Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.18
Liaison Ryan Todd
Submission Date May 9, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

California State University, Sacramento
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at students within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at employees within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes

The name of the campaign (1st campaign):
Recycling Audit

A brief description of the campaign (1st campaign):

An audit of 54 trash receptacles from all around campus was conducted to determine what percentage of recyclable content is being thrown away in trash cans. The audit included single stand alone bins and cluster bins that appear in a pair next to a recycling bin. Organized by the Sustainability Department, students conducted the audit, in the middle of campus in the Library Quad for maximum exposure and was directed at students to be a visual learning tool of how their choices of which can to choose can make a big impact. Signage was used to target student passersby of what was occurring, including categories of content being examined, what the event was and sustainability staff was on hand to answer any questions of students passing by wondering what we were doing.
Observations:

1. Nearly 20%, or 1 in 5 lbs., of materials discarded in exterior trash cans at Sac State is a recyclable product under current system.

2. Of the material that was ultimately recycled, hard plastics accounted for 43.8%. (Hard Plastics are defined as all plastics 1-7 that were not plastic bags nor liners)

3. The difference of recyclable content thrown away into stand-alone receptacles versus cluster bins is only 1%.

4. A significant portion of the refuse materials (food, soiled napkins, soiled non-coated paper cups, etc.) appeared compostable in nature.

5. Most of the hard plastic gathered appeared to be cold, beverage cups (including lids and straws) and individually portioned snack/meal containers.

6. Many paper/cardboard materials that may have been unsoiled and thusly, recyclable, may have been soiled by recent rainfall.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (1st campaign):

The positive impacts that came of the audit results were a change in the type of signage placed at the recycling and trash bins around campus to help as a educational guidance tool for students as they make a choice as to which bin they will place their items in. Additionally, the residential Dining Commons has since implemented a pre and post consumer food waste composting program because one of our biggest findings was a great deal of materials in the trash bin could be composted. Plans to expand organic composting campus wide is currently in planning stages.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available (1st campaign):
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The name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Department Recycling Days

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

This program opens up some of the University’s recycling avenues to the staff and faculty of the Sac State community. The Recycling department collects certain materials from campus offices and even some personal items brought from home for recycling. The event allows for departments to de-clutter their work environment. Departments that have previously participated in this campaign include Facilities Management, the Social Work Department, and the Chemistry Department.


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

This campaign promoted recycling education and awareness among faculty and staff; Additionally, the campaign collected 3,010 lbs of recyclable material!


The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
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A brief description of other outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.