Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.60
Liaison Mary Lucus
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Belmont University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Mary Lucus
Director, IR
Provost
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Central Sustainability Website 

Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
Belmont's central sustainability website, "Conservation and Sustainability" features a video that details sustainability efforts, highlights specific campus initiatives, offers information on sustainable buildings and their features, provides an FAQ section regarding campus's bottled water policy, provides all news stories that pertain to sustainability and details Belmont's environmental policy. Additionally, information can be found online about car sharing, Belmont's slow food chapter, sustainability among Belmont's dining services and the importance of energy consumption, among other things.

The website URL for the central sustainability website:
http://www.belmont.edu/green/

Sustainability Newsletter 

Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The "Belmont Goes Green/Conservation and Sustainability" website functions as the University newsletter as it provides updates to the Belmont community regarding sustainability initiatives. The "Sustainability News" function on the side aggregates all sustainability-related news. Additionally, any news story related to sustainability is published in Belmont's weekly e-newsletter, Belmont FYI, as it is published.

None
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
http://www.belmont.edu/green/news.html

Social Media Platforms 

Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:
Slow Food Belmont, a student organization formed to practice and educate the community about urban gardening, provides frequent updates regarding sustainability happenings and events. The Facebook link won't allow us to save below: https://www.facebook.com/slowfoodbelmont/

The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
http://www.belmont.edu/green/

Student Newspaper Coverage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
Belmont's news site, http://news.belmont.edu/, serves as the main student newspaper and has a staff person that covers sustainability initiatives and features. Additionally, Belmont's weekly student newsletter, the Bruin Breeze, features sustainability updates as they arise. Beyond these avenues, Belmont's student newspaper, The Belmont Vision, covers news across campus, including news related to sustainability and conservation. That URL is: www.belmontvision.com

The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
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Student Research Publication 

Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The "Belmont goes Green/Conservation and Sustainability" website functions to disseminate this information. Additionally, stories highlighting student sustainability research initiatives are included in newsletters for the community, faculty, staff and students as they are published throughout the year. SURS, Belmont's Science Undergraduate Research Symposium; BURS, Belmont's Undergraduate Research Symposium and SURFS, Belmont's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, allows students to complete and publish research on a number of topics, including sustainability. This research is then highlighted in campus-wide publications and websites.

None
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
http://www.belmont.edu/biology/student_research/student_research_news.html

Green Building Signage 

Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

None
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
Buildings on campus that have achieved LEED certification are recognized with signage in their lobbies. These include the Janet Ayers Academic Center (previously the Wedgewood Academic Center), the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center and the Milton and Denice Johnson Center.

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The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
http://www.belmont.edu/green/sustainable-buildings.html

Sustainable Food Systems Information 

Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Food services, Sodexo at Belmont, has a sustainability website, "Sustainability," that describes their initiatives related to sustainability within food service. This includes involvement in the Nashville Waste Project, where Belmont Dining Services plays a critical role in meeting America’s food waste challenge by being chosen as a pioneer to deploy LeanPath technologies. In 2015, Nashville was selected as a pilot city for developing high-impact local policies and on-the-ground actions to address food waste. The Nashville Food Waste Initiative (NFWI) is developing strategies and practical tools to serve as models for cities around the country. NFWI works closely with Belmont Dining to prevent food waste and reduce costs in food service environments through innovative waste tracking software. Additionally, Belmont Dining Services assists underserved individuals in the Nashville Metro Area through hosting a month-long canned food drive where donations are given to Second Harvest Food Bank. Finally, Belmont Dining Services recycles hundreds of thousands of pounds of previously utilized cooking oils and solid food waste thru state-of-the-art composting equipment in the University's main dining facility, Harrington Place Dining. This prevents hazardous materials from winding up in landfills and local water sources exponentially reducing our environmental foot print.

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The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
https://belmont.sodexomyway.com/explore/sustainability

Sustainable Grounds Signage 

Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Campus signage highlights Belmont's status as an arboretum, and multiple LEED-certified buildings are marked with signage, as described above.

The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
http://news.belmont.edu/arbor-day-foundation-recognizes-belmont-as-a-tree-campus-usa-2017/

Sustainable Walking Map or Tour 

Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
This summer, a walking tour was developed for a SCUP (Society for College and University Planning) visit to Belmont. This tour included sustainable building features, a walking tour of the arboretum and tours of LEED-certified buildings, among many other things. As this was an event, there is no link that details this walking tour. A few years ago, a similar tour was created and facilitated for a group from NACUBO.

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The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
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Guide for Commuters 

Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
A commuters website covers information on the complimentary use of Nashville's MTA bus line, discounted tickets on the commuter bus "Relax and Ride," complimentary use of Nashville's commuter train system and Belmont's Enterprise CarShare program available for students, faculty and staff.

The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
http://www.belmont.edu/hr/prospective/commuters.html

Materials for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

None
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Belmont provides many materials related to safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Bicycle safety tips are published on Office of Campus Security's website (see below). Belmont also partners with the student newspaper to highlight safety initiatives and frequently implements a student-run and created social media campaign (#BeSafeBU) to further share this educational information. Since we are only able to insert one URL below, here's a second one for reference related to driver safety: http://www.belmont.edu/risk-management/driving_policy.html

None
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
http://www.belmont.edu/ocs/parking/bicycles_on_campus.html

Green Living Guide 

Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Residence Life maintains a website dedicated to sustainability initiatives. As part of Belmont’s environmental sustainability initiative, the Office of Residence Life has implemented a variety of sustainable practices. These energy efficient practices help us keep utility and living costs down while protecting the environment. Our sustainable efforts include replacing light bulbs with CFL (compact fluorescent light) light bulbs, requiring students to purchase and energy star rated refrigerators and smart strip surge protectors, purchasing furniture that is made from recycled wood, hosting energy conservation contests between residence halls, providing recycling stations in each residential complex and supporting student sustainability initiatives by providing grant dollars.

None
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
http://www.belmont.edu/reslife/incomingstudents/sustainability.html

Other Outreach Materials 

Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
Yes

A brief description of these materials or publications:
Belmont launched the Conservation Covenant, a campus-wide conservation and sustainability campaign, in April 2015. This campaign is ongoing across campus and includes a number of aspects -- the website stated above, a newly implemented Sustainability Week, an annual keynote speaker and more. Last year, Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher, who is personally devoted to sustainability efforts, wrote an op-ed for Earth Day that was published in The Tennessean. This link is below:

The website URL for these materials or publications:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2018/04/21/earth-day-north-americas-birds-going-extinct-here-what-we-can-do/531809002/

Optional Fields 

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