| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.61 |
| Liaison | Greg Kozak |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Northwestern University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Stephanie
Folk Sustainability Communications Manager sustainNU |
Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at students within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at employees within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
The name of the campaign (1st campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (1st campaign):
Each year, Students for Ecological and Environmental Development and Eco-Reps run Green Cup, a month-long competition between residence halls and Greek houses to reduce energy and water use and participate in sustainability events. Teams receive points based on how much they conserve and how many events they attend. The teams that earn the most points are awarded prize money and the honor of keeping the Green Cup (made of recycled glass) in their house for the year.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (1st campaign):
Since Green Cup takes place in the fall, students are taught about sustainable living soon after arriving on campus, and they learn habits they can carry on through the rest of the year. Green Cup also leads to big savings in water and energy for the university.
During the month of the fall 2016 competition, water use in residence halls went down by nearly 250 cubic feet per person compared to the baseline period. This saved more than 850,000 cubic feet of water in total. Energy use also went down. Across all residence halls, electricity use was cut by more than 530 kWh per person, saving a total of more than 1.8 million kWh. Maintaining this level of savings over the course of a year would prevent 4.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The website URL where information about the campaign is available (1st campaign):
The name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Green Office Certification program engages faculty and staff in the process of adopting environmental best practices in the workplace. The program offers guidance on conserving energy and water, reducing waste, and increasing environmental awareness on campus. The process empowers all of our staff and faculty to become green leaders and its success is based on broad engagement and collective impact.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Green Office program engages staff members to adopt more sustainable practices in the work place. Staff members learn about action they can take to reduce their footprint, and they collaborate with their coworkers to achieve a common goal. As of February 2017, 11 offices had completed the certification process, engaging a total of more than 600 employees in efforts to create a greener campus.
The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
A brief description of other outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:
Northwestern celebrates Earth Day throughout April with a wide variety of events designed to engage the University community in issues of environmental sustainability. In 2016, the sustainNU program hosted several fun and educational events highlighting energy efficiency, natural resources, waste, and sustainable transportation. In addition, student organizations, offices, and academic departments organized activities ranging from a panel discussion on environmental justice to a race to turn off the lights in campus buildings.
http://www.northwestern.edu/sustainability/calendar/annual-events/earth-week.html
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.