Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.36
Liaison Matthew Williams
Submission Date Dec. 4, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Florida
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Allison Vitt
Outreach & Communications Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution held at least one 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 at least one 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 

Name of the campaign:
Cupanion Reuse Campaign

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged:
The Office of Sustainability has been working to promote and highlight the benefits of using reusable bottles on campus over single-use, disposable plastic bottles. In 2017-2018, the Office of Sustainability piloted a social media campaign - primarily through Instagram - aimed at engaging students and introducing them to the Cupanion "Fill It Forward" program and mobile app. Cupanion sticker "tags" were distributed to interested students, who were then able to scan their bottle each time they refilled it, earning points toward monthly prize drawings while also promoting positive reuse habits.

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
As a result of the campaign, the Cupanion program gained overall increased engagement. Over the course of this campaign, there was an 81% increase in installation rate for the Cupanion App and a 76% increase in the rate of students scanning their bottles to indicate reuse. During the same time period, the Sustainable UF Instagram account saw a significant increase in followers, with a 29% increase in reach and 62% increase in engagement.

The website URL where information about the campaign is available:

If reporting a second campaign provide:

2nd Campaign

Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Campus Collection Day

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged (2nd campaign):
Campus Collection Day is an opportunity primarily targeted toward Faculty and Staff where individuals and UF departments can properly dispose of a wide range of items and waste, especially materials that require special handling (hazardous chemicals, e-waste, etc.) Organizations from the campus and community come together in a single location to properly sort and process waste and usable donations brought in by faculty and staff (generated both on and off campus) ranging from household cleaners and automotive fluids to unwanted books, clothing and furniture. Participating organizations included county hazardous waste disposal, campus asset management, and local non-profits that are able to repurpose usable household items, clothing, school supplies, books, etc. within the community.

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Significant amounts of waste are diverted form the landfill during each event. In December 2017, 70 individuals or department representatives dropped off items including electronic waste, furniture, household goods, clothing, shoes, non-perishable food items, household hazardous waste, campus assets, expired medications, paints, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, cooking oil, and more. In April 2018, participation rose to 107 individuals or department representatives that were recorded as participants in the event. The county's hazardous waste department provided a report from the April 2018 event that inventoried a total of 2,296 lbs of hazardous materials that were collected for proper management and disposal, including 900 lbs of latex paint, 580 lbs of e-waste, 260 lbs of flammable liquids, and 180 lbs of used oil in addition to various quantities of other miscellaneous materials. (Support documentation attached - please note that the number of participants - 62 - listed in the document is specific to the individuals who had household hazardous waste.)

The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):

Optional Fields 

A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.