| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.83 |
| Liaison | Mark Lichtenstein |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2023 |
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Rochelle
Strassner Sustainability Outreach & Engagement Manager Office of Sustainability |
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:
Throughout Fall 2020-Spring 2022, ESF's Flow Real campaign, funded by a $5,000 grant through the NSYAR3 College Council program, provided 235 reusable menstrual cups to members of the campus community free of charge. Student clubs (The Baobab Society and SustainabiliTEAM) provided funding for reusable pads and made homemade heating packs to supplement the program.
ESF participated in the Campus Cup 2022 program through the brand AllMatters. Campus Cup aims to provide equitable access to reusable menstrual products, reduce the amount of single-use menstrual products used and disposed of, and destigmatize the conversation about menstruation. 72 students signed up for free reusable menstrual cups through this program. 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.
After the initial Campus Cup campaign, leftover cups that were not picked up by students were offered to the rest of the campus community (faculty, staff, and students) for free. An additional 108 cups have been ordered separately from the Campus Cup program, intended to be distributed to the ESF campus community (faculty, staff, and students).
Separate from Campus Cup, but in direct relation, 96 reusable pads have been ordered (Aisle brand), intended to be distributed to the campus community during the Spring 2023 semester.
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.
296 cups have been distributed to members of the campus community since Fall 2020 (as of 12/14/2022).
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
ESF participated in Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly known as RecycleMania) in 2021 and 2022.
Campus Race to Zero Waste is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over an eight-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 Campus Race to Zero Waste 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://campusracetozerowaste.org/).
ESF is currently registered to participate in the 2023 competition.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Since 2018, trash produced by all ESF campuses has declined from ~365,000 lbs to 214,850 lbs (41% decrease). At the Syracuse campus (largest campus), trash during this time period declined from 235,000 to 92,000 lbs (61% decrease). The campus-wide diversion rate now stands at 52% with the Syracuse campus boasting a 65% diversion rate. In 2018, the campus-wide diversion rate was 28% and the Syracuse campus diversion rate was 31%. (Note that this data does not include C&D).
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.