Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.13
Liaison Bridget Flynn
Submission Date March 9, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Oberlin College
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Bridget Flynn
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Environmental 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 Office of Environmental Sustainability website details Oberlin's sustainability commitments and news articles. It also provides resources for students, information on sustainability programs like Ecolympics, Green Office Program, bicycling and car-sharing, and more.


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

The Office of Environmental Sustainability publishes a monthly eNewsletter: http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=9afa52df2294d7a6bcde51830&id=42164dea8a

The Environmental Studies Program publishes a newsletter that covers academic and operational sustainability news: http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/environment/environmental-studies-newsletters.dot


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:

The Office of Environmental Sustainability is present on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat


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:

Students have co-authored many conference papers and papers for peer-reviewed journals. Student research can be published on Policy Options. Student research is regularly covered by the Office of Communications. The Office of Undergraduate Research organizes public presentations of student research.


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 :

The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies features signage and an electronic kiosk that explains how the building and its Living Machine functions and shows real-time resource use and generation. Digital signs throughout campus display the environmental performance of individual dorms.


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:

Oberlin's Campus Dining Service is served by Bon Appétit Management Company, who label foods and furnish the dining halls with information about sustainability and food. The CDS Recyclers conduct food waste audits and shares the results with large signs in the dining halls. The CDS Recyclers also create informational posters and publish a Green Guide for first year students each year.


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:

Several areas of landscape have been labeled, including the Adam Joseph Lewis Center kitchen garden, heirloom trees in Tappan Square, the Underground Railroad medical garden, the Harvey House butterfly garden, many tree species on campus, and others.

Some of these are also documented on the campus sustainability map (also available on the OES website: http://new.oberlin.edu/office/environmental-sustainability/sustainability-map/)


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:

The OES has created a campus sustainability map highlighting various locations on campus from grounds to buildings to solar arrays. The OES also developed Oberlin College's first mobile app available on the App Store (Oberlin EcoTour). Users can also download or open the Google map on their Android device. There is also a brochure highlighting some of the prominent locations on the map. The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies offers a self-guided tour of its landscape. Sustainability is featured prominently in campus tours given to perspective students.


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:

Oberlin's transportation website details alternative methods of transportation. The Oberlin Project has teamed up with students to create a transportation and bicycling guide.


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:

Webpage and video, as well as educational events and bike fixit stations.


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 Green Room Program was created to assist and challenge students to live sustainably in their residence halls -- and in their lives. oberlin.edu/green-room

The CDS Recyclers created the Little Green Book, which details how students can live sustainably at Oberlin, especially in relation to the dining experience. The Office of Environmental Studies created a similar Green Field Guide.


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 Oberlin Review regularly covers sustainability issues, including campus events, discussions of sustainability topics, and publishing Letters to the Editor.


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):

The Office of Environmental Sustainability administers the Greenscene listserv, which provides a forum for students, environmental groups, and others to share events, information, programs, job opportunities, and discussion.


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

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

Headwaters Magazine, a student-run printed and online environmental magazine. They cover sustainability at Oberlin and in the larger world.


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):

Oberlin also is home to a radical zine library, plenty of which relate to sustainability topics.


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

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

The Oberlin Alumni Magazine also regularly covers sustainability topics.


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 Oberlin Project also has a central website, social media pages, a newsletter, and more communication programs. Since the Oberlin Project is a joint collaborative between the College and City for prosperity, resilience, and sustainability.


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):

Environmental Dashboard Project displays real-time electricity and water use in college dorms and a few academic and administrative buildings. In addition to electricity and water data, the Dashboard allows Oberlin to administer our Ecolympics competition, provides green tips for building residents, as well as providing users with green features of buildings.


The website URL for this material (6th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (7th material):

The City-Wide Dashboard is an expansion of the Environmental Dashboard, but for the entire City of Oberlin including the City Schools. Environmental Dashboard is designed to make the invisible flows of water and electricity through communities visible and engaging. In addition to the energy flows for the city, the City-Wide Dashboard includes voices of community members, which link these resource flows to the thoughts and actions of citizens working to build a more vibrant, resilient and sustainable city. Electronic signs in community spaces and public schools feature the three central components of the Dashboard, which can all be viewed on this website.


The website URL for this material (7th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
---

A brief description of this material (8th material):
---

The website URL for this material (8th material):
---

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.