| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.09 |
| Liaison | Merry Rankin |
| Submission Date | Aug. 30, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Iowa State University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Merry
Rankin ISU Director of Sustainability Facilities Planning & Management |
Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
LiveGreen! is Iowa State University's campus-wide sustainability initiative encouraging all students, faculty and staff to be fully committed to and engaged in making our campus, its operations, and initiatives as green as possible.
The LiveGreen! website provides information and resources detailing Iowa State's initiatives towards sustainable academics and research, sustainable operations, opportunities for sustainability education, engagement and empowerment.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
LiveGreen! Monthly is an electronic publication produced by student members of the LiveGreen! Leadership Team and distributed via email listserv, the LiveGreen! website and social media platforms. The newsletter highlights various on-and-off-campus sustainability initiatives and achievements, oftentimes coinciding with a seasonal or monthly theme. The newsletter also features interviews with campus and alumni sustainability leaders, ongoing on-campus sustainability research, information about efforts from sustainable student clubs and organizations, sustainable employment and volunteer opportunities, and general interest stories regarding student health, wellness, and sustainability.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:
LiveGreen! maintains accounts across several social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Wordpress. Posts highlight on-campus, community and national sustainability news, advertise upcoming sustainability events, and provide links to information and resources toward engaging and empowering students, faculty and staff to live more sustainably.
The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat?:
A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
The Iowa State Daily's news section designates an environmental and sustainability beat reporter each semester to cover campus environmental and sustainability topics and issues.
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development manages a web portal which serves as hub for the seven college research units in the university, each with its own website including links, news, and articles. These sites publish and disseminate all research done within the colleges, including any prominent student sustainability research.
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
All of Iowa State’s green buildings have online brochures available highlighting more green features and including a self-guided walking tour of certain buildings. In addition, featured LEED buildings have touchscreen kiosks that allow visitors to learn more about the sustainable features within those buildings. Finally, each of ISU’s LEED certified facilities has a LEED plaque prominently displayed close to the main entrance.
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
ISU’s dining facilities have signs highlighting local foods being served. This includes information on the “Farm to ISU” program, which coordinates the purchases of local, organic, and alternatively produced agricultural products.
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Signage is featured near landscaping features such as native plantings, water-permeable walkways, protected/historically significant trees, and designated hammocking areas to highlight sustainable commitment and impact.
Iowa State Facilities Planning and Management also heavily promotes the "Keep Iowa State Beautiful" litter-reduction, waste-reduction, and recycling campaign with signage featured across key campus areas, as well as on all of the solar-powered recycling and trash compactor wrap signage.
Signage is composed of adhesive-backed vinyl affixed to aluminum sign blanks in an effort to mitigate waste by allowing for re-use of signage to highlight other
The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
The Sustainability Walking Map highlights several facets of ISU's sustainable infrastructure, including:
- Sustainably-designed buildings and facilities
- Sustainability research and studies
- Sustainable landscaping and grounds initiatives
- Sustainability Programs and Partnerships
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Iowa State Student Government hosts a website with carpool and ride share information. Carpooling is for anyone looking to commute to Ames for class or work, while the ride share program is for anyone planning a road trip or for students going home.
In addition, Iowa State’s Facilities Planning & Management Department produces and manages an online map of bicycle trails on campus. This also includes locations of bike racks throughout the university.
Another on-campus resource for alternative methods of transportation is the Ames Inter-modal Facility (AIF). This is Ames’ bus station, which is served by intercity buses to nearby cities such as Des Moines, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Chicago. The facility also has parking available, which is free for car and vanpools.
Finally, Iowa State Transportation Services offers a vanpool program, through which university employees driving to and from work may use university owned vans to commute together with other staff members.
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
ISU and the City of Ames have collaborated to develop a series of bicycle trails and paths that provide connectivity for cyclists throughout the community and within the university. The trail network consists of separate trails, shared use trails, and bicycle friendly streets. Bicycle parking is located throughout campus near university residences as well as throughout the academic areas of campus. CyRide, the community transit, provides for bike friendly buses as well. The student body funded the installation of a bike pump service area.
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
The ISU Department of Residence (DOR) provides several resources to residents to incorporate green living into their facilities. The DOR maintains educational bulletin boards in residence halls with ways residents can decrease their energy use. There is also a green living guide called “Guide to the Green Galaxy” for Community Advisers, which are the leaders of each house in the university residences. This document includes tips on making a room more environmentally friendly, including links to resources for both dorm rooms and apartments. The CA’s are then able to use this information to spread to their residents. In addition, the DOR has slides with information on their website that are available to all students. The information was provided by the GreenHouse Group, a student organization on campus, and approved by the DOR. Presentations include tips to make a room more sustainable, information on reusing items instead of disposing them, and giving examples of common items that can be reused.
Iowa State’s Live Green Initiative has offers a number of resources related to sustainable living including a document called “10 Ways to Start Living Green!” This includes tips for reducing water use, electricity use, and other ways to incorporate sustainability into residential life.
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
A brief description of these materials or publications:
Consent is B.A.E. Campaign Poster Series
Consent is Before Anything Else is the campus-wide sexual assault prevention campaign from the Office of Equal Opportunity focused on educating members of the Iowa State community on the definition of consent, and the complexities that can come with avoiding and preventing instances of sexual assault.
ISU Daily "The Talk" Series
"The Talk"
Through this series, the Daily discussed issues such as dating apps, sex work, sexual safety and published one story each week throughout the spring 2019 semester, addressing an issue related to relationships or sex.
The website URL for these materials or publications:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.