Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.57
Liaison Noah Upchurch
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Catawba College
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 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:
Employee Reusable Water Bottle and Coffee Thermos Campaign

A brief description of the campaign:

In December 2021, the College gifted reusable Yeti thermoses to all employees as the annual holiday gift. In 2022, the holiday gift was a reusable water bottle. These gifts are part of a coordinated effort to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups and water bottles used on campus. During the 2022 Employee Holiday Luncheon, the Executive Director of the Center for the Environment discussed how reusable coffee containers and water bottles will help our sustainability goals. The Executive Director reinforced the potential impact by providing statistics on the use of disposable water bottles and the impact on landfills and plastics in oceans. The Center has received very positive feedback from staff and faculty about this program.

To further the waste reduction mission of the campaign, the College installed and is continuing to install a number of water bottle filling stations on campus. These stations encourage the use of refillable water bottles. The College is in the process of installing at least one water bottle filling station in each campus building that has a water fountain. The program will cost approximately $60,000. The College expects the project to be completed by the start of the fall semester in 2023.


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

The College does not have data about the impact of the reusable coffee mug and water bottle program, but we believe it is making a significant difference in our use of disposable coffee cups and water bottles. Once we complete our installation of water bottle filling stations, the College plans to track the annual amount of disposable water bottles that are avoided by the program.


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Student Food Waste Reduction Campaign

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

The College's Student Affairs Office has worked closely with Chartwells, Gallins Family Farms, and the Center for the Environment to strategically reduce food waste and make students aware of their consumption. The multi-year effort to reduce and divert food waste from our landfills has seen the development of a significant post-consumption composting program and reductions in overall food waste since the start of the program.

Students are engaged through signage in the dining hall near plate return areas. In recent years, students have also been engaged on the main quad through a tarp laid across the area with a day's quantity of food waste. These techniques have ensued alongside the elimination of trays in the dining hall and upgrades to dining facilities.


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

Since beginning in 2017, the College has diverted 211.655 tons of food waste. The campus has seen a stark decline in food waste, reducing overall waste from 65.43 tons in 2019 to 19.355 tons in 2022. These numbers represent calendar year totals.


A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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