Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.60
Liaison Dayna Cook
Submission Date May 1, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Northern Arizona University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Ellen Vaughan
Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
Yes or No
A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts Yes
A sustainability newsletter Yes
Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability Yes
A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability Yes
Building signage that highlights green building features Yes
Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems Yes
Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed Yes
A sustainability walking map or tour Yes
A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation Yes
Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians Yes
A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience Yes
Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat Yes
Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website:

The GreenNAU website was developed in 2009 to house information, multimedia, and links related to sustainability at NAU.

Sections of the website include: Programs (Academic Programs, Student Groups, Community Programs, Sustainable Initiatives, Green Fund, and Research), Climate Action 2020, Environmental Caucus, Office of Sustainability, Green NAU Energy Initiative, Coordinating Committee for Campus Sustainability, and Calendar of events.

NAU also has a "Sustainability 360: Learning, Living, and Leading Green" website that disseminates information on NAU's sustainability research and our top sustainability researchers.
http://nau.edu/Sustainability-360/


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

The main outlet for sustainability related information is the Environmental Caucuses biweekly newsletters. The Environmental Caucus facilitates creative and strategic communication across campus to advance the institutional commitment to sustainability and to promote education, research, and collaboration on the environment. The scope and responsibilities of the Caucus are defined by participants, with an overarching goal to add value to existing programs and to bring benefits to NAU’s many environmental programs and activities. The EC list-serve has 501 subscribers and the Students EC list-serve has 686 subscribers. The newsletters have both a variety of diverse announcements and notes from the monthly meetings.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:
The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

There are two outlets available to students to seek funding for sustainability research at NAU. The first is the Hooper Student Fund. Students who apply for Hooper Student Funds may be awarded up to $2500 to conduct sustainability research either on campus or in the community. These projects focus on:
1) NAU campus sustainability (especially related to climate change, transportation, energy systems, recycling or waste, or campus food systems)
2) Local community-based sustainability projects
3) Environmentally sustainable business practices
4) Natural resources and ecosystem science/management
5) Environmental health in tribal and rural communities

Undergraduate awardees are required to present at NAU's Undergraduate Symposium and are encouraged to participate in other presentations at other venues as well as a way of disseminating student research on campus. Each awardee submits a brief progress report (due after the first six months) and a Final Project Report as well.
http://nau.edu/Undergraduate-Research/Hooper-Undergraduate-Research-Award/

The NAU Green Fund financially funds campus sustainability projects. These projects may be in the form of student research projects which are publicized on the NAU Greenfund website, showed to the public at the Green Fund Symposium
http://nau.edu/Green-NAU/NAU-Green-Fund/

University Marketing is home to several different teams that contribute to promotion of the university’s sustainability programs and initiatives. The UM content team writes the articles and copy on sustainability found on the university’s websites and in advertising materials. The UM design team brings written and visual elements together to create stunning advertising work that is published in prominent places and publications. The UM publishing team is specifically tasked with national and local media outreach efforts promoting NAU’s sustainability projects.

Homepage content
The following content was published on the nau.edu homepage or on the Campaign for NAU site and contained sustainability themes.
• Homepage | Candice Griffin: She was a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship competition. She won using a policy proposal that would clean the air in Phoenix. http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2013/06/Clearing-the-air/ (July 29, 2013)
• Homepage | STAR School: The College of Education partners with STAR School on the Navajo reservation features a solar energy source and teaches a variety of subjects to Native American students. http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2013/08/New-classroom/ (August 21, 2013)
• Homepage | Madeline Friend: Grand Canyon semester, hopes to go into environmental education. http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2013/09/Friend-of-nature/ (Sept. 17, 2013)
• Homepage | Hesham Elnagar: Fulbright scholar, graduated from the sustainable communities program. http://nau.edu/News/Articles/2013/10/Teaching-the-world/ (Oct. 10, 2013)
• Campaign for NAU | Vivianna Molina: Env. Engineering major, studying the effect of reverse osmosis water on the human body. http://nau.edu/Campaign/Articles/Driving-Discovery/ (Nov. 14, 2013)

Public Service Announcements
These Public Service Announcements run on the NPR station, KNAU. In 2013 14 PSAs have contained sustainability themes. The PSAs contained the following topics:
• Cline Library presentation on “The Aesthetics of Conservation – Another Reason Why We Preserve Our Unique and Beautiful Lands”
• The Green NAU Energy Initiative
• Students for Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening (SSLUG)
• Friends of Flagstaff’s Future
• The Office of Sustainability
• The Eco-Rep peer education program
• Engineers Without Borders
• Green Jacks
• The Environmental Caucus
• The Office of Sustainability
• Community Based Action Research Teams
• The Office of Sustainability and the Green Fund
• The Office of Sustainability and the Yellow Bike Program
• The Office of Sustainability and Facility Services

The University Marketing design team provides artistic creative for the department.
Advertisements
In 2013, the design team created and placed an advertisement related to sustainability in the following publication:
• Sierra Magazine | October 2013 Issue

Media advisories featuring sustainability-related faculty and staff at the university:
• CO² climate change research | Featuring Bruce Hungate
• Western drought and wildfires | Featuring Rod Parnell and Wally Covington
• Wildfire prevention | Featuring Wally Covington
• Colorado floods | Featuring Rod Parnell
• ITEP uranium mines program | Featuring Ann Chischilly
• NAU climate change experts | Featuring Tom Whitham, Wally Covington, Bruce Hungate, Rod Parnell, and Ann Chischilly
• Salt River Project event and ERI | Featuring Diane Vosick

Bylines Placed
In 2013, the following articles – featuring NAU faculty speaking on sustainability themes have been published:
LiveScience.com | “Is Genetics Key to Climate Change?” | Written by Tom Whitham
• National Geographic Water Currents | “Seeing the Forest for the Water: Irrigators Willing to Pay Double to Guard Against Wildfires” | Written by Julie Mueller
LiveScience.com | “With Warming, Wildfires Growing More Difficult to Predict” | Written by Peter Fulé
Coverage

In 2013 the following news outlets have published stories featuring university faculty and staff:
• Climatewire | “Models Tell an Incomplete Carbon Story, Says Scientist” | Published on July 25, 2013 | Featuring Bruce Hungate
• Salon | “Congress Burns Firefighters – Again” | Published July 29, 2013 | Featuring a report from the ERI
• Moyer & Company | “Congress Fiddles While the Western States Burn” | Published July 29, 2013 | Featuring a report from the ERI
• The Arizona Daily Sun | “NAU study: Plants Alone Can't Stop Climate Change” | Published August 13, 2013 | Featuring Bruce Hungate
• National Geographic | “Seeing the Forest for the Water: Irrigators Willing to Pay Double to Guard Against Wildfires” | Published August 29, 2013 | Featuring Julie Mueller with a byline
Livescience.com | “With Warming, Wildfires Growing More Difficult to Predict” | Published October 1, 2013 | Featuring Peter Fulé with a byline
• Associated Press | “NAU Seeks Navajos for Uranium Cleanup Training” | Published November 25, 2013 | Featuring Anne Chischilly
o NOTE: This article was picked up off of the wire by multiple publications, including: The San Francisco Chronicle, The Miami Herald, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Kansas City Star, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Arizona Daily Sun, and CBS 5 Arizona.
Livescience.com | “Is Genetics Key to Climate Change Solutions?” | Published December 19, 2013 | Featuring Tom Whitham with a byline
• Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) | “Comment: Genetics may be key to climate change solutions” | Published January 25, 2013 | Featuring Tom Whitham with a byline
http://nau.edu/Sustainability-360/


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

In the University's LEED Platinum building - the Applied Research and Development Building - there are large signs on the columns throughout the length of the lobby indicating important sustainability features.

In the LEED Gold Franke College of Business, there is an educational kiosk as well as screens and some educational signage.
The LEED Gold Engineering building has brochures available for people to do self-guided tours of the building highlighting the sustainability features of the facility.


The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:

Dining Services works hard to ensure that their sustainability efforts are widely publicized in order to create some passive education opportunities in the dining facilities. Local and organic foods are labeled in the dining halls so that students know what foods are sustainable and healthy. This includes organic greens at the salad bar, some organic offerings and local offerings at the vegetarian station, and an organic/fair trade coffee bar.

Table tents are also an effective means of sustainability communication for the Dining Services Department. Weekly table tents are put on the tables in the dining halls often with information on recycled napkins, the tray-less dining program, or waste reduction in the dining facilities.

Dining Services has a sustainability webpage to help convey information as well.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:

NAU has an ongoing research study on sustainable grounds-keeping strategies, specifically working towards a toxin-free landscaping. The project was funded by the NAU Green Fund and includes educational signage to teach community members about the research project. They also have a large amount of information on their website.


The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Green buildings on campus are marked by a green leaf to indicate where our sustainable buildings are located.

NAU Arboretum tour consists of three distinct tree walks: http://www4.nau.edu/arboretum/index.html


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:

Partnering with Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA), the University works to create and distribute an alternative public transportation map for community members: www.mountainlink.az.gov

Parking Services offers shuttle information and a real-time map of shuttles current locations: http://nau.edu/Parking-Shuttle-Services/Shuttle-Information/

Campus Recreation Services provides information on NAU's Yellow Bike Program: http://nau.edu/Green-NAU/Yellow-Bike-Program/

All of these services and more are explained during orientation and in orientation guides.


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:

Parking Services provides a campus map highlighting bike and pedestrian paths.

During bike to work week NAU provides further information for bike commuters.


The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

The NAU Green Guide is available through the Residence Life website. It contains tips on reducing, reusing, recycling, toxin awareness, and more.

Green NAU Energy Initiative (GNEI) provides window clings which highlight their three behaviors towards greener living on campus.
The three behaviors inspire and educate students to:
Take shorter showers
Turn off and unplug personal devices
Energy efficient laundry


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:

The Lumberjack student newspaper covers campus sustainability stories regularly. The Lumberjack reporter assigned to the environment/sustainability issues in 2013 was Caleb McClure.


The website URL for 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 another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):

GNEI creates two sets of educational magnets. The first set of magnets had ten tips for students living in the Residence Halls related to sustainability. These magnets are distributed to every Residence Hall room on campus. The other set were five general tips for the campus community related to energy, recycling, and transportation. All of the tips were aimed at bringing the campus community on board with the Climate Action 2020 goal of carbon neutrality in the next decade. These magnets were put on refrigerators and steel case bookcases throughout academic and administrative buildings on campus.


The website URL for this material (1st material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (2nd material):

NAU Plaid (NAU's student blog) has regular posts regarding sustainable issues due to its sustainable reporter, Caryn Massey.


The website URL for this material (2nd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (3rd material):

NAU is roling out a recycling pilot project and has sent educational materials to all the participating buildings. Office occupants have received flyers and emails regarding the new recycling process as well as what materials are recyclable.


The website URL for this material (3rd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (4th material):

Both the Green Fund and GNEI took student and faculty surveys related to sustainable topics in 2013. They made the survey results public.


The website URL for this material (4th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (5th material):

The Institute for Sustainable Energy Solutions (ISES) produces regular reports and publications related to sustainable energy solutions.


The website URL for this material (5th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (6th material):

NAU TV regularly reports on NAU sustainable living, initiatives, groups, and research.


The website URL for this material (6th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.