Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.90
Liaison Steve Mital
Submission Date Aug. 1, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Oregon
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Sarah Stoeckl
Assistant Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

Name of the campaign:
Recycling and Waste Education in Dining Halls

A brief description of the campaign:

As part of Campus Race to Zero Waste, UO conducted a waste audit in one of the residence halls, Kalapuya Ilihi, and then did targeted outreach and education to student residents based on the results of that waste audit. A second audit post-campaign showed a 50% reduction in trash items, 50% reduction in paper contamination in the cardboard bins, 15% reduction in recyclables going in the trash, and anecdotal reports of a reduction in trash and clutter around the cardboard recycling stations. This campaign is providing a model for similar, targeted, building-level campaigns going forward.

During campus move-in days, a.k.a. Unpack the Quack, student staff from the Office of Sustainability and volunteers from the Environmental Leaders Academic Residential Community staff temporary and permanent waste and recycling stations across campus, helping new students and their families handle their waste materials and providing high touch, high impact education in how UO handles waste and recycling. The waste management team reports cleaner sites overall and reduced contamination due to these efforts.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:

See above (knit into overall narrative of both campaigns)


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Green Office Certification Program

A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):

The Green Office Scorecard tracks office sustainability across seven categories including: prerequisites, energy, materials management, purchasing, transportation, events, and disaster preparedness. Offices are awarded a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum level certification by completing and submitting a scorecard.

https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/green-office-certification-program

The Green Office program is creating a network of office champions who are actively reducing the environmental impacts of their work and workplaces.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):

Approximately 50 departments across campus have been certified through the Green Office Program, engaging hundreds of staff. The program was reviewed and revamped in 2019, and new Green Office Certifications are announced on Earthday. Generally 1-2, 90-minute lunch orientations for the Green Office program are held each year, which provide sustainability education to attendees even if they choose not to pursue the certification. UO has directly trained over 100 staff members through the lunch orientations, who then champion green and resilient practices in their offices. Additionally, certified offices are given an electronic seal to use on their webpage and in publications to note that they have been certified, spread awareness, and increase engagement.


A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:

Week 1 and Move-Out Educational Tabling
During the first week of the academic year, tabling serves mainly new students to educate them on acceptable materials in waste stream, waste reduction best practices, and options to pursue further waste reduction. Collectively, in the first week of each Fall term 2017-2019, 1422 students received this information. This number represents about 10% of the students living on campus. During the final week of the academic year, tabling serves to educate residents about the on-campus donation drive and tips on proper sorting, which encourages reuse and recycling over disposal.


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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