Emory University
ER-4: Sustainability Outreach and Publications

The Office of Sustainability Initiatives website serves as a central resource for Emory’s sustainability vision, efforts, news, events, organizations, policies, guidelines and initiatives. In addition, the website provides links to other related websites, including Emory Recycles, the Emory University LEED Map, the Department of Parking and Transportation, Bike Emory, the Emory as Place blog, the Outdoor Emory Organization and the Emory Environmental Alliance.

The Office of Sustainability Initiatives publishes an online newsletter twice a year that is distributed to the Emory community and surrounding neighborhoods. OSI also issues sustainability notices through the Sustainability Listserv, which updates subscribers about sustainability events and news around campus. Currently, the listserv has 1,037 subscribers, and notices are sent out roughly 3-4 times a month.

The sustainability website also features an "Articles and Resources" section, which serves as an online compilation of News and Articles related to sustainability efforts and events at Emory.

Lastly, sustainability features prominently in numerous campus newsletters including "Emory Magazine", "Emory Report", Housing and Residence Life's "Living Green Newsletter" and Campus Services' "Newsbeat," which regularly features green efforts of the Facilities Management Department.

The Scholarly Inquiry and Research at Emory (SIRE) Program serves as the primary vehicle for showcasing undergraduate student research. SIRE promotes undergraduate research projects through grants, faculty-student research partnerships, and summer research stipends, offering advantages to both students and faculty. Undergraduate Research Symposiums are held bi-annually and feature student research from all disciplines. While this symposium is not focused directly on sustainability research, numerous research projects in the past have related to sustainability. Some examples of previous research projects in sustainability research include: "Identification and Assessment of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices of Two Rural Communities in Greater Accra, Ghana" by Andrew Foote (Fall 2009), "Seasonal Influence of CSO [Combined Sewage Overflows] Water Chemical and Environmental Parameters on Culex Vector Oviposition" by An Nguyen (Fall 2009), and "Home Grown: Ngöbe home gardens in a changing world" by Gillian Locascio (Spring 2009).

All LEED certified buildings at Emory feature a LEED certification plaque. There is also additional signage around campus that highlights particular green features of some of the LEED buildings. Turman, Longstreet-Mean, and Evans and Few residence halls are equipped with a building dashboard that measures and displays total electricity, heating energy, cooling energy, water consumption and per-floor electricity use. In many of our LEED certified buildings, a number of plaques highlight various green features of the building, including natural lighting and recycled material used in construction. The Campus Services' demonstration green roof, featured on Building A, includes signage that explains the project and the differences between the four green roofs being tested.

In the main dining halls, there is signage to highlight the local and organic foods available in the dining area, as well as signs instructing customers about recycling and composting. Cling stickers at each food station indicate if the food is obtained from the state of Georgia or Emory’s 8 state region, as defined in the Emory Sustainability Local Food goal. Outdoor light pole banners, electronic signs, posters, and hard copy fliers draw attention to Emory's Educational Garden projects, Emory Farmer’s Market, Local Food specials, and other sustainable food initiatives. The Emory Dining Sustainability website and a “Sustainability News corner” in Emory Dining’s monthly electronic newsletter also highlight sustainable food options and tips.

The Emory Grounds Department uses signage around campus to indicate water conservation efforts, indicating when irrigation is provided by underground cisterns and the use of plant species that use less water.

In May 2010, Emory launched a comprehensive online, interactive campus sustainability map in conjunction with Emory's Walk n' Roll campaign. Using the layered map, people can view the locations of Emory's educational food gardens, Bike Racks and shower facilities, building tours of Emory's LEED certified buildings, Cliff shuttle routes, recycling options, and guides to campus plant life, history, arts and more.

In addition to the online Sustainability Map, the "Emory as Place" Guided Lullwater Walks provide a one hour and fifteen minute introduction to the history, ecosystems, and ethical responsibilities inherent in Lullwater Preserve as part of Emory University’s legacy. Exercises include story-telling, identification of plants and their historical Creek and Cherokee usage, and discussion of Emory’s commitment to sustainability. These guided walks are open to all Emory community members and are regularly taken by first year residents as part of their hall programming.

Both the Office of Sustainability Initiatives and the Office of Transportation and Parking websites provide information to commuters about Emory's many alternative commute options, including BIKE Emory (features Bike Map), Cliff Shuttles (features Cliff Shuttle schedules and real-time locater), subsidized MARTA passes, and more.

Emory's "Living Green: Sustainability in the 21st Century Living Learning Community" is a program available to first year students at Emory which fosters students commitment to a living green lifestyle through various hall programs. In addition, residence hall bulletin boards and hall decorations highlight various green living tips ranging from energy reduction to recycling.

The Asbury House serves as the base for the S.E.E.D. Student Experiment in Educational Design program, which is a housing option for upper class Emory students to learn about and practice a green lifestyle while also participating in service and educational opportunities in the community.

Emory's student newspaper, The Emory Wheel, does not have a regular column or a reporter assigned to cover sustainability-related news, but it regularly covers sustainability efforts and events on and around campus.

Generation Response is officially "Emory's Environmental/Humanitarian magazine” written by Emory students. The magazine covers local, national, and international humanitarian and environmental issues. Articles shed light on the people and organizations at Emory and in the greater Atlanta area that are making a positive difference in response to the issues.

Hybrid Vigor is Emory's magazine focusing on Science and Society. Although Hybrid Vigor examines a number of issues with the aim of providing an alternative perspective to other science publications, the magazine often covers sustainability-related topics and the 2010 Spring edition focused entirely on Green issues.

Featured prominently around Emory's campus are light-post banners that promote various sustainability initiatives and sustainability tips to the Emory community and visitors. The banners advertise upcoming events, highlight energy saving tips, and promote Emory's Sustainability Pledge which asks community members to choose particular sustainability efforts that they already do or they will complete in the near future.

Second Nature is a monthly publication that aims to promote global health, public health, and sustainability awareness at Emory as well as on a national and global basis. Through this publication, the writers aim to trigger members of the Emory community to make healthier decisions, even small ones such as taking the stairs versus the elevator, that can truly transform the community. The goal of the organization is to promote changes in a new, creative, and influential way.