| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.18 |
| Liaison | Marianne Martin |
| Submission Date | Dec. 3, 2024 |
University of Colorado Boulder
EN-1: Outreach and Communications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 5.00 |
Marianne
Martin Associate Director Environmental Center |
1.1 Sustainability outreach and communications
Website URL of the institution’s central sustainability website:
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new student orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new student orientation or the equivalent:
New Student Welcome features sustainability programming and information at Sustainable Buffs meetup, campus green tour, Be Involved Fair. When students arrive on campus they are introduced to sustainability in a number of ways during Welcome Week. All Welcome Week events strive for zero waste introducing students to recycling and composting procedures. CU Environmental Center hosts booths for CU Sustainable Buffs at major events including Welcome Fest, Night at the Rec.. Students have the opportunity to sign a pledge, choose a reusable item, decorate water bottles, get more info. CU Environmental Center offers campus green tours of sustainability features during Welcome Week. CU Green Labs gives a presentation to grad student orientation on sustainability. All first year students live on-campus and are exposed to sustainability during move-in and orientation. Resident Advisors receive training on sustainability programs so they share this info to residents during housing orientation and move-in. Prior to move in, Boulder Bound email includes sustainability information such as what to/ what not to bring to campus, car-free resources, and Sustainable Buffs Guide. https://www.colorado.edu/orientation/fallwelcome
Does the institution integrate sustainability information into the educational offerings or materials provided during new employee orientation or the equivalent?:
Narrative outlining how sustainability information is integrated into new employee orientation of the equivalent:
The New Employee Welcome Experience (New-X) is part of the comprehensive, year-long onboarding experience designed to increase the understanding of CU Boulder’s history, traditions, organizational structure and governance, operations, and mission. Sustainability features are included in the campus tour, information on bus and bike programs is distributed, pride points of CU's sustainability accomplishments are included in presentation. The New Employee website (https://www.colorado.edu/hr/new-employees ) features a resources section including financial, wellness, transportation and other sustainability related information. The CU Discover program has offered a sustainability-focused workshop on campus initiatives as well as sustainable procurement strategies. New Faculty Orientation occurs each fall. Sustainability has been included in remarks and printed materials.
Does the institution have dashboards and/or signage highlighting the institution’s sustainability features or performance?:
Description of the institution’s sustainability dashboards and/or signage:
Dedicated pollinator-friendly landscaping plots have interpretive signage. Multiple LEED buildings have a a prominent entrance area sign listing the buildings sustainability features. The University Memorial Center has interpretive plaques throughout the building that call out sustainability features in specific areas.
Does the institution manage a sustainability-focused social media account, newsletter, blog, online community, podcast, video series, or equivalent communications medium or platform?:
Description of and/or website URL for at least one sustainability-focused communication medium or platform:
CU Boulder Today (CUBT) is the campus news digest sent by email to all students, faculty and staff, new Buffs, and forever Buffs. CUBT has three content categories: climate and environment, sustainability, and sustainable buffs. https://www.colorado.edu/today/climate-environment, https://www.colorado.edu/today/sustainability In addition, CU Environmental Center has a 25,000 person subscription base to its monthly newsletter. The content consistently focuses on CU sustainability issues and "Sustainable Buffs" resources and engagement opportunities. The majority of the subscribers are current students, faculty and staff, alumni as well as community members.
Has the institution coordinated one or more sustainability-focused outreach campaigns during the previous three years?:
Description of sustainability-focused outreach campaigns from the previous three years:
1) AWorld Challenges: Sustainable Buffs Cut Carbon and Power Down for the Planet: Sustainable Buffs Save Energy. CU Boulder increased awareness around everyday actions that students and staff can take to keep track of their CO2 reductions, water saved and electricity saved. CU held two two-month long AWorld Challenges of logging sustainable actions with AWorld app. AWorld is a platform and mobile app that guides and incentivizes people to live more sustainably and take action for a healthier planet. In addition to individual prizes for top performers, CU set a community goal of preventing 5,000 kgCo2 emissions. Participants voted for their favorite carbon-reducing project on campus. The winning project received $10,000. 2) Additional campaigns include: green labs freezer challenge, recycling roundup in the residence halls, food waste prevention week, blackswitch, zero foodprint, and the clean compost campaign.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
1.2 Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications
Percentage of campus stakeholders reached through sustainability outreach and communications:
Approach used to determine the percentage of campus stakeholders reached:
Description of the methodology used to determine the reach of the institution’s sustainability outreach and communications:
CU Boulder Today (CUBT) is the campus news digest sent by email to all students, faculty and staff. We selected 11 issues of CUBT that featured sustainability content. Of those issues sent, the open rate ranged from 35-53% and averaged 47%.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.