| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.42 |
| Liaison | Kate Witte |
| Submission Date | May 25, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Keene State College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Cary
Gaunt Director of Campus Sustainability Sustainability |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Has the institution held at least one 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 at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
No
1st Campaign
Continual waste audits on campus
A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged:
Waste Audits at Keene State comprise two main types: (1) Food Waste Audits, and (2) Trash/Recycling Audits. These are led by the Eco-Reps and student recycling staff (ROCKS students) with results tallied by the Sustainability Office and Dining Common.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
These two exemplary educational programs include Eco-Reps students working with Dining Services staff,the Grounds Crew, and the student recycling (ROCKS) team to conduct Food Waste Audits and Trash/Recycling Audits. (1) Food Waste Audits: The Eco-Reps host food waste audits about once every semester. They ask students to scrape their plates into compost bins. The total waste is weighed and divided by the number of students served at that specific meal, providing an estimate of the average amount of food waste per person per meal. The dining services staff collects similar data by weighing all of the waste coming out of the dish room. This provides us with a more accurate number for food wasted per person per meal. Statistics collected by Dining Services and an Environmental Studies class indicated the efficacy of these food waste audits: diners on campus cut plate waste in half from 4 oz./person to 2 oz./person. (2) Trash/Recycling Audits: Waste Audits: Every semester the Eco-Reps and student recycling staff conduct a waste audit, collecting 10 - 20 trash bags from residence halls and/or campus buildings and then open them up on the Student Center lawn. Everything is sorted into different recycling categories, compost, reuse and landfill.
The website URL where information about the campaign is available:
If reporting a second campaign provide:
2nd Campaign
Ban the Bottle
A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged (2nd campaign):
The Keene State College Eco-Reps are leading efforts to ban the sale and use of disposable plastic water bottles at Keene State.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Ban the Bottle campaign was initiated in Fall 2014 through a series of public outreach campaigns: facebook postings, public events (including a movie night with films about the harm of disposable plastic water bottles), many tabling events, and strategic coordination with the Sustainability Office to identify concrete actions on campus. One targeted campaign was to eliminate the use of disposable plastic water bottles at Commencement. Prior policy had the campus placing a 16 oz disposable water bottle under each graduating senior's chair. This represented over 1,000 water bottles, most of which were barely consumed. Unfortunately, after the bottle are opened, even if one sip is taken, the entire contents had to be disposed of -- a huge waste. The Eco-Reps and Sustainability Office were successful in working with the Commencement Chair and Administrative Leaders to eliminate that practice. The results were highly successful as measured by cost and volume:
2015
Cost: $1587.20
Water: 1280 20-oz bottles (1205 for graduates + 75 for platform, support and musicians)
2016
Cost: $111.98
Water: 168 8-oz bottles (for graduates on Quad)
75 20-oz bottles (for platform, support and musicians)
The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
Optional Fields
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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