| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.48 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | June 20, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Connecticut
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Eric
Grulke Sustainability Coordinator Office of Environmental Policy |
Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
| Yes or No | |
| A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts | Yes |
| A sustainability newsletter | Yes |
| Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability | Yes |
| A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability | Yes |
| Building signage that highlights green building features | Yes |
| Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed | Yes |
| A sustainability walking map or tour | Yes |
| A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation | Yes |
| Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians | Yes |
| A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience | Yes |
| Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat | Yes |
| Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above | Yes |
A brief description of the central sustainability website:
The Office of Environmental Policy maintains a website that consolidates information on campus sustainability initiatives. The website highlights sustainability in the University news, social media, environmental policy updates, the Climate Action Plan, water conservation, energy projects, sustainable design guidelines, recycling, transportation, environmental literacy, and current and past sustainability events and initiatives. Additionally, the EcoHusky Student Group website contains information directed towards students, such as sustainability efforts by students, a short list of classes with sustainability content, and information for getting involved with sustainability initiatives.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The Sustainability Newsletter highlights major sustainability updates, events, and milestones for the preceding semester. It is published by the Office of Environmental Policy at the end of the spring and fall semesters.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:
The Office of Environmental Policy uses Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote campus sustainability initiatives and events and increase environmental awareness.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UConnOEP
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uconnoep/
The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The CESE (Center for Environmental Sciences & Enginering) database consolidates research related to climate change impact, mitigation, and adaptation, by both faculty and students. It includes research that covers alternative energy, biodiversity, climate change, environmental responsibility, human health and behavior, environmental technology, and pollution.
Additionally, the C2E2 group provides lists of publications related to clean energy advancements made by faculty and student teams at UConn.
Finally, the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research poster conference is held every spring, which allows all student researchers to present their research, and always contains projects related to sustainability.
http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/frontiers-in-undergraduate-research/
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
UConn has installed “energy dashboards” in two of the newly constructed, LEED-certified buildings. These provide data for the energy and water usage of the buildings and also highlight the buildings’ green and low-impact design features, such as bioretention basins and sustainably-sourced building materials.
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
The Dining Services web site houses information on sustainable food initiatives, including 10 reasons to buy local food, monthly newsletters, Spring Valley Student Farm, Dining Service Apiaries, and UConn’s Real Slow Food initiatives.
The Department of Dining Services recently sourcing all of its fish from Red's Best, a local fishing company. https://uconnoep.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/reds-best-sustainable-fish-at-uconn/
Following the Food Waste study EcoHusky did in conjunction with the Dining Services, posters have been put up in UConn's North Dining Hall that provide infographics of the results from the study and information about smarter eating habits.
Additionally, as part of its responsibilities as a federal land grant University, UConn maintains public access to grass fed dairy and beef operations, with signage explaining the programs and sustainable design of the building enclosures where applicable.
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
The Hillside Environmental Education Park (HEEP), UConn’s former landfill site, has signage on the grounds, as does the campus arboretum. The Office of Environmental Policy is currently working to collaborate with the University’s Signage Committee to produce signs on campus that label the sustainable features, such as rain gardens, green roofs, bioretention basins, etc.
UConn also has both grass-fed beef cattle and dairy barns on Horsebarn Hill with educational signage.
Information about Low Impact Development signage can be found here:
http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/development/lid.html
The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
UConn’s online sustainability map provides a tour of the sustainability features on campus, including rain gardens, compost facility, and pervious pavement.
http://nemo.uconn.edu/ic-guide/galleries/pervious-asphalt.htm
http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/development/tour.html
UConn also provides a guide that highlights 40 of the hundreds of varieties of trees on campus, for “a self-guided tour visiting trees of special interest.” The UConn Storrs campus is recognized as a living arboretum of historic interest, including outstanding specimens of rarity, importance, or advanced age. The walking tour highlights these features:
http://www.uconnarboretum.uconn.edu/content/TREE_GUIDE_CAMPUS_WALK.pdf
Additionally, there is a Low-Impact Development (LID) walking tour designed by the Natural Resources Conservation Academy (a program for high school students that is put on by UConn faculty and grad students in the NRE department) http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/development/LID-tour.pdf
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
There is a shuttle service for students and faculty to take from the Storrs campus to the UConn Health Center in Farmington. http://today.uconn.edu/2011/11/new-shuttle-service-from-storrs-to-farmington/
Transportation Services’ website lists travel alternatives. This includes the Windham Regional Transit District, which offers a bus service between Storrs and Willimantic (free for those with a UConn ID), and also a free service of the Connecticut Department of Transportation called CTrides, which offers assistance on commuting options (sharing a car, vanpool, bus, etc.).
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
UConn’s bike sharing program UConn Cycles allows students, faculty, and staff to borrow a bike using a UConn ID. The UConn Cycles’ website describes safety tips for bicyclists and the UConn Police Department has a website that covers pedestrian and bike safety. The campus has pavement markings that indicate bike lanes. https://uconnoep.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/uconn-bicycle-share-rolls-out/
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
UConn provides guides on incorporating sustainability into the residential experience by providing resources to resident assistants who can disseminate the information among their students. The following PDFs can be converted into bulletin board notices to hang up in dorm hallways and common areas, and contain information suitable for dissemination to students in dorms, apartments, or in general.http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/outreach/resources/EnergyEfficiency.pdf
http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/outreach/resources/DontThrowThatOut.pdf
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
UConn Today publishes articles through its column “Sustainable UConn”, which can also be found on their website with the tag "sustainability." The column covers sustainability events, new green initiatives, and environmental research.
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):
The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Extension is housed at the Storrs Campus, which produces newsletters, youth programs, homeowner extension materials, agricultural extension materials, and resource use materials for the University, surrounding communities, and state.
For example, this is the publication on Water Quality and the Home Landscape: http://www.sustainability.uconn.edu/factsheets.html
The website URL for this material (1st material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
A brief description of this material (2nd material):
Through its participation in the Connecticut Sea Grant program, resources for landowners, researchers, policy-makers, and residents of watershed and marine areas are produced and made available to interested parties at no or low-cost.
The website URL for this material (2nd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
A brief description of this material (3rd material):
CLEAR provides information, education and assistance to Connecticut's land use decision makers, community organizations and citizens on how to better protect natural resources while accommodating economic growth.
The website URL for this material (3rd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
A brief description of this material (4th material):
The student group, EcoHusky, operates an Instagram account. Instagram provides a social media platform in which the group can post news, pictures and status updates.
The website URL for this material (4th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
A brief description of this material (5th material):
EcoHusky student group also has a Facebook account to promote the organization’s outreach events.
The website URL for this material (5th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
A brief description of this material (6th material):
The Connecticut NEMO program provides publications and workshop materials to assist regional city planners. NEMO is a part of the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR). CLEAR provides information, education and assistance to Connecticut's land use decision makers on how to better protect natural resources while accommodating economic growth.
"The heart of the NEMO program is face-to-face workshops for local officials. NEMO offers a number of workshop topics to help you target the challenges your town faces."
The website URL for this material (6th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
A brief description of this material (7th material):
The OEP has a weekly, student-based and a university-wide blog that describes environmental outreach events and provides ideas for how to integrate sustainability into everyday life. It focuses on the environment, clear energy, and social responsibility. The content is written by the OEP director Rich Miller and several OEP interns under his direction.
The website URL for this material (7th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
A brief description of this material (8th material):
The Office of Environmental Policy has upgraded the Sustainable Office Guidelines. into a Green Office Certification Program. The program was launch in Spring 2015.
The website URL for this material (8th material):
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.