| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 88.80 |
| Liaison | Richard Demerjian |
| Submission Date | Aug. 11, 2021 |
University of California, Irvine
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Rachel
Harvey Sustainability Coordinator Housing |
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:
Wiping Out Waste is a quarterly event held in the on-campus dining commons through which the UCI Dining Green Captain* team and the Sustainability Coordinator educate students about the environmental impact of food waste and the power students have to alter the footprint they leave behind. Students and employees can see directly how much food is wasted in a single meal period. Green Captains also provide simple tips to reduce food waste and celebrate successes when students and employees come to the bins with no waste. By letting students see the impact, educating them with steps they can take to reduce waste, and engaging them through activities and incentives (such as a bonus themed meal), this campaign successfully reduces post-consumer waste. Additionally, through feedback gathered during events about portion sizes and taste and texture, we are able to alter our food preparation to reduce waste by increasing customer satisfaction and to ensure recipes are followed correctly. This involves educating employees about how better preparation can also reduce waste.
*UCI Dining identifies student employees who are passionate about sustainability to be Green Captains each year. Green Captains are responsible for implementing practices designed to reduce the environmental impact of campus dining locations and for educating students through events about environmental sustainability and UCI Dining.
Campus members are kept up to date on the UCI Dining Facebook page, website, and monthly newsletters:
- https://www.facebook.com/ucidining
- https://uci.campusdish.com/Sustainability/WhatWeAreDoing.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Metrics are taken during each quarterly event. Waste per person has typically continued to decrease each year, as follows:
The most recent measurement was in February 2020, with 1.46 ounces per person.
Previous measurements (2012 to 2019):
- October 2019: 1.01 ounces per person
- October 2018: 1.02 ounces per person
- October 2017: 1.38 ounces per person
- October 2016: 2.15 ounces per person
- October 2015: 1.31 ounces per person
- October 2014: 1.44 ounces per person
- October 2013: 1.7 ounces per person
- October 2012: 2.17 ounces per person
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
UC Irvine actively encourages employees and students to participate in the Campus Race to Zero Waste (CR2ZW), formerly RecycleMania, a friendly, national competition among colleges and universities to determine which institutions have the best recycling programs. Employees and students are engaged via social media and outreach programs hosted by UCI Facilities Management.
The UCI Recycles Facebook page provides ongoing updates and information about programs: https://www.facebook.com/UCIRecycles/
Although overall circumstances were very different in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 and the virtual learning of over 30,000 students, UCI continued its proud 12-year tradition of participating in CR2ZW (formerly RecycleMania). UCI demonstrated that even during a pandemic, our recycling processes are resilient.
View UCI's 2021 Case Study for Campus Race to Zero Waste: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ANYTAhlLO6RZC5i7H_fsCDPT8L7RGPn1/view?usp=sharing
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
CR2ZW declared UCI as the 2021 Winner for the Large Campus Food Organics Category for our campus food waste minimization and food waste to biofuels programs. UCI earned an overall recycling rate of 32.81% and 3.8 lbs/person (per capita classic). The cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to preventing the release of 246 metric tons of CO2, preventing annual emissions from 48 cars, and preventing the energy consumption of 21 households (numbers derived by CR2ZW from the US EPA’s Waste Reduction Model.
Links to 2021 Announcements:
- National Wildlife Foundation Press Release “2.9 million college students, faculty and staff engage in Campus Race to Zero Waste competition:” https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2021/05-04-21-Campus-Race-To-Zero-Waste-2021
- UCI 2021 Dashboard and Results: https://recyclesearch.com/profile/recyclemania/report/321?node_id=9317&generate=1
In 2020, UCI sealed its position in the top 5% of the nation again, achieving a seventh-place ranking in the Diversion category. Link to 2020 Announcement: https://sustainability.uci.edu/uci-achieves-top-10-recyclemania-ranking-for-10-consecutive-years/
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The individuals who provided responses for this credit are:
Anne Krieghoff
Recycling and Sustainability Program Manager
Facilities Management, UC Irvine
Liz Mascarena
Marketing Manager
Aramark Higher Education, UCI
The campus’s Facilities Management recycle team, Waste Management of Orange County and Aramark Campus Dining Services have worked together to curb food waste since 2010, when Waste Management opened its food waste and organics recycling facility in Orange and accepted UC Irvine as a pilot-phase partner. Food waste delivered to the facility is processed and transformed into a Waste Management proprietary organic bio-slurry that has a number of sustainability applications, including the creation of green energy.
The individuals who provided responses for this credit are:
Anne Krieghoff
Recycling and Sustainability Program Manager
Facilities Management, UC Irvine
Liz Mascarena
Marketing Manager
Aramark Higher Education, UCI
The campus’s Facilities Management recycle team, Waste Management of Orange County and Aramark Campus Dining Services have worked together to curb food waste since 2010, when Waste Management opened its food waste and organics recycling facility in Orange and accepted UC Irvine as a pilot-phase partner. Food waste delivered to the facility is processed and transformed into a Waste Management proprietary organic bio-slurry that has a number of sustainability applications, including the creation of green energy.
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.