Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.21
Liaison Olivia Wiebe
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Idaho
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 4.00 Jeannie L. Matheison
Director
Sustainability Center
"---" 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?:
No

Name of the campaign:
Water conservation contest

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged:

This peer to peer outreach campaign utilized social marketing to foster sustainable behaviors and expose living groups to new sustainable, social norms. In 2018, Sustainability Center student staff hosted a Water Conservation Campaign, in partnership with University Housing, and Facilities Management. All three wings of the Wallace dorm, approximately 400 students, participated in a week-long campaign with daily social media-based challenges. To promote the campaign student staff from the Sustainability Center distributed electronic and print media, tabled in the undergraduate dining hall, signed up dorm Facebook groups, incentivized participation with succulents, and awarded prizes for the winning team.

One of many, promotional social media campaign materials, is uploaded in the additional documentation section below.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:

Building metering measured very little change in water consumption; however, student-staff and the Sustainability Center donated 49 low flow shower heads to the dorms. The initial cost was $2,000. In one year, the low flow shower heads conserved 1.8 million gallons of water and saved $3,700 in electricity.

Information about this campaign is not posted on our website. One of many, social media campaign materials, is uploaded in the additional documentation section below.


The website URL where information about the campaign is available:
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Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Food and Farm Composting

A brief description of the campaign, including how students and/or employees were engaged (2nd campaign):

A waste characterization study conducted by the UI Sustainability Center in 2009 found that 68% of what we throw away on the UI-Moscow campus can be recycled (40%) or composted (28%). These findings drove the development of the Food and Farm Composting program in 2010.

The Sustainability Center recruits student volunteers to teach and assist dining patrons in sorting their lunch leftovers into recycling, compost, and landfill containers. Students play an important role in minimizing post-consumer contamination, avoiding landfill expenses, reducing the institution's carbon footprint, and creating a culture of sustainability. In 2018, 65 students volunteered. In exchange for one hour of service, Vandals Dining provides volunteers with a free meal.


A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):

At its peak 52 tons of pre- and post-consumer food waste was composted annually. In 2018, 6 tons of food waste was blended with livestock manure. The resulting compost is land-applied, as a soil amendment, on the fields surrounding the university dairy where a herd of milk cows graze. Composting diverts waste from a regional landfill 200 miles away and saves the university $36,000 annually.”


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

1st campaign: Ethan Morris, Program Manager, Sustainability Center

2nd campaign: Kayla Bordelon, Sustainability and Student Engagement Coordinator, Sustainability Center


1st campaign: Ethan Morris, Program Manager, Sustainability Center

2nd campaign: Kayla Bordelon, Sustainability and Student Engagement Coordinator, Sustainability Center

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.