Franklin University Switzerland
EN-1: Outreach and Communications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Claudia
Pozzi Marketing Team Office of Marketing |
1.1 Sustainability outreach and communications
Website URL of the institution’s central sustainability website:
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new student orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new student orientation or the equivalent:
We have an orientation session on living sustainably at Franklin and we also inform students of the different resources available to them. Sustainabiity organizations participate in club fairs at the start of each semester and the Green Office Sustainability Programs puts out a monthly newsletter to all members of the Franklin community.
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new employee orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new employee orientation of the equivalent:
The Green Office conducts outreach to new hires and has developed an informational poster about the GO and campus-wide sustainability efforts that it has asked Human Resources to share with all new FUS employees.
Does the institution have dashboards and/or signage highlighting the institution’s sustainability features or performance?:
Description of the institution’s sustainability dashboards and/or signage:
The Green Office works to continuously update the Franklin community on various sustainability efforts and data. The Green Office has active website, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts, where we post sustainability-related content, education videos, and current sustainability projects.
Through our social media platforms, we provide information on:
- How to recycle on campus and in Sorengo
- Tips for eating sustainably and locally on campus
- Local sustainability projects that students can participate in
- Data we collect about Franklin's carbon emissions, including those from academic travel
- Additional details about sustainability initiatives across campus
The Green Office publishes a monthly newsletter that highlights current sustainability projects on campus and features unique individuals, such as professors, students, and staff, who are making strides in sustainability efforts. The newsletter is distributed virtually to all students, staff, and faculty. Past editions are available on the Green Office website.
The Green Office will also publish paper posters around campus, providing important information about recycling, composting, reducing energy and waste, the Swap Shop (promoting a campus-wide circular economy), and sustainable dining practices.
Does the institution manage a sustainability-focused social media account, newsletter, blog, online community, podcast, video series, or equivalent communications medium or platform?:
Description of and/or website URL for at least one sustainability-focused communication medium or platform:
Has the institution coordinated one or more sustainability-focused outreach campaigns during the previous three years?:
Description of sustainability-focused outreach campaigns from the previous three years:
Earth Day Summit: 2023, 2024
The Two Day educational conference emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches to sustainability. Franklin hosted diverse speakers and community leaders in both years to address the interconnected efforts needed to create a more sustainable world.
In 2023, the Earth Day Summit theme was "Sustainability as a Shared Goal. In 2024, we centered the summit towards more local and community-scale initiatives, with the theme of "Sustainable Communites."
The Summit is open to all campus members and the larger Lugano community. In both years, the Summit included guest lectures, community-building workshops, sustainable meals, and deep discussions about how we can transform communities and societies.
Green Office Swap Shop:
The Green Office hosts a student-run campus Swap Shop, where students can exchange items and contribute to a sustainable campus. The Swap Shop promotes a circular economy, reducing waste and fostering a culture of responsible consumption on our campus.
Holistic Health Talk
The Green Office and Franklin's Wellness Coordinator hosted an event in December 2024, exploring the deep connection between environmental sustainability and human health.
Energy Saving Competition across FUS Residence Halls
In February and March 2024, the Green Office hosted a competition between residence halls to encourage residents to reduce their energy consumption.
Laghetto Clean-Up Days
Over the past two years, the Green Office has hosted several Clean-up days around our local lake, Lago di Muzzano. Pro-Natura (A Swiss-based conservation NGO) protects this small lake ecosystem and highly benefits from Franklin students' clean-up efforts.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.2 Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications
Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications:
Approach used to determine the percentage of campus stakeholders reached:
Description of the methodology used to determine the reach of the institution’s sustainability outreach and communications:
The Green Office newsletter is sent to the entire Franklin population of students, factuly and staff via a platform that collects analytic data. In addition, a strategic communication report was comissioned in Fall 2024 that thoroughly analyzed, through both observations and data, the impact of the Green Office Sustainability Program's communications, assessing the efficacy of different channels of information in reaching the Green Office's targeted audience. Attached is the report.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.