Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Tavey Capps
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Duke University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Tavey Capps
Environmental Sustainability Director
Office of the Executive Vice President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at students within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes

Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at employees within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes

The name of the campaign (1st campaign):
Eco-Olympics

A brief description of the campaign (1st campaign):

Eco-Olympics is a waste, water, and energy reduction competition held every fall between Duke first year dorms. The competition is run by the undergraduate organization Environmental Alliance. During the competition students from each dorm are encouraged to participate in a series of educational events in addition to lowering their waste production and energy usage.

The dorm with the highest participation and resource use reduction rates wins the competition. Individuals who demonstrate exceptional enthusiasm for and dedication to sustainability during the program are also eligible for prizes.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (1st campaign):

During Eco-Olympics, freshmen learn about energy conservation, recycling, and worldwide environmental issues. The goal is to educate and engage students for the rest of their time at Duke and after graduation. Most Duke upperclassmen can recall the competition and at least one environmentally friendly practice that they learned while it was taking place. The first year dorms have a strong sense of community, which enhances the spirit of competition. Holding the competition on East Campus targets students early in their time at Duke, allowing them to later build on what they've learned. Energy reductions during the competition have been as high as 54% for the winning dorm, but the average is usually between 11% and 15%. These reductions are calculated from energy readings provided weekly by Facilities Management.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available (1st campaign):
The name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Green Devil Smackdown

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

The Green Devil Smackdown competition focused on a variety of areas of sustainability and was held for three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014. Students, faculty and staff competed in team of between 10 and 100 members. Members of each team earned points for taking different sustainable actions and accepting weekly challenges during the competition. Groups earned points for successful participation in sustainability challenges including individuals challenges, team actions, and quizzes.


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

Over the three years of the Green Devil Smackdown, 3,478 students, faculty and staff participated in the competition to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviors. This included 150 teams that competed over the three year period and 6,536 individual challenges accepted.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
A brief description of other outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:

This year Sustainable Duke is hosting the "Unpark Yourself Challenge" for graduate students and employees, encouraging use of sustainable transportation options. Participants will form teams and complete various challenges aimed at reducing their transportation carbon footprints. Participants will take a transportation carbon footprint calculator before and after the challenge to measure the impact of the competition, as well as track their daily commute during the last three weeks of the competition.


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.