Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.93
Liaison Ezra Small
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Massachusetts Amherst
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Nathanael Schildbach
Marketing Manager
University Relations
"---" 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:
New2U Sustainable Move In & Out

A brief description of the campaign:

The New2U Move-out Collection and Move-In Tag Sale is a waste reduction program that is created, organized and run by students and supported by Residential Life, Physical Plant, and many other partners across the campus.

The New2U team of student volunteers and campus staff collects unwanted items like clothing, futons, lamps, and TVs from across campus each spring during move-out, and resells these collected items each fall during a move-in tag sale. Each year, New2U is able to sell thousands of new or gently used items back to students, faculty, and staff at affordable prices!


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

New2U has diverted an average of nearly 12,000 pounds of items from being sent to a landfill each year. Funds raised from the sale of recycle items were used to fund our Sustainability, Innovation & Engagement Fund (SIEF), which provides grants for campus sustainability projects. Both student volunteers and paid students as well as paid and volunteer faculty and staff have assisted with the New2U program. For more information visit https://www.umass.edu/sustainability/waste-recycling/green-events/new2u-sustainable-move-out.


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
UMass Green Office Program

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

The Green Office Program (https://www.umass.edu/sustainability/campus-living-student-activities/green-office-program) encourages and facilitates energy and waste reduction practices in offices across campus.

The offices that choose to participate in the program work to complete requirements based on a five-level scale: bronze, silver, gold, green and evergreen. Each level is based off of seven topics: energy, waste and recycling, kitchens, bathrooms, travel, purchasing and involvement, which outline more sustainable office behaviors and operations. Completion of the program occurs once an office fulfills the criteria for the “evergreen” level. Offices will need to renew their certifications to maintain their "evergreen" standing every semester.

Our Sustainability Fellows work individually with an Eco-Leader (a role assigned to a staff member in the office) to devise a plan customized to meet the office’s needs. The system allows for a friendly competition between offices to see who can reach the evergreen certification. Recognition is rewarded for every level completed with a congratulatory certificate.


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

The amount of virgin paper used is being reduced in participating offices, energy consumption is being reduced, and greener cleaning products and more reusable products in kitchens are providing a more sustainable and healthy work space.


A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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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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