energy-management/
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.