Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.72
Liaison Greg Maginn
Submission Date Jan. 18, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The Ohio State University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Gina Langen
Director of Communications
The Office for Energy and the Environment
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Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):

Ohio State hosts a sustainability webpage that serves as a clearinghouse for identifying sustainability efforts, opportunities and resources for students, faculty, staff and the public. It should be noted that in addition to campus-wide efforts to educate and inform, numerous individual academic and administrative units produce their own materials and websites to create awareness about sustainability at Ohio State. To include all of these examples would create an extensive list of specialized information.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

A bi-weekly e-newsletter containing information on campus energy, environment and sustainability news is sent to 550 faculty and staff. In addition, a bi-weekly e-newsletter with sustainability news for students is sent to 500 students involved in sustainability issues.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:

The university maintains active Facebook and Twitter accounts which publish photos and stories about campus and regional sustainability efforts.


The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat?:
Yes

A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:

In 2017, The Lantern started a podcast that surrounds sustainability at Ohio State.


The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

We feature student sustainability research news and projects on the Office of Energy and Environment webpage.


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

All LEED certified buildings have signage highlighting the certification level and some sustainable features. The Ohio Union also lists these on the web.


The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:

The Ohio Union and Kennedy Commons are both LEED certified buildings with a particular focus on sustainable food systems. Included signage has information about locally sourced ingredients, trayless dining, and waste reduction.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
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Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:

Urban Meadows - Ohio State has made numerous changes to move toward a more sustainable landscaping practice. Twenty-one acres of urban meadows transitioned from being high maintenance to a tall grass meadow that needs to be mowed only annually. These urban meadows provide improved storm water control, new habitats, reduced pesticides and herbicides, and a reduction in fossil fuels used by mowing equipment. Ohio State has switched its historic Mirror Lake from being fed by city water to now being fed by well water, saving almost 20 million gallons of potable water compared to the FY2013 baseline year. The seven bioswales maintained around residence halls and research areas have been very effective in filtering storm water runoff, sending cleaner water into the storm sewer system.


The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
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Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Students have the option of attending a sustainability tour during Welcome Week to experience different initiatives going on around campus.


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:

The Transportation and Parking department at Ohio State provides guides for many alternative modes of transportation, such as carpooling/vanpooling, bussing, biking and car sharing. It also provides information about alternative mode amenities like bike parking and lockers, sharrows, green parking and alternative fuels.


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:

The university has developed a number of plans associated with Master Plan and the One Ohio State Framework Plan which prioritize bicyclists and pedestrians.


The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

Ohio State University produces outreach and engagement materials in many different formats that encourage all members of the campus community to act more responsibly in sustainability issues.


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
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A brief description of these materials or publications:
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The website URL for these materials or publications:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.