| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.49 |
| Liaison | Richard Johnson |
| Submission Date | Nov. 11, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Rice University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
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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 | No |
| 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 | No |
| 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 | No |
| 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 | No |
| Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above | Yes |
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A brief description of the central sustainability website:
Rice’s central sustainability website is maintained by the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management (ACSEM). The website provides information regarding sustainability initiatives on campus, teaching and research opportunities involving sustainability, student involvement in environmental change, and relevant news articles and resources. Specifically, the website provides data and information regarding Rice’s climate commitment and greenhouse gas emissions, green building design, energy and water conservation, green cleaning, sustainability policies and transportation options, among other topics.
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The website URL for the central sustainability website:
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A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
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The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
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A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:
Rice University has a “Sustainability at Rice University” Facebook page to inform students of and promote sustainability-related events on campus. The Facebook page also shares facts and pictures relevant to the sustainable initiatives on campus. In addition to the Facebook page, there is a Twitter account that is regularly updated with initiatives and events around campus that either promote or demonstrate sustainability and its importance.
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The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
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A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
1. Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium:
The annual Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium (RURS) enables Rice undergraduate students in all disciplines to share their research and design projects with the broader Rice and Houston community. Monetary prizes are awarded to students, and are determined by faculty, graduate student, and community judges. Specific prizes are awarded to students whose research focuses on sustainability and the environment through the Center for the Study of Environment and Society Prize as well as The Shell Center for Sustainability Awards.
The Center for the Study of Environment and Society Prize “recognizes an outstanding project that seeks to promote a deeper and broader understanding of environmental issues through interdisciplinary approaches and/or improvement of the sustainability of the community.”
The Shell Center for Sustainability Awards “recognize outstanding, multidisciplinary research projects that consider long-term sustainable development in the Houston region and/or Gulf Coast.”
2. The Greene Prize Competition:
The Green Prize Competition was established in the 1990s to encourage undergraduate students to submit original environmental work so as to reach and educate a wider audience regarding important environmental issues. The submissions range from research and policy oriented papers to creative writing stories regarding sustainability and the environment. Past winners have written papers about “Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Urban Settings: A Case Study of the City of Houston Municipal Fleet”, and “Greenhouse gas production in oiled and unoiled S. alterniflora and A. germinans soils in tidal salt marshes Barataria Bay, Louisiana.”
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The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
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A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
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The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
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A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Rice University Housing and Dining provides signage in dining areas (serveries) to indicate food and beverage items were procured from the Rice University Farmers' Market or from other local sources. These items are also regularly announced and profiled on Rice Housing and Dining's social media platforms.
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The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
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A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
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The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
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A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
The Rice Director of Sustainability gives periodic sustainability walking tours. The tours range in size from full classes to interested individuals and occur approximately once every month. The tour introduces sustainability initiatives on campus, and highlights topics such as the green buildings at Rice, Rice’s co-generational power plant, the geothermal demonstration installation at Rice's South Plant, the green roofs, porous pavement, and other strategies for water retention as well as mitigation strategies implemented on Rice’s campus.
As part of the tour, the director distributes a walking tour map, which provides a campus-level view of sustainability features.
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The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
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A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
Rice’s transportation website details alternative options for all students, and specifically focuses on commuters. The information provided includes how to use the Zipcar and Metro services, as well as live coverage of the current bus routes on campus, and a carpool contact list for students and faculty who live off-campus.
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The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
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A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Rice has a webpage dedicated to “Bikes at Rice” that offers information on riding responsibly both on and off-campus, registering bicycles with the Rice University Police Department (RUPD), respecting pedestrians, and following protocol for if a bicycle is stolen. The webpage also offers relevant links for bicyclists such as the Houston Bicycle Club and Bike Houston, both of which offer bicyclists information pertaining to safety and event opportunities.
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The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
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A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Starting in Fall 2014, every new student will have a section in their orientation book detailing how to live sustainably. The section will include easy steps on living sustainably including using reusable water bottles, printing double sided, taking shorter showers, and unplugging electronics to name a few. The sustainability section will also detail the environmental clubs and initiatives on campus.
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The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
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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:
Although not a specific column or beat, the Rice student newspaper does regularly cover sustainability-related issues.
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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:
None
A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):
The Shell Center for Sustainability at Rice University is an interdisciplinary program of research, outreach and education that addresses actions that can be taken to ensure the sustainable development of living standards, interpreted broadly, to encompass all factors affecting quality of life, including environmental resources. The Shell Center for Sustainability produces an annual report describing its research and outreach for the year. The Shell Center offers an online library of its most recent annual reports.
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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
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A brief description of this material (2nd material):
Rice has prepared a number of building-specific green building walking tours and/or case studies for many of its LEED-certified buildings. The case studies are shared with the USGBC as part of the LEED submission process.
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The website URL for this material (2nd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
No
None
A brief description of this material (3rd material):
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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):
No
None
A brief description of this material (4th material):
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None
The website URL for this material (4th material):
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None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material (5th material):
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None
The website URL for this material (5th material):
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None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material (6th material):
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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? (7th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material (7th material):
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None
The website URL for this material (7th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material (8th material):
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The website URL for this material (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.