Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.19
Liaison John Pumilio
Submission Date Aug. 11, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Colgate University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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):

This site provides a place for students, employees, alumni and others to access information about the various sustainability-related events and opportunities available on campus. It describes Colgate's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, and provides links to Colgate's Sustainability Council. The website uses many forms of communication including an active blog, links to our social media feeds, our building dashboard, video tutorials, podcasts, photos, and narratives.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

The Office of Sustainability sends out a monthly electronic newsletter to a growing subscription base. It advertises sustainability-related events that are happening on campus for each month with a description of what that event is. The newsletter also shares the latest Colgate Sustainability News and highlights student and organizational achievements.

The Office of Sustainability also writes a monthly article to include in our faculty and staff newsletter (Open Gate). This helps to inform the faculty and staff what Colgate is doing to become more sustainable.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
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:

The Office of Sustainability shares the latest sustainability news from campus by using tools such as Twitter (https://twitter.com/colgatesstnblty), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ColgateUniversitySustainability?fref=ts), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/colgatesustainability/) LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4266707&trk=my_groups-b-grp-v) and a blog (http://blogs.colgate.edu/sustainability/).


The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
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:

The Colgate Maroon News runs a regular sustainability-themed column and highlights numerous sustainability-related events on campus. The purpose of this column in the newspaper is to inform students about what is


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

Colgate's Environmental Studies Program has a section of the website dedicated to sharing the results of undergraduate student research in environmental studies (see link below). Each summer, Colgate students conduct research in a variety of disciplines through funding from the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. The results of that research is published in an annual undergraduate research directory (http://www.colgate.edu/docs/d_campus-life_career-services-for-students_internships_summer-undergraduate-research/summer-undergraduate-research-directory-2012-11-13-12.pdf?sfvrsn=2). In addition, Colgate University Libraries maintains a digital repository of student research, including research on sustainability issues, through the Digital Commons website at http://commons.colgate.edu/. Finally, various faculty members utilize Colgate's YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/cuatchannel13) to share the results of student research projects, including those on sustainability.


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

The university’s Trudy Fitness Center has been recognized for its green technology and energy efficiency, and has received a gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, based on factors such as green construction materials used, waste production, energy use, and water efficiency, was awarded in early May. Trudy officially opened on Jan. 31, 2011. Similar signage is in our other LEED/ Green Buildings.

Trudy's green features have been highlighted in university publications included our top publication (Colgate Scene) and in blogs. Also, our students created a video highlighting the green features of the building: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tU-o-SzYg80#!.


The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
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:

Frank Dining Hall promotes that their facility is proud of their environmentally sustainable practices and the relationships they have built with local farmers and producers. They serve about 30 percent third-party and local products in their dining facilities. In Frank Dining Hall, we have a poster of the map of the state of New York which shows students where their food is coming from. There are also many posters highlighting all of our local partners.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
No

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
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The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
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Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

The sustainability interactive map highlights the various projects on campus that further the mission of sustainability. Each of the sites features a brief description of the sustainability features offered by the site and provides guests with an overview of our initiatives.


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
No

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
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The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
No

A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
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The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
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Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

Colgate's website includes a section for students on how they can reduce their individual environmental impact. The guide includes details on paper usage, light bulbs, electricity use, water use, and appliances.


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
Yes

A brief description of these materials or publications:

Colgate's Environmental Studies Program publishes a newsletter each week. It lists ENST course offerings and opportunities, upcoming events, articles from ENST faculty, and information about sustainability at Colgate and beyond.

The State of Sustainability Report is published in order to outline Colgate's climate action plan to become carbon neutral by 2019.


The website URL for these materials or publications:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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