Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.40
Liaison Andy Mitchell
Submission Date Sept. 11, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Illinois Chicago
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Cynthia Klein-Banai
Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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 No
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 Sustainability manages a website that includes information about campus sustainability initiatives including academics, initiatives, community, reports, resources, a calendar of sustainability events on campus and in the community, and a blog/news feed. This website has been operational since 2008.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

The Office of Sustainability sends out a biweekly (monthly in summer) sustainability e-newsletter to a list with the intent to inform students, faculty and administrators on the different aspects of sustainability/environmental related news and event happenings at UIC and the community. The newsletter links to articles on the blog. We send out a campus massmail twice a year to all faculty, staff and students.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:

UIC's Office of Sustainability's Facebook page serves as the main social media platform for sustainability. This website serves as the primary social media site for sustainability focused topics in and around campus. The Facebook page braodcasts updates on sustainability related news topics events, lectures, internships, jobs, scholarships and fun articles. As of 2013, the Office of Sustainability's Facebook page has over 500 likes.

SustainableUIC's Twitter page allows the UIC community and others to view sustainability related topics from a social media platform. This allows users to access all things sustainability related at UIC and additional sustainability topics, on the go, from a computer , smart phone, etc. Topics include sustainability related events on campus, "green" gift ideas, trending sustainability topics, news articles, and many more.


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:

While there is no formal process for students to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability, the Office of Sustainability, and UIC in general, offer many options for students to publish/disseminate any type of research be it online, publications, lectures, etc. The Office of Sustainability not only offers ideas and encourages students to embark on research initiatives, but has an online section to publish and disseminate the research. Students can also post to the blog and include research reports.


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 :

UIC's Lincoln Hall (LEED NC Gold certified), features svideo footage on monitors that feature its green features. The energy production of the solar system is shown on one monitor (website below) and the building monitor projects slides of the building's green features. UIC's Douglas Hall (LEED NC Gold certified) also has a monitor at the entrance that highlights green building features.


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:

At the dining halls, the Dining Services has signs that feature the menu along with it being available online as well and table tents that discuss sustainable features of the food.


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:

UIC's grounds carry "Tree Tags" on various trees throughout campus, illustrating their environmental and financial benefits.
The areas that do feature sustainable grounds-keeping strategies have brief descriptions of the plants utilized. (West Campus Prairie Garden).


The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
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A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

The UIC Green Map offers students, faculty, and staff a map of featured spaces and places on campus that help reduce the University's carbon footprint. It includes both a geospatial map and descriptive narratives of all the green spaces and places on campus. Green spaces include UIC's LEED certified buildings, solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, green roofs, public transportation options, car-sharing stations, and areas with sustainable food options.

This past academic year, our students also developed a sustainability map of campus that can be used for a self-guided tour and for a scavenger hunt.


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:

UIC's Commuter Resource Center offers plenty of information on different modes of transportation to and from UIC and Chicago. This includes maps of the CTA and Metra systems, bicycle routes, pedestrian walkways and opportunities for people to carpool. The Office of Sustainability also has compiled transportation resources on its website.


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:

UIC's Office of Sustainability website offers the UIC community navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians. The website offers a Bicycle Amenities Map, links to the city of Chicago's bike maps which show the lanes near UIC, as well as informational links and pages for Bicycle Safety and Security, Bicycle Rules of the Road, bicycle racing information, gear and clothing, and a bike facilities map.


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:

N/A


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
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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:

The UIC News regularly publishes articles about sustainability on campus. Anne Brooks-Renaldo is the reporter assigned to the sustainability beat. The website has a tag for all sustainability-related articles.


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 Institute for Environmental Science and Policy publishes a newsletter that features research and other initiatives related to environmental sustainability.


The website URL for this material (1st material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (2nd material):

The UIC sustainability blog is used to publish information and topics on how to make UIC a more sustainable campus. It also features news updates on projects and events being held by the Office of Sustainability. It is accessed from UIC's Office of Sustainability Home page.


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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
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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.