| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.57 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Collins |
| Submission Date | Dec. 14, 2023 |
Temple University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Bryce
Forys Sustainability Coordinator 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:
The university participated in the national Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, an intercollegiate campaign running during the eight-week period from the end of January to the end of March. During the competition, Temple Sustainability partnered with Temple's food service provider, Aramark, to host Weigh the Waste in Morgan Dining Hall. For two weeks in March, students collected, weighed, and diverted post-consumer organic food waste at the dish return in the dining hall. During this time, EcoReps also engaged students about the environmental impacts of food waste and offered ideas on how to mitigate their impact.
Another campaign held as part of the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition was the Share Fair. During this event, Temple's Office of Sustainability put on a large-scale, high-visibility fair demonstrating the importance of circularity here on campus and in Philadelphia.
Lastly, the Office of Sustainability developed a Green Your Department Resource Guide, which was distributed to employees within departments around campus as part of Campus Race to Zero Waste.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
During this year's Weigh the Waste campaign, over 40 student volunteers helped divert 649 pounds of organic food waste from the landfill to compost. During the time of the campaign, the dining hall recorded 5,122 students swiping in to eat. To highlight the importance of the food waste diversion efforts, students provided daily updates of the pounds of organic food waste collected on a sign in front of the dish return. The sign also contained language encouraging students to only take what they can eat, encouraging students to think consciously about the food waste they produce on an individual level.
For the Share Fair, the Office of Sustainability worked closely with the on-campus branch of Sharing Excess to put on a mass giveaway of rescued food as the main highlight of the event. For five hours, student volunteers helped give away three palettes of rescued to students and local community members. Along with the food giveaway, the Share Fair offered the opportunity to highlight other programs promoting circularity at Temple.
The organization PERIOD tabled and provided information on how to join their efforts in providing free, sustainable menstrual products to students at Temple. As part of their mission, they aim to reduce the waste generated from disposable menstrual products by promoting and distributing alternatives like menstrual cups. The Cherry Pantry, Temple’s on-campus food pantry, held a non-perishable food donation drive along with information on how to support their efforts in combatting hunger on campus. The food donated here consisted of non-perishable food items that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. Temple Student Government held a business-casual clothing giveaway, providing free business-casual clothing for students in need. The clothes given away were donated from students and other university partners throughout the semester.
Lastly, the Office of Sustainability exhibited their Secondhand Cycle Program with a reclaimed bike raffle. Secondhand Cycles is a unique and extremely popular waste reduction initiative at Temple University. At the end of each semester, bikes that have been left on campus or claimed by campus police are brought to the Office of Sustainability to be fixed by student workers and resold to students at discounted prices.
The last campaign to mention as part of Campus Race to Zero Waste is the publication and distribution of the Green Your Department Resource Guide. This has provided employees with a variety of information on minimizing waste in their departments including where to drop off unwanted office supplies, how to recycle printer and toner cartridges, and how to decorate with secondhand furniture.
Weigh the Waste Recap:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq-3KF3rWFP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Share Fair:
https://events.temple.edu/share-fair
Green Your Department:
https://sustainability.temple.edu/sites/sustainability/files/GDC_ResourceGuide_05.pdf
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Office of Sustainability held several outreach campaigns engaging commuting employees and students on useful resources through Temple and other external organizations. The Green Your Commute Campaign was published on Temple University's website to provide employees with information on pre-tax benefits and sustainable commuting options. Shortly after in the Fall, the Office of Sustainability held the Transportation Fair, targeting both employees and students. At this high-visibility event, the Office of Sustainability invited several other departments and external organizations to provide information on getting around Philadelphia sustainably.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
At the Transportation Fair, the Office of Sustainability coordinated tabling at the Temple University Bell Tower with representatives from 8 other departments and organizations. The organizations that tabled include Indego Bike Share, TU Flight Program, Clean Air Council, Transit Forward Philadelphia, Better Bike Share Partnership, Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, and Circuit Trails Network. From 10 AM to 3 PM, the Office of Sustainability tabled alongside these other representatives to provide information to students and employees as they walked to and from class and/or work. The Office of Sustainability's table received 59 requests for more information on top of other engaging conversations with interested students, staff, and faculty.
At this event, the Office of Sustainability also distributed the Green Your Commute Resource Guide to interested employees. This guide provides information on pre-tax commuter benefits, bike parking, bike sharing, and ride sharing here at Temple.
Links:
https://sustainability.temple.edu/sites/sustainability/files/Green_Your_Commute_Resource_Guide.pdf
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Updated Fall 2023
Updated Fall 2023
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