Emory University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Energy Awareness Campaign and Building Energy Reduction Competition: Campus-wide energy reduction campaigns are organized each October by the Office of Sustainability Initiatives. A prize goes to three buildings with the greatest reduction of energy use in comparison with October in the previous year. Outreach efforts include articles and posters, banners around campus, signs near elevators, etc. The campaign and competition includes administrative buildings, classroom buildings, and residence halls. The 2013 campaign kicked off with a event including a film screening of "Kilowatt Ours" with sponsorship from Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. The student organization Greeks Go Green assisted with marking and communications, including creating chalk drawings leading up to the competition,designing yard signs, and organizing a space heater roundup with collected space heaters donated to the American Kidney Fund. Weekly themes helped to make this years competition even more interactive. During the third week of the competition, the Office of Sustainability Initiatives organized a light bulb swap, following the theme of the week, in order to promote the use of high efficiency lighting. Students, faculty and staff could exchange an incandescent bulb for a compact fluorescent bulb during a two-day period in the Dobbs University Center. Other themes included ‘turn off lights and appliances,’ ‘take the stairs,’ and ‘unplug or use a surge protector to destroy vampire loads.’ The themes, along with energy reduction tips, were communicated through various forms of electronic and social media including Facebook and Twitter.

The total energy reduction among buildings during the 2013 Energy Competition and Awareness Campaign amounted to 523,194 kWh of electricity, resulting in $36,378 in electricity cost savings. In terms of CO2 emissions, there was a 407 ton reduction from these buildings compared to 2012.

Each year, Emory Recycles organizes a recycling competition between all buildings, and awards a $3,000 prize for the winner to spend on dedicated recycling equipment for the building.

In 2013, the Goizueta Business School was the winner of the Emory Building Recycling Competition. The school increased its overall recycling by 3,243 pounds from April 2012 to April 2013, recycling a total of 9,832 pounds.

Zero-Waste Commencement: Beginning during Emory's 2010 Commencement and continuing in all years since, College and professional school Commencement events began to be organized as zero-waste events. Emory Recycles provides equipment for composting and recycling to help graduates, guests, faculty, and staff place their waste in the proper containers and keep it out of the landfill. A number of events have volunteers and balloons at their waste stations to help keep compostables and recyclables out of the landfill and educate guests about the zero-waste event. This effort has become so successful that it is difficult to measure the number of events that are Zero Waste or the landfill diversion rate! Commencement Ad found here: http://news.emory.edu/tags/topic/commencement/thumbs/EmoryReport_2013commencement.pdf Don't Dump It, Donate It!: This event is coordinated by the Emory Recycles Program in coordination with several local Atlanta charities. This drive gives students an opportunity to donate items such as clothes, bedding, or furniture they no longer have use for to local Atlanta charities. During the 2013 drive, 18,000 pounds of clothing, furniture, small household items, and food were donated to charitable organizations.
 More information here: http://campserv.emory.edu/fm/recycling/ and here: http://campserv.emory.edu/fm/recycling/dontdump.html. The Green Office program is a voluntary program where participating offices and departments are given tools and training for making more sustainable decisions and changing behavior. The Green Lab program is a voluntary program where participating labs are given tools, training, and are eligible for funding to support more sustainable purchasing and behaviors.

More website links for energy campaign: http://sustainability.emory.edu/page/1010/energy-awareness