American University
EN-1: Outreach and Communications

American University begins educating students about sustainability as soon as they arrive on campus. The Office of Sustainability trains student orientation leaders on campus sustainability including energy, waste, and green living during the summer and participates in training for Community Directors. The Office of Sustainability also hosts a table during orientation Open Houses and Resource Fairs for incoming first year students, transfer students, and graduate students to share information and opportunities about how to participate in sustainability activities at AU. The Office of Sustainability introduces students to AU's sustainability practices and practical ways to be more sustainable both on and off campus. The Office of Sustainability also offers paint pens and stickers to students to personalize the AU-branded reusable water bottles they recieve during orientation.

The Office of Sustainability also partners with the Office of New Student and Family Programs and other campus partners to plan for waste reduction and sustainable giveaways campus-wide during orientation. These initiatives include sharing information with campus event planners, introducing three outdoor water stations equipped with compostable cups to eliminate plastic bottles during orientation and move-in, and sending EcoReps to large events to help attendees sort their waste correctly.

Additionally, the Office of Sustainability participates in other fairs held early in the school year, including a safety fair and transportation fair. 

An overview of the University's commitment to and policies regarding sustainability is included in new employee orientation. Additional information about specific sustainability topics are also included: AU's carbon neutrality and its national recognition; information about public transportation benefits including metro, bus, and carpooling; bicycle commuter benefit; Money Network Service which replaced majority of paper paychecks and encouragement to complete surveys and tax forms electronically; directions to receive W4s digitally (instead of hard copy); sustainable food choices including the campus CSA, farmers market, and community garden. Orientation is offered virtually, and all information covered is accessible via PowerPoint or pdf. This reduces the amount of paper, building energy, and transportation resources needed for an in-person orientation. The Office of Sustainability also participates in a Resource Group for new employees to help them acclimate to campus and build community.

The Office of Sustainability also uses signage across campus to promote events and behaviour change. Physical signage on main campus includes general sustainability facts, including information about the Arboretum and stormwater features as well as other accomplishments. Signage on digital screens in residence halls and academic buildings changes more frequently and highlights upcoming events or relevant information, such as waste sorting basics when students return to campus.

The Office of Sustainability also operates an online publicly available Sustainability Dashboard page on the sustainability website. The dashboard offers data dating back to 2005 on AU's greenhouse gas emissions, waste, electricity, natural gas, and transportation. It shows AU's progress toward goals in the sustainability plan, like achieving zero waste by 2030 and reducing single-occupancy vehicle traffic to and from campus.

https://www.american.edu/about/sustainability/tracking-progress/ 

The Office of Sustainability operates an Instagram account focused on sharing sustainability news, updates, and information to the campus community.

https://www.instagram.com/thegreenau/ 

The Office of Sustainability also operates a newsletter for the campus community to share updates from the Office and from partners. Newsletters go out once or twice per month during the semesters to students, staff, faculty, and community members who sign up to recieve it.

The Office of Sustainability coordinated a year-long behavior change campaign dedicated to reducing single-use plastics on campus in the 2023-24 academic year. The campaign was called Small Changes, Big Impact. It kicked off in August while welcoming incoming students to campus with a reusable water bottle accompanied by information on why using it is so important. The campaign was supported by the Office of Sustainability's newsletter, social media, digital screen signage, and in-person tabling by EcoReps and interns, as well as events during the fall semester. During the spring semester, single-use plastic reduction through Small Changes, Big Impact was a focal part of the 2024 Campus Race to Zero Waste. In addition to social media, digital screen signage, tabling, and events, the Office of Sustainability partnered with AU's student-run coffee shops to offer a $1 discount to anyone using a reusable mug or cup.

The Office of Sustainability uses several methods to reach campus stakeholders. We track reach of tabling and events by estimating and recording attendance. We conservatively estimate that 50 percent of attendees may be repeat attendees, so report only half. Over the course of the 2023 - 2024 academic year, we estimated that we reached 4,963 students and 899 employees via in-person methods, or about 40 percent of the campus community.

In addition to in-person engagement, the Office operates an Instagram account that reaches between 4,000 and 6,000 accounts monthly and AU's arboretum operates an account that reaches between 2,000 and 3,000 accounts monthly. Using a conservative estimate that 50 percent of these may not be AU students or employees, this equates to reaching between 3,000 and 4,500 accounts monthly, or between 20 and 30 percent of the campus community.

https://www.instagram.com/thegreenau/

https://www.instagram.com/americanu_arboretum/

Other forms of communication to engage the campus community include the Office of Sustainability newsletter, with 1,400 subscribers, or about 10 percent of the campus community.

Additionally, several community-wide emails were sent to the entire campus from the Director of Sustainability about specific sustainability topics. These emails were opened by 5,000 people on average, or about 35 percent of the campus community.

Outside of communication directly from the Office of Sustainability, sustainability was included several times per month in "AU Now", a weekly update sent to all students, staff, and faculty. AU Now is opened on average by 3,400 students and 1,100 employees weekly, or about 30 percent of the community.

Between estimated reach of in-person events and communications platforms such as social media, the Office of Sustainability newsletter, and communication on behalf of the Office of Sustainability through other offices, a conservative estimate to account for duplication between these methods would be that more than 60 percent of the campus community was reached by sustainability communications.