| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.87 |
| Liaison | Rania Assariotaki |
| Submission Date | Feb. 21, 2023 |
The American College of Greece
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Ourania
Assariotaki Sustainability Manager Office of Public Affairs |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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?:
Yes
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?:
Yes
1st campaign
Reduce your FOODprint - ACG Food Waste Campaign
A brief description of the campaign:
In the academic year 2021-2022, in tandem with the EU Directive 2018/851 and subsequent national law, we are taking it one step further by launching a campus-wide campaign on reducing and preventing food waste!
“The ACG Food Waste Campaign: Reduce your FOODprint!” aims at raising awareness about this critical issue and educating our community on best practices on how to save food.
ACG is dedicated to reducing food waste both on campus and in the broader community. Since November 2018, the College has been collaborating with the NGO Boroume. In the context of our collaboration, we have adopted two farmers’ markets – the ACG Farmers’ Market initiative – where students, staff, and faculty volunteer on a weekly basis and save food that would otherwise end up in the landfill. From November 2018 until now, our volunteers have saved almost ten tons of food, equating to approximately 39,000 meals, by offering 667 hours of community service!
As of October 2020, ACG is a member of the Alliance for the Reduction of Food Waste, a group of public authorities, well-known companies, food and service businesses from all areas of the supply chain, social impact organizations, and academic and research institutions, coming together to prevent and reduce food waste in Greece, aiming at raising awareness, educating the public, highlighting and disseminating best practices, exchanging knowledge and ideas, promoting research and innovation, promoting and donating any surplus food to social impact organizations, and, most importantly, advocating for public policy on preventing and reducing food waste and food loss in Greece.
Our members are educated on through volunteer activities like the one described previously, workshops, events and our tips that are posted on the website to follow practices on how to eliminate food waste both on campus and at home. In collaboration with our catering provider we introduced the half-portion option when dining in. Also, left overs from events are being donated through the NGO Boroume (We Can) to local charities.
Also, in 2022 ACG through the Center of Food, Tourism and Leisure ran a panhellenic survey on food waste and food labeling the findings were presented in a panel discussion on food waste, during which the Senior Manager for Sustainability presented how ACG contributes to the elimination of food waste and the practices it follows and what the role of educational institutions should be.
You can find more info here:
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/campaigns/reduce-your-food-print/
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/community-engagement/acg-farmers-market/
“The ACG Food Waste Campaign: Reduce your FOODprint!” aims at raising awareness about this critical issue and educating our community on best practices on how to save food.
ACG is dedicated to reducing food waste both on campus and in the broader community. Since November 2018, the College has been collaborating with the NGO Boroume. In the context of our collaboration, we have adopted two farmers’ markets – the ACG Farmers’ Market initiative – where students, staff, and faculty volunteer on a weekly basis and save food that would otherwise end up in the landfill. From November 2018 until now, our volunteers have saved almost ten tons of food, equating to approximately 39,000 meals, by offering 667 hours of community service!
As of October 2020, ACG is a member of the Alliance for the Reduction of Food Waste, a group of public authorities, well-known companies, food and service businesses from all areas of the supply chain, social impact organizations, and academic and research institutions, coming together to prevent and reduce food waste in Greece, aiming at raising awareness, educating the public, highlighting and disseminating best practices, exchanging knowledge and ideas, promoting research and innovation, promoting and donating any surplus food to social impact organizations, and, most importantly, advocating for public policy on preventing and reducing food waste and food loss in Greece.
Our members are educated on through volunteer activities like the one described previously, workshops, events and our tips that are posted on the website to follow practices on how to eliminate food waste both on campus and at home. In collaboration with our catering provider we introduced the half-portion option when dining in. Also, left overs from events are being donated through the NGO Boroume (We Can) to local charities.
Also, in 2022 ACG through the Center of Food, Tourism and Leisure ran a panhellenic survey on food waste and food labeling the findings were presented in a panel discussion on food waste, during which the Senior Manager for Sustainability presented how ACG contributes to the elimination of food waste and the practices it follows and what the role of educational institutions should be.
You can find more info here:
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/campaigns/reduce-your-food-print/
https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/community-engagement/acg-farmers-market/
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
In the context of our campaign we managed to save food by introducing the half-portion option, by donating left overs from events to local charities but before that in collaboration with our catering provider we make the right provision in regards to needs.
Since November 2018, the College has been collaborating with the NGO Boroume. In the context of our collaboration, we have adopted two farmers’ markets – the ACG Farmers’ Market initiative – where students, staff, and faculty volunteer on a weekly basis and save food that would otherwise end up in the landfill. From November 2018 until now, our volunteers have saved almost ten tons of food, equating to approximately 39,000 meals, by offering 667 hours of community service!
Since November 2018, the College has been collaborating with the NGO Boroume. In the context of our collaboration, we have adopted two farmers’ markets – the ACG Farmers’ Market initiative – where students, staff, and faculty volunteer on a weekly basis and save food that would otherwise end up in the landfill. From November 2018 until now, our volunteers have saved almost ten tons of food, equating to approximately 39,000 meals, by offering 667 hours of community service!
if reporting an additional campaign, provide:
2nd campaign
#ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Plastic lasts ‘forever’. Virtually all the plastic ever produced still exists in the environment in some form. It is ironic that more than 40% of plastic is used just once, then tossed.
Based on our commitment to enhance our sustainability efforts as a community and in order to establish a sustainability culture on campus, the Office of Public Affairs launched the #ACGgoesplasticfree campaign in 2018.
The campaign is ongoing.
Joining our forces to the global movement, we aim at raising awareness on the harmful consequences of single-use plastic pollution and guide you in making a successful shift towards eliminating single-use plastics from our campus.
Since July 2018, following the launch of the ACG Reusable Water Bottle and with the new addition of the ACG reusables coffee cup and cutlery, we have been able to help various philanthropic organizations through the ACG reusables sales (organizations are publicly announced on our website)
Based on our commitment to enhance our sustainability efforts as a community and in order to establish a sustainability culture on campus, the Office of Public Affairs launched the #ACGgoesplasticfree campaign in 2018.
The campaign is ongoing.
Joining our forces to the global movement, we aim at raising awareness on the harmful consequences of single-use plastic pollution and guide you in making a successful shift towards eliminating single-use plastics from our campus.
Since July 2018, following the launch of the ACG Reusable Water Bottle and with the new addition of the ACG reusables coffee cup and cutlery, we have been able to help various philanthropic organizations through the ACG reusables sales (organizations are publicly announced on our website)
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Higher percentage of ACG members using reusable water bottles on campus based on the sales of the ACG reusable water bottle.
100% elimination of plastic cups at all ACG offices.
At certain period throughout each year, the ACG Sustainability Leaders were placed at all ACG vendors to observe the behavior of ACG members when ordering. A higher percentage of people using reusable items instead of singe-use plastics ones was observed - i.e. reusable coffee cups/thermos instead of single-use, avoiding to take a plastic straw, and bringing their own reusable lunch boxes when ordering take-away food.
In the first year within launch, we managed to minimize consumption by more than 40%.
In Spring 2020, a Deree Environmental Studies student and Sustainability Leader, created the first online survey to measure the ACG community’s plastic footprint in the context of the #ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign and the course Sustainable Use of Resources and Waste Management.
In Fall 2020 our catering provider replaced plastic food containers, straws, coffee cups and cutlery with biodegradable ones.
Since 2019 in collaboration with the NGO Institute Team For the World we upcycle old banners. Also, we avoid printing banners and all communication and promotion of events is being done digitally. Also, in the context of our campaign all our events are plastic-free.
For all our efforts, we were featured on the dedicated website of the Ministry of Environment & Energy for the National campaign for the elimination of single-use plastics- ACG is the only educational institution in Greece to have been featured.
More information on the campaign can be found here: https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/campaigns/acggoesplasticfree/.
100% elimination of plastic cups at all ACG offices.
At certain period throughout each year, the ACG Sustainability Leaders were placed at all ACG vendors to observe the behavior of ACG members when ordering. A higher percentage of people using reusable items instead of singe-use plastics ones was observed - i.e. reusable coffee cups/thermos instead of single-use, avoiding to take a plastic straw, and bringing their own reusable lunch boxes when ordering take-away food.
In the first year within launch, we managed to minimize consumption by more than 40%.
In Spring 2020, a Deree Environmental Studies student and Sustainability Leader, created the first online survey to measure the ACG community’s plastic footprint in the context of the #ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign and the course Sustainable Use of Resources and Waste Management.
In Fall 2020 our catering provider replaced plastic food containers, straws, coffee cups and cutlery with biodegradable ones.
Since 2019 in collaboration with the NGO Institute Team For the World we upcycle old banners. Also, we avoid printing banners and all communication and promotion of events is being done digitally. Also, in the context of our campaign all our events are plastic-free.
For all our efforts, we were featured on the dedicated website of the Ministry of Environment & Energy for the National campaign for the elimination of single-use plastics- ACG is the only educational institution in Greece to have been featured.
More information on the campaign can be found here: https://www.acg.edu/about-acg/sustainability-at-acg/campaigns/acggoesplasticfree/.
Optional Fields
---
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.