| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.28 |
| Liaison | Chris Frantsvog |
| Submission Date | Feb. 25, 2022 |
Luther College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Chris
Frantsvog Sustainability Coordinator Center for Sustainable Communities |
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?:
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?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
Since 2013 we have undertaken significant efforts to educate students about responsibly moving out and also to provide better signage and infrastructure to handle the various streams. Students plan, manage and track results of a week-long, campus-wide initiative to reduce the amount of landfilled move-out waste in every campus residence hall, as well as college-owned apartments. This project utilizes community partners to enhance effectiveness while also serving community needs. Drop off locations are located in every residence location, staffed by teams of students who help residents sort their materials.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
The 2021 student-led event alone diverted over 12 tons of materials from the landfill, including 6.4 tons of recyclables and compostables. 5.7 tons of material was sent for reuse, including 9,200 pounds of clothing, 1,095 pounds of food and nearly 700 pounds of books. https://www.luther.edu/headlines/?story_id=951544
In 2013, this effort was applied to 2,066 resident students, and 34.98 tons of waste was landfilled (33.9 lbs./student). The 2021 Move Out saw landfilled waste for 1,587 students at 16.01 tons (20.1 lbs./student), for a reduction of 40.7%. Effective outreach and engagement, coupled with repeated offering of this service has been very effective.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Luther College Wellness, Sustainability, and the Health Care Council offer Luther College faculty and staff households a 50% reimbursement (up to $100) on vegetable CSA shares. This program was piloted in 2012, at which point 37 households (9.16% of full-time employees) participated. In spite of continued reductions in college employees, and changes in workplace practices due to COVID, the past two years have had very strong participation, averaging 70 households (17.8% of all full-time employees). Employees receive a bi-weekly newsletter with recipes, nutrition information and cooking videos. Employees are required to watch/attend at least two information sessions. In the past two years, all of these have been virtual due the to the COVID pandemic.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
After a survey of CSA program participants was conducted in 2018, 88% of 50 responding participants claim to have eaten more fruits and vegetables. Only 14% of respondents reported that they would buy a CSA share without financial assistance from Luther. 68% of participants reported an increase in home cooking, 88% have participated for more than one year, and 70% tried a new vegetable because of the program.
This program not only has an impact on faculty and staff, but also on local farmers who have been able to develop or expand CSA offerings to meet increased demand coming from Luther employees.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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.