| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.78 |
| Liaison | Julia Carlow |
| Submission Date | May 6, 2021 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
American University of Sharjah
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Julia
Carlow Acting Head of Sustainability 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):
AUS Sustainability hosts a comprehensive sustainability website which consolidates information about
- the vision of AUS Sustainability and the 4 strategic priorities
- the AUS Sustainability Team and how to get in touch
- the EcoRep Program and how to apply
- sustainability focused courses and degrees
- sustainability research by faculty and students
- sustainability focus of each of the 4 colleges at AUS
- a comprehensive resource library that hosts printable documents
- a link to current events
- a link to the latest sustainability related university news
- a link to AUS Sustainability Social Media
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
AUS sustainability sends a newsletter to the entire AUS community 2 to 3 times per year, highlighting the sustainability achievements of the whole university, announcing upcoming events, workshops, webinars and competitions.
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:
AUS Sustainability hosts two main social media platforms:
- Facebook (@aussustainable) as the primary communication channel to engage with the faculty and staff living on campus
- Instagram (@aussustainability) as the primary communication channel to engage with students and alumni.
Since the onset of COVID-19 these platforms have evolved into the primary tool to engage with the AUS community. Hence we hired a dedicated social media student worker to fully capitalize on our engagement.
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 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:
Through its University Library, AUS hosts a dedicated digital repository for sustainability student research, both at graduate and undergraduate level. DSpace is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital research publications. The content is assigned to so called "Communities", which host thematic collections. AUS Sustainability is on of these "Communities" and offers an easy way to locate and navigate work from students at the American University of Sharjah related to Sustainability.
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 :
The New Engineering and Science Building at AUS was developed in accordance with the requirements of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council and ESTIDAMA Sustainability requirements, achieving 2 Pearl ESTIDAMA Certification. The building signage clearly features this achievement both through its indoor and outdoor signage and lists the various building features.
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:
AUS Sustainability recently published a brochure titled "A Guide to Sustainable Dining at AUS". This brochure details the relationship between sustainable food choices and the SDGs, the benefits of a plant based diet, the learning experience through the AUS community farm, as well as the benefits of the weekly AUS Farmers Market.
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:
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 AUS Sustainability Map was created to highlight all the sustainable features of the AUS Campus such as public water coolers, bike racks, bus stops, recycling locations and sustainability landmarks.
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:
Transportation Services General Information:
Buses
On Campus
AUS provides a free bus service on campus with various pick up and drop off points around the university, including convenient stops for both the men’s and women’s dorms.
The Blue Route - Local Line and Red Route - Local Line operate on regular class days and final examination days.
Off Campus (to and from AUS to Sharjah and other emirates)
Services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain require a bus pass.
The university also operates a free of charge service, on Sunday and Wednesday evenings from the campus to the nearby Sharjah Co-op (supermarket), Matajer (a neighborhood shopping center), City CenterAl Zahia (a nearby mall), and back. Timetables and routes can be downloaded from the website and are displayed at the bus stops. (Note: modifications are currently in place due to COVID 19 - limiting route availability and some route frequencies.)
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:
AUS Sustainability published a bike safety guide to encourage students, faculty and staff to bike more while staying safe.
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:
AUS Sustainability published a comprehensive guide to sustainable living in the student resident halls which includes hands-on information about saving electricity, minimizing waste, recycling, healthy eating and sustainable commuting.
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:
AUS Sustainability worked with local waste management company Bee'ah on a comprehensive campus recycling guide for the academic buildings, the faculty resident housing as well as the student residential halls.
The website URL for these materials or publications:
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.