James Madison University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

The ISNW hired a graduate student in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication Program (WRTC) to periodically issue online news bulletins specifically on campus sustainability for 2023-24. In 2024, that effort began being supported by the College of Integrated Science and Engineering.  Content from the ISNW's news site (www.jmu.edu/news/sustainability) is routinely picked by the university for its front page online news. Examples of campus sustainability news bulletins can be found at

-https://www.jmu.edu/news/stewardship/2024/3-20-princeton-review-recognizes-jmu-sustainability-efforts.shtml

-https://www.jmu.edu/news/stewardship/2024/2-7-jmu-enters-zero-waste-competition.shtml

-https://www.jmu.edu/news/stewardship/2023/12-11-virginia-pollinator-smart-certification.shtml

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Radio is considered the original social medium. “Shenandoah Valley Ever Green is a seasonal radio program produced by students and professors at James Madison University that seeks to illuminate the natural systems at work in the world around us, and to tell about the people who support these systems. During each episode, listeners will hear ideas about getting outside and connecting to Nature. Episodes will also describe actions that individuals can take to help sustain the health of the local environment.” https://www.wmra.org/show/shenandoah-valley-evergreen.

Student Success Center and Wayland Hall both have signage that highlights green building features.

James Madison University's Environmental Stewardship Tour highlights some of the sites on campus where facilities, environmental stewardship and learning are interconnected. Visitors are challenged to consider the interdependence of humans and the environment; the health, socio-economic and ecological dimensions of environmental stewardship; the way in which environmental problems are explored and solutions are developed and implemented; and, how environmental stewardship is and can be integrated into our lives.

https://www.jmu.edu/stewardship/tour/index.shtml (Accessed 10/13/23)

There is a website: https://www.jmu.edu/stewardship/everyday-choices-for-environmental-stewardship.shtml. It includes immediate actions in the residence halls, greener living guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency, and suggestions for student organizations and events. (Accessed 10/13/23)

JMU increases students' understanding of the environment with Science On a Sphere (SOS), which uses computers and projectors to display sustainability-related content onto a 48 inch diameter sphere. SOS was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is primarily utilized by museums and science centers for informal education. Per NOAA, "Animated images of atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature can be shown on the sphere, which is used to explain what are sometimes complex environmental processes, in a way that is simultaneously intuitive and captivating." JMU was an early university adopter of SOS and is one of a few universities to use SOS as a pedagogical tool in university courses. Education of students is the primary use of the tool. SOS is also frequently used for school visits, which are arranged through JMU’s Middle School Visit Program and the STEM Education & Outreach Center. https://www.jmu.edu/stewardship/science-on-a-sphere.shtml (Accessed 10/13/23)

An entry for "a sustainability newsletter or social media platform that focuses specifically on campus sustainability" was added this submission.

Completed by Essa Paterson, ISNW, 10/13/23. Programs reported were confirmed as ongoing at time of submission.