| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85.66 |
| Liaison | Mark Lichtenstein |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Sue
Fassler Sustainable Facilities Manager Facilities |
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:
ESF received a $5,000 grant from the NYS Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) in 2020. This successful proposal was a joint venture sparked from a collaborative effort between the College's Sustainability Division and Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. The College purchased 235 reusable menstrual cups, which it then offered for free to the campus community (faculty, staff, and students). Medical grade menstrual cups typically retail between $30-$40 each. This program pairs financial accessibility with sustainability, and also serves to normalize conversations about menstruation on campus.
The program launched during the Fall 2020 semester, when many members of the College community were working and learning remotely. Despite a depopulated campus, 155 cups were distributed during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters (as of 2/26/2021). 80 cups remain and will be made available during the remainder of the Spring 2021 semester. Student clubs are also leading an effort to host DIY reusable pad workshops in order to appeal to people who may not want to use a cup, but still want to reduce their reliance on single use products.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
100 million people globally use tampons, each person on average using 11,000 in their lifetime and the global use of disposable pads is even higher. Therefore, this program has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of material that is being send to landfill or incineration from ESF's campus and beyond.
155 cups were distributed during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 (as of 2/26/2021). People completed a pre-survey prior to receiving their cup. A post survey will be conducted mid-way through Spring 2021 and will offer concrete data pertaining to actual single use pad/tampon replacement as a result of the program.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
ESF participated in RecycleMania in 2018 as a student-led initiative. This resulted in the College being recognized with an award from the RecycleMania organization as their "2018 Race to Zero Waste Champion." According to RecycleMania: "We want you to know that the most encouraging and exciting thing for us is to see the robust recycling program you have build to benefit your community environment and conserve resources from one year to the next."
RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are in turn ranked in various categories based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis, as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which schools generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling. With each week’s updated ranking, participating schools follow their performance against other colleges and use the results to rally their campus to reduce and recycle more.
National recognition is provided to the winning school in each category on the RecycleMania website and in a national press release. Winning schools receive an award made out of recyclable materials, and win the right to host that category’s special traveling trophy for the coming year.
https://www.aashe.org/calendar/recyclemania-2018/
ESF is currently participating in the 2021 competition.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
As a result of a complete overhaul of materials management infrastructure (bins and addition of campus wide composting) and a robust education and outreach campaign, ESF has seen a tremendous amount of progress toward its zero waste goals. The Syracuse campus has been able to drop its external trash collection from 5 days a week to 3 days a week.
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.