Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.80
Liaison Daniel Dixon
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Maine
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.80 / 4.00 Karina Graeter
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
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Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Air & Climate?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Air & Climate:
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Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Buildings?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Buildings:
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Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Energy:
For an honors thesis, a student completed a campus energy map to explore the financial repercussions of electrical outages on campus. (https://honors.umaine.edu/thesis/campus-electrical-map-financial-repercussions-failures/)

Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Food & Dining:
UMaine students conduct research as part of the Farm to Institution Food Project, a collaboration between UMaine dining, the UMaine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, and the Honors College to develop networks whereby farms will be able to sell their produce to the school, while reducing environmental costs through local supply chains. (https://umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/maine-farm-institution-food-project/)

Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Grounds:
Campus tree identification project. Project conducted by students and faculty to identify trees on the UMaine campus. ID placards on the trees provide information about the local environment to students and visitors as well as staff in Facilities who are maintaining the campus grounds and may not be familiar with certain species of trees. This project was recently used to develop a campus “World of Trees” walking tour. (https://umaine.edu/sights/tree-tour/)

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Purchasing?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Purchasing:
UMaine students conduct research as part of the Farm to Institution Food Project, a collaboration between UMaine dining, the UMaine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, and the Honors College to develop networks whereby farms will be able to sell their produce to the school, while reducing environmental costs through local supply chains. (https://umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/maine-farm-institution-food-project/)

Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Transportation?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Transportation:
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Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Waste:
An undergraduate student completed a senior thesis assessing the perception and behavior of students towards composting to inform campus waste management strategies. (https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/284/).

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Water?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Water:
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Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Coordination & Planning:
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Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
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Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Investment & Finance:
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Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Public Engagement?:
No

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Public Engagement:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
An undergraduate student completed a senior thesis researching the relationships between television viewing habits, interpersonal communication, personal experience, and college student’s attitudes towards mental health. The findings show the importance of strong interpersonal support systems on campus, such as peer-to-peer mental health organizations.

Other Impact Areas 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to other areas (e.g. arts & culture or technology)?:
Yes

A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to other areas:
Communication class project developed a UMaine bucket list for students in collaboration with UMaine’s Division of Marketing and Communications. The bucket list was shared on flyers throughout the campus and a page on the UMaine website. (https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2017/08/23/communication-class-project-develops-umaine-bucket-list-students/) (Other - Marketing and Communication)

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.