Furman University
EN-1: Outreach and Communications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.00 / 5.00 |
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:
The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities participates in three separate new student summer orientation events where students can learn more about sustainability at Furman and opt in to a newsletter or follow our social media. EcoReps designs education and activities for freshmen that help orient new students around sustainability initiatives and tables at the summer orientation connections fair. Shi Institute staff participate in yearly student-worker trainings in both IT and Housing & Residential Life to help integrate sustainability into the behavior and practices of new students.
The Shi Institute developed and distributes a Green Living Guide to incoming students through newsletter sign ups and EcoReps programming. https://www.furman.edu/sustainability-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/181/2020/05/2019-Green-Guide.pdf
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:
A brief overview of Furman's sustainability efforts is shared during the required orientation for all new employees. New employees are educated about Furman's sustainability commitments across the university, sustainability culture and expected behaviors on campus, and provided with appropriate contacts and opportunities to learn more or get involved. New hires are also sent an introductory email from the Shi Institute which includes an orientation video along with information and links to sustainability programs for 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:
LEED certifications are prominently displayed on our 8 certified buildings. The lake restoration project signage describes before/after and benefits. Many buildings have chosen to include signage on or near light switches, paper towel dispensers, etc, encouraging sustainable behaviors. Offices that achieve our Green Office Certification display their certificates. An online energy dashboard is also maintained, accessible by request. Our greenhouse gas tracking is available directly through SIMAP public reporting or through a link on this Furman website: https://www.furman.edu/sustainability/sustainability-2/furman-university-climate-action-plan-2-0/
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:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/shi-institute/
- @Shi_Institute_Furman
- @Furman_EcoReps
- @FurmanFarm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sustainablefurman
Shi Institute Newsletter: https://furman.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ba7b5bafe0359b1c04c0417d5&id=dad0c9b330
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shiinstituteforsustainable585
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:
EcoReps and the student compost fellow, in collaboration with BonAppeit, put on a "Weigh your Waste" event to scrape food waste from dishes in the dining hall to educate about food waste and our closed-loop compost program.
Energy Competition in North Village (upperclass housing).
Eco Fair - All environmentally related clubs and organizations host a yearly collective event for students and select community partners, selling hand-made/upcycled goods, organic farm products, and promoting sustainable behaviors.
EcoReps organizes a yearly clothing swap for students to educate about the negative impacts of fast fashion and keep materials out of the landfill.
Cultural Life Program: 2023 "Faith and Sustainability" with EcoReps and the Mere Christianity Forum; relationship between sustainability and theology with Dr. Norman Wirzba from Duke University
Green Living Certification program for students: Students answer a series of questions and are ranked on how sustainable their practices are and includes helpful tips, links, and info on ways to improve personal sustainability.
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:
We are regularly included in Dins Digest which goes out to the entire campus community weekly.
We had 11,397 total page views on our website over the past year.
We have 2,307 people (including community members) who receive our emails.
Open rates for Shi Institute emails vary widely, from 43 percent to 88 percent.
Newsletter signups (students and employees): 772
- Social media followers:
- EcoReps Instagram: 375
- Shi Institue Instagram: 1489
- Furman Farm Instagram: 501
- LinkedIn: 1,881
- Shi Institute Facebook: 891
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.