| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.69 |
| Liaison | Tina Evans |
| Submission Date | Aug. 20, 2024 |
Colorado Mountain College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Tina
Evans Professor, Sustainability Studies Sustainability Studies |
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:
A campus-wide pledge for sustainable behaviors was created for students, faculty, and staff to yield positive measurable results in advancing sustainability at Colorado Mountain College. The pledge consisted of six sustainable behaviors for participants to choose from, and each behavior included an educational piece as to why the pledge is important for sustainability and how the participant is making a positive impact. The options participants were given for each behavior were "I already do this", "I pledge to this", and "I am unable to pledge to this". This allowed CMC to have a baseline of what students, faculty, and staff are already doing regarding sustainability. With future pledges, we hope to measure a shift from "I pledge to do this" to "I already do this".
The pledge was administered to all students, faculty, and staff via institutional email from February 26th, 2024, to March 8th, 2024, and used Qualtrics as the survey software.
The Six Sustainable Behavior Pledges:
1) Take alternative transportation (e.g. bicycle, walk, public transit, carpool, e-bike). In the U.S., the largest greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector. By taking alternative transportation, I am reducing my impact on climate change by reducing my greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while also saving money and avoiding wildlife collisions.
2) Reduce my single-use plastic by using reusable utensils and/or containers. By reducing my single-use plastics I am:
- Reducing my greenhouse gas emissions (because over 99% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels).
- Reducing other pollution (because the production process for many plastic products like utensils creates toxic emissions; these emissions also disproportionately impact low-income communities that live near plastic production plants).
- Decreasing the amount of plastics and microplastics in the environment (because most single-use plastics are only used once and end up in landfills or other places in the environment).
- Reducing negative impacts on wildlife (the Ocean Conservancy names plastic as one of the most deadly pollutants for sea life).
3) Turn off electronics/lights when not in use. By turning off electronics when not in use, I will save electricity that may have been generated by coal or natural gas. Colorado generates 37% of its electricity through coal burning and 25% through natural gas firing, both of which contribute to climate change and release other toxins into the air.
4) Practice recycling properly for my particular region. By recycling, I will reduce the amount of waste that goes to incinerators, landfills, or other places in the environment. I will help conserve natural resources and energy that would go to making products from new raw materials, and I will help conserve energy for recycling companies that sort and process recyclable materials.
5) Unplug electronics when away from my office. By unplugging electronics when away when away, I will help reduce phantom energy consumption. Phantom energy, also known as standby energy, is the consumption of energy when electronics are not in use. I will save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce electricity costs.
6) Reduce my personal water use. By reducing my personal water use, I am saving energy that is used at water and wastewater treatment plants. I am also conserving water in a region that is sensitive to water availability. By conserving water, I am saving money.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
336 participants participated in the Campus Wide Pledge for Sustainability. The participants had the opportunity to learn about six sustainable behaviors and why those behaviors make an impact. Each person who participated pledged to at least one behavior.
Baseline: This is the first pledge of its kind at Colorado Mountain College, and results comprise the baseline data for future pledges at CMC. The options participants were given for each behavior were "I already do this", "I pledge to this", and "I am unable to pledge to this". This initial survey allows CMC to have a baseline of what students, faculty, and staff are already doing regarding sustainability. With future pledges, we hope to measure a shift from "I pledge to this" to "I already do this".
Results: Total Participants: 336
- Faculty: 49 participants
- Staff: 139 participants
- Students: 147 participants
Total Pledges: 420 (Some participants pledged to more than one behavior):
- Behavior 1: 58 participants pledged
- Behavior 2: 43 participants pledged
- Behavior 3: 39 participants pledged
- Behavior 4: 36 participants pledged
- Behavior 5: 151 participants pledged
- Behavior 6: 93 participants pledged
"I already do this":
- Behavior 1: 118
- Behavior 2: 258
- Behavior 3: 276
- Behavior 4: 246
- Behavior 5: 115
- Behavior 6: 192
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
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.