Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.75
Liaison Josh Lasky
Submission Date Feb. 23, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

George Washington University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Kimberly Williams
Not available at this time
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at students and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability? :
Yes

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes

Name of the campaign:
GW Eco-Challenge

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged:

The GW Eco-Challenge is an electricity and water conservation challenge between residence halls. The contest serves as an educational resource for students through peer-to-peer engagement. GW Eco-Reps are the driving force behind Eco-Challenge, hosting small and large events in their residence halls and across campus designed to educate their peers about water and electricity reduction. Previous Eco-Challenge events have included: informational pizza parties, tabling, vampire device demonstrations, and lights out events.

GW's Eco-Challenge benefit helps lower the carbon and water footprint of the university and the lessons learned through the program help to instill an ethic of conservation in students.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:

Since the first contest in 2008, GW students have helped to conserve 2,539,235 kWh of electricity and over 7.5 million gallons of water.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available:
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Green Office Network

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged (2nd campaign):

The Green Office Network is the primary faculty and staff sustainability engagement program. The purpose of the network is to better understand office behavior and practices on a day-to-day basis, build community and foster discussion about how to improve sustainability on the individual and office level, and empower staff to make positive, healthy changes. The network meets on a regular basis to discuss best practices and learn about sustainability initiatives and opportunities on campus, and the Office of Sustainability emails this group between meetings with additional opportunities.

Monthly meetings feature guest speakers who are GW Staff members. These staff members typically work in a department related to sustainability (Waste, Grounds, Buildings, Energy, etc.) and explain to the GON their role, as well as what the university is doing to be sustainable. This educates the GON members on the various efforts GW has to be green.

In 2014, the Office of Sustainability launched a Green Office Certification to expand on the Green Office Network. The certification is awarded to offices that complete certain sustainability behaviors in their offices, and there are four possible levels of certification. Offices are re-certified on an annual basis, and are encouraged to add to their sustainable practices in doing so.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):

Since the launch of the certification in summer 2014, over 55 offices have been certified, with additional offices in the process of becoming certified currently.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:

The Sustainable Student Pledge is a program that encourages students to make a conscious decision to live more sustainably in their daily lives. Students who take the Sustainable Student Pledge receive biweekly email updates from the Office of Sustainability with resources for putting sustainability into practice. As part of their introduction to GW and in an effort to establish good habits early on, Freshmen students are specifically targeted by the program. In Fall 2017, over 200 students took the pledge and receive regular direct communication from the Office of Sustainability.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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