| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.91 |
| Liaison | Andy Mitchell |
| Submission Date | July 17, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Illinois Chicago
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Cynthia
Klein-Banai Associate Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
The Office of Sustainability manages a website that includes information about campus sustainability initiatives including Sustaianbility Plans published by the Office of Sustaianbility, operational sustainability on campus (energy initiatives, biking resources, transformational grounds projects, and other on-campus sustaianbility resources. The website also connects students to sustaianbility on campus via the Sustainability Internship Program webpage, the Sustaianbility Fee Funding webpage, and the Eco-Educator (volunteer) webpage. It also includes a link to the main UIC calendar of sustainability events on campus and in the community. This website has been operational since 2008.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The Office of Sustainability sends out a monthly 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 Office of Sustainability uses this to send information about relevant sustainability activities on campus and, on occasion, in the region. In most cases this will be 'Greenlights,' a regular newsletter containing upcoming events, announcements to join in campus activities, and job, internship, scholarship, or other opportunities for students, staff, and faculty at UIC.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on 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 broadcasts updates on sustainability related news topics events, lectures, internships, jobs, scholarships and fun articles. As of 2017, the Office of Sustainability's Facebook page has over 1,000 likes.
The Office of Sustainability also uses Twitter, Instagram and YouTube (all handles are @SustainableUIC)
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 focused on sustainability:
Does the institution have 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 the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
The UIC News regularly publishes articles about sustainability on campus. The website has a tag for all sustainability-related articles.
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The Sustaianbility Internship Program requires the students to present their sustainability research at the end-of-semester poster presentation; also, many of the SIP students get to present their work to higher-level administrators as part of the internship.
UIC offers many options for students to publish/disseminate any type of research via the Student Research Forum and Impact Day. SRF allows students from all disciplines (Arts, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, among others) to present their work one-on-one to Forum attendees and judges during a high-energy 3-hour session, followed by an awards ceremony.
Impact Day is the framework for students to enrich and optimize their academic, professional, and personal growth. With each student engagement opportunity, students are building upon their co-curricular experience while empowering and impacting the community beyond our campus.
Every year the Office of Sustainability has students from the SIP program, as well as other sustaianbility-focused classes (like US/UPP 130, "Principals of Sustaianbility") who present at the Student Research Forum as well as at Impact Day. The Office of Sustainability promote both of these programs in the Student Internship Program, social media and via the Greenlights newsletter.
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
Lincoln Hall (LEED NC Gold certified), features a lobby sign that describes the workings of the solar panels on top of the building. Grant Hall features a lobby sign that describes the geothermal well energy that heats and cools the building. Douglas Hall (LEED NC Gold certified) also has a monitor at the entrance that, at times, highlights green building features. Mile Square Health Center (LEED NC Gold certified) has a total of 22 signs (either acrylic or vinyl) throughout the building highlighting each sustainable feature including LEED, Sustainable Sites, Clean Water, Water Efficiency, FSC Wood, Energy Savings, Recycled Content and Regional Materials, Low VOC, Daylighting, and encouraging occupants to take the stairs. There is also an informational 10-minute video that runs on a loop describing the connection of LEED buildings, environmental sustaianbility and patient health and well-being.
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
UIC Dining features signage related to sustainability in the Student Center East (SCE) dining hall and the JST residence dining hall.
All of the signage in SCE is permanent with 14 small sustainability squares around the grill and milk dispenser. The Milk dispenser itself is covered decal. There is also a large Illinois IL map that stands over 3 feet tall that proclaims, "Know the story of your food! Support local farms within 150 miles of Chicago, IL"
There are also 3 rectangle signs next to the dish return where Dining Services lists year to date sustainable purchases and uses in the dining hall like eggs, chicken, and more. Those also list our partners from local and sustainable farms and companies. Lastly, our Food Recovery sign gives information about all the leftover food that gets donated to a local homeless shelter. Altogether, we have 19 permanent signs in SCE. There is similar signage at JST. All of it minus the 14 small squares.
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
There are signs describing the benefits of a native prairie and the connection to pollinators at the Little Prairie on the Campus.
The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
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.
UIC students also developed a sustainability map of campus that can be used for a self-guided tour and for a scavenger hunt. Introductory undergraduate classes have utilized this in the past.
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable 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 more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
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 resources for commuting by bike (including discounts for the City's bike share program), 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:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
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:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
A brief description of these materials or publications:
The Institute for Environmental Science and Policy publishes a newsletter that features research and other initiatives related to environmental sustainability.
The website URL for these materials or publications:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://twitter.com/SustainableUIC
The two main vehicles for disseminating student research on campus are: http://research.uic.edu/srf and https://orgsync.com/84833/chapter
https://twitter.com/SustainableUIC
The two main vehicles for disseminating student research on campus are: http://research.uic.edu/srf and https://orgsync.com/84833/chapter
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