Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.91
Liaison Elizabeth MacKenzie
Submission Date June 25, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Iowa
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Gaby Maymi Nieblas
Intern
Office of Sustainability and the Environment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

Name of the campaign:
Residence Halls Sustainability Marketing Campaign

A brief description of the campaign:

This campaign includes the Green Room Certification program, which is a tool that recognizes students living on campus who have incorporated sustainable practices into their everyday lives. It aims to incentivize students to adopt more sustainable habits while living on campus, while also identifying areas that they could improve on. The campaign also offers Compost Bins in Residence Halls which are offered by The Office of Sustainability and University Housing & Dining, allowing practicing composting within the dorms. The students are facilitated with both the bins and compostable bags for free, being able to ask for them at the front desk of the Residence Halls that have a drop-off location, which includes Hillcrest Hall, Catlett Hall, and Burge Hall.


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

Since 2018 when this program started, we have had 450 students sign up for the compost bins and 275 Green Room registrations. This is measured through a survey that the students have to fill out before they can be handed the compost bin, and with the survey submitted to be registered as a Green Room.


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Sustainability Scientists and Scholars Listserv

A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):

A listserv that started as part of our Sustainability Scientists and Scholars Network to aid community building among faculty and staff at the University of Iowa. Through this, the Office of Sustainability reaches out to employees interested in sustainability and helps them find colleagues they can work on their new ideas or projects this database includes scholars from a spectrum of disciplines as diverse as the natural and social sciences, medicine, engineering, mathematics, humanities and the arts.


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

101 people are part of this Listserv as of 2023.


A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:

The Office of Sustainability participates every year in the On Iowa activities that the University has during orientation week with the Living Green on Campus and Beyond - Office of Sustainability Open House event. It is directed more towards students, but both faculty and staff interact as well. It is an opportunity for the campus community to learn about the Office of Sustainability and what goes around campus regarding sustainability and the environment. They can stop by for a free plant to grow in their new living space, meet student organization leaders, and learn how to make sustainability a part of their academic careers. The 2023 Open House reached around 450 students and helped distribute 40 compost bins around campus.


Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.