| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 35.50 |
| Liaison | Brian Kelley |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2025 |
Christopher Newport University
EN-1: Outreach and Communications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.25 / 5.00 |
Brian
Kelley Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
1.1 Sustainability outreach and communications
Website URL of the institution’s central sustainability website:
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new student orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new student orientation or the equivalent:
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new employee orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new employee orientation of the equivalent:
Does the institution have dashboards and/or signage highlighting the institution’s sustainability features or performance?:
Description of the institution’s sustainability dashboards and/or signage:
The main website is the primary source of information regarding energy, water, waste, transportation, and grounds initiatives and is currently being redesigned.
Periodic updates regarding events are broadcast through emails, social media accounts, the Center for Sustainability in Education newsletter, and physical signs for competitions such as for the water reduction competition and move-out donation program.
Informational signage on campus includes a stormwater initiative next to TowneBank football stadium, signage for the electric vehicle charging station located in the Ferguson parking garage, and signage for the community garden.
In 2024, President Kelly officially announced the GoingGreener campaign emphasizing CNU's renewed commitment to sustainability and a public facing site with ongoing updates was created and can be viewed here. Dashboards for energy, natural gas, and water consumption are also displayed on this site via EnergyCap software.
Does the institution manage a sustainability-focused social media account, newsletter, blog, online community, podcast, video series, or equivalent communications medium or platform?:
Description of and/or website URL for at least one sustainability-focused communication medium or platform:
Christopher Newport University has Facebook and Instagram social media accounts focused on sustainability with the username @sustaincnu. There are regularly new posts created primarily by student interns who manage a majority of the outreach initiatives.
Additionally, a monthly newsletter from the Center for Sustainaiblity in Education is sent via listserv to inform individuals of sustainability initiatives happening on campus.
Progress has also been made since July 2023 with increasing sustainability posts for campus-wide social media accounts, the student newspaper, and featured stories for the campus community and on the main University website, including:
Has the institution coordinated one or more sustainability-focused outreach campaigns during the previous three years?:
Description of sustainability-focused outreach campaigns from the previous three years:
GiveItUP Move-Out
Christopher Newport University has conducted a move-out donation program since 2020 in partnership with Goodwill and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. An outreach campaign begins in early April to alert students of acceptable items; including clothes, electronics, furniture, decor, and non-perishable food.
With a goal of diverting as much material from the landfill as possible, the program has continued to expand over the years, with 4416 lbs diverted in 2024.
Stormwater Management
Being close to the Bay, Christopher Newport University has a stormwater MS4 plan to ensure only rain water goes down storm drains and is conveyed via socials and tabling events through a collaborative effort between grounds and sustainability.
Presidential Support of GoingGreener
With the new president inauguration in July 2023, sustainability has been emphasized through President Kelly's weekly email announcements, during the Fall 2024 football season to strive towards zero waste, and through the official GoingGreener campaign.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.2 Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications
Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications:
Approach used to determine the percentage of campus stakeholders reached:
Description of the methodology used to determine the reach of the institution’s sustainability outreach and communications:
Website traffic data was gathered from the Office of Communications and Public Relations to determine the number of unique viewers for FY 23-24. The internal site was used to ensure that only CNU students and employees were counted in the calculation.
The full time equivalent of students and employees during the FY 23-24 was acquired by the Office of Institutional Research to determine the percent.
Unique viewers: 236
FTE employees and students FY 23-24: 5449
Percent: 4.33%
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.