| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.17 |
| Liaison | James Gordon |
| Submission Date | May 31, 2022 |
Thompson Rivers University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
James
Gordon Environmental Programs and Research Coordinator TRU Office of Environment and 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:
TRU was involved in the 2019 and 2020 campaign challenges. The simplest way to explain this campaign is to print the text from the media release that TRU put out January 18, 2019 regarding the first campaign.
TRU helps to launch BC Cool Campus Challenge
In response to possible reductions of natural gas to certain BC communities during the coldest winter months due to the gas pipeline explosion last October near Prince George, BC, members of the TRU Sustainability Office took the lead to form a working group with members from other post-secondary institutions in BC and came together to create the BC Cool Campus Challenge. Institutions across BC are challenging each other to reduce natural gas use and encourage campus community members to take energy conservation actions by signing the Cool Campus Pledge. By reducing natural gas use, we can all demonstrate climate leadership and help reduce our climate impact.
FAQ
Who is Participating in the Cool Campus Challenge?
Universities and colleges are joining together to promote energy conservation across the province. Institutions currently participating include: The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Selkirk College and Thompson Rivers University.
Why are post-secondary institutions leading this challenge?
Public institutions have taken this opportunity to be leaders in our community to respond to last October’s pipeline explosion and subsequent provincial natural gas shortage. This challenge is an example of how collaboration can address concerns about energy use. Natural gas is a limited and uncertain non-renewable resource. The purpose of this challenge is to start a conversation on energy dependency and resiliency. How can we engage in energy saving practices in addition to seeking renewable energy resources? Let's take this opportunity to discuss it.
How will the winner of the BC Cool Campus Challenge be decided? What is the provincial prize?
The winner of the BC Cool Campus Challenge will be the institution that collects the highest percentage of online energy-saving pledges from the total of their campus community of students, staff, and faculty between January 18th and February 28th.
The winning institution will get a branded sweater or warm clothing item from each of the participating institutions. On behalf of the participating institutions, the winning team will donate all the warm clothing items to a local charitable organization to keep more people warm this heating season.
Additionally, the winning institution wins bragging rights as the coolest campus in BC!
Why are these actions being encouraged?
Simple actions like turning down the heat, wearing warmer clothing, taking shorter showers, and washing clothes in cold water all help to reduce natural gas use and lower our carbon footprint.
The Pledge
Those who want to participate in the Challenge will be asked to sign the following pledge:
"I pledge to reduce my energy use in my home and workplace this winter season by:
• Turning down the heat (between 1°C and 3°C)
• Layering up in warm clothing
• Taking shorter showers
• Washing laundry in cold water”
Hashtag: #BCCoolCampus
For information about the Challenge, please contact James Gordon (jgordon@tru.ca) in the TRU Sustainability Office.
https://www.tru.ca/sustainability/get-involved/bc-cool-campus-challenge.html
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
As a result of the the 6 week (January 18 to February 28) energy conservation campaign aimed at TRU students, staff and faculty members to take actions both at home and on campus, the following results were realized by TRU:
Saved 1433 Giga Joules of natural gas; which is equal to approximately 71.65 tCO2 (this is over 10 weeks since TRU started turning down the heat when school ended for Christmas break).
Got 245 energy-saving pledges (2.37 % of the TRU community population).
14 volunteers helped run six tabling sessions over six weeks to promote the event and had a free ‘hot chocolate bar' (patrons had to bring their own mug).
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.