| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.42 |
| Liaison | Jen Jones |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2020 |
College of Charleston
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
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?:
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?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
The College of Charleston's annual Sustainability Week features a week-long series of events and programming aimed at engaging Cougar students, faculty and staff in sustainability-related issues and initiatives. To drive participation and impact, the Center for Sustainable Development team and our partners on campus utilize social media and canvassing materials. Previous Sustainability Week events include: bike pop-ups and repair clinics, public performances and art showcases, cooking demos and specialty farmers markets, and documentary screenings.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
In 2019, more than 500 students engaged in Sustainability Week by attending one or more of 25 total events, including an art showcase, an interactive natural clothing dye workshop, a farmers market and a waste audit of an on-campus dorm. This represents an increase in year-over-year participation in this signature sustainability campaign.
Participating students were asked to think critically and reflect on issues related to sustainable agriculture, social justice and conscious consumerism and complete surveys as part of the university's Quality Enhancement Plan on sustainability literacy and its assessment.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
SustainFest is an annual event held at the start of the fall semester on the College of Charleston's campus. The primary audience for this campaign is incoming first-year and transfer students, and its goal is to introduce sustainability initiatives and launch sustainability literacy education and engagement with key concepts such as the Triple Bottom Line. The campaign is organized by the Center for Sustainable Development and heavily advertised during student orientation week, in partnership with Student Affairs and the Office of New Student Programs.
More than 200 students attended 2019's event to hear from Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, who is a regional and national leader in the climate discussion. She spoke with students about the merits of advocacy and education grounded in sustainability. Additionally, a diverse group of sustainability-related student groups and local organizations tabled to share resources and materials to encourage student involvement.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
2019 survey results indicate more than 50 percent of students felt SustainFest effectively introduced the Triple Bottom Line and conveyed strategies to develop personal and political sustainability and tactics to frame both local and global issues from a sustainability lens.
Moreover, survey results indicated that students felt more knowledgeable after the event about sustainability issues on campus and within the greater Charleston community as well as how to develop personal sustainability to benefit the larger system.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.