Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.06
Liaison Laura Bain
Submission Date June 22, 2021

STARS v2.2

Furman University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Laura Bain
Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment
David E. Shi Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

Name of the campaign:
Green Living Certification

A brief description of the campaign:

In the fall of 2020, Furman's EcoReps program launched a Green Living Certification that rates students based on their current sustainability efforts and encourages them to live more environmentally conscious lifestyles.

The goal of the assessment is to create friendly competition amongst friends and within the larger campus community to promote sustainability. Students who participate in the online assessment obtain a rating of green, bronze, silver, gold, or platinum and receive a corresponding sticker.


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

# of participants: 146
# certified: 126

Link to survey: https://furman.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Z2bfU2N3peGvs1


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
April Commuter Challenge

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

This program challenges faculty and staff members to bike to work at least once per week during the month of April. Participants log their biking activity in a community spreadsheet, which creates a peer group dynamic to increase motivation and encourage a healthier, more active lifestyle while being kind to the environment.


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

There are huge positive impacts of biking regularly. For every mile pedaled versus driven, one pound of greenhouse gas-producing CO2 is blocked from our atmosphere, according to the Bikes Belong advocacy group. Also, biking three hours per week reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50 percent.

For reference, during this challenge in 2017, seven faculty and staff members committed to the challenge and logged 231 miles. They saved 7.83 gallons of gas and about $14.41. Also, the group burned a total of 6,930 calories.

During this challenge in 2019, 28 faculty and staff members committed to the challenge and logged 1,387 miles. They saved a total of 46.6 gallons of gas and about $106.95 on average ($804.58 total). Also, the group burned a total of 41,616 calories. In just two years, the impact of this challenge has increased dramatically.


A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:

Green Office Program
Furman's Green Office program aims to bring awareness to workplace sustainability. Each department or office is invited to complete an assessment of their self-identifed Green Office team (usually an academic department, office, or other group). The team is then provided a Green Office rating (participant, green, silver, or gold). Topics assessed include energy, waste and recycling, paper, transportation, food/beverage/dishware, purchasing, wellness and social responsibility, and innovation. One-on-one consults are offered, and the online assessment links to several additional resources. Currently 48 offices/departments participate.

https://www.furman.edu/sustainability/programs/green-office/


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.