| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.09 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Drake |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
Swarthmore College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Clare
Hyre Associate Director of Sustainability Office of 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:
Starting with the publication of the Zero Waste Plan, the institution has embarked on a number of campaign strategies including sending an all-campus zero waste emails, hosting a Waste Characterization study, providing reusable utensils to all first years, transitioning from plastic to reusable water bottles, offering reusable takeout containers to students, extensive outreach and training around zero waste to all faculty, staff and students,
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Over the past 6 years the actual waste diversion rate at Swarthmore has increased from 32% to 43%. Diversion rates have stayed fairly stable through the pandemic and the rise of take-out. The zero waste campaign strategies increased the knowledge and awareness of zero waste goals on campus for students, faculty, and staff, as well as gave them ways to engage in zero waste practices that dramatically reduced single-use plastic on campus. The results of the Waste Characterization Study are shared out with the entire campus community and often lead to inquires around proper sorting and other zero waste practices. Zero Waste trainings engage groups from 5 to 150 and spread the word about the effort to achieve zero waste by 2035.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Every spring since Spring 2020, Office of Sustainability students hosted a "Climate Essentials" short course, a weekly afternoon speaker series open to the entire campus community that addresses the following questions: "What does the latest science tell us about the state of the climate crisis? What are the issues of social injustice and oppression that have led us to this point? How can we remain mentally healthy in the days ahead? How do we respond to the climate crisis in meaningful and effective ways?"
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
This short course has attracted more than two hundred participants in the past three years. Surveys completed during the second iteration measured consistent improvement in the average responses to questions like "How familiar are you with Environmental Justice?", "How familiar are you with the climate crisis and its implications?", and "Do you feel that you are able to do anything about climate change?"
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data for this credit was reported by representatives from the Office of Sustainability and informed by publicly accessible materials on the College website.
Data for this credit was reported by representatives from the Office of Sustainability and informed by publicly accessible materials on the College website.
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.