| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.29 |
| Liaison | Jonna Korpi |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2024 |
University of Minnesota, Duluth
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Jonna
Korpi Sustainability Director UMD Sustainability |
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?:
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?:
1st campaign
A brief description of the campaign:
The Office of Sustainability opened a "brick and mortar" Free Store in a permanent location with a set schedule during the Spring semester of 2024. The purposes of the Free Store are to offset waste through reuse and be a resource for students to obtain items that they want or need at no cost. The kick-off of the Free Store included social media and email blasts to students, campus postering, and tabling outreach in the student commons area. Faculty and staff were engaged during Spring Break, three weeks after the soft opening, to help restock the store before students returned through a donation drive.
Donations are collected throughout the year from students, staff, faculty, and the community. The Office of Sustainability partners with Housing and Residence Life during moveout times to promote the option of donating unwanted items to the Free Store by students who are moving out. Special attention is given to collecting donations at this time of the semester as it is when the most waste is created. The Office of Sustainability catalogs and weighs all donations and regularly inventories the Free Store to have data on which items are most taken by students.
The Office of Sustainability also works to make accessing the space and donations as easy for students as possible; only students working for the Office of Sustainability and trained volunteers are allowed to work the Free Store and the only data tracked is headcount and unique visitors which is obtained by students sharing a 7 digit number unique to them that is not tracked for any other purpose. It was of utmost importance to keep access barriers low, paperwork and tracking being one that students have stated keeps them from using other resources on campus.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
While the Free Store has existed on campus previously as a small pop-up once a year at irregular times in irregular places, this permanent location is a project 6 years in the making.
In this inaugural semester, there were 20 open days of operation (2 days a week for 4 hours at a time). There were over 724 shoppers, wtih 535 unique visitors and 189 repeat customers. Total weight of items put to reuse was 521 lbs.
if reporting an additional campaign, provide:
2nd campaign
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
To reduce the quantity and improve the quality of stormwater flowing off campus, UMD has developed a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). The SWPPP is approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, acting on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the federal Clean Water Act. The campaign provides educational resources for stormwater to the campus and Duluth community as a method of outreach, as well as hosts events to encourage public involvement and participation.
https://fm.d.umn.edu/stormwater-pollution-prevention-program-swppp
https://fm.d.umn.edu/stormwater/public-education-outreach
https://fm.d.umn.edu/stormwater/public-involvement-participation
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Through hosting the annual Stormwater Gameshow for staff at UMD, the campaign has regularly and effectively obtained public participation from the campus. The game show has collected data to allow for future improvements to stormwater resources on campus. The SWPPP Annual Report showcases additional outreach information and data.
https://www.poopfairy.university/game
Optional Fields
Reusable Container Programs: UMD’s Dining Services offers a discount when using reusable mugs or cups at any of their locations on campus. To receive the discount use a reusable mug or cup at Northern Shores Coffee Shop, The Grind, or the Food Court when ordering beverages. You can also use reusable mugs and cups in Superior Dining so you can take your beverages to go. Additionally, Dining Services offers a reusable container program. Both programs are integrated into the department’s social media campaigns.
https://dining-services.d.umn.edu/sustainability/reusable-container-program
https://dining-services.d.umn.edu/sustainability/reusable-mugcup-program
Campus Move-Out Campaign: An annual Campus Move-Out campaign urges students to donate, reuse, and swap furniture to save useful items from ending up in landfills. Many items that are donated through the apartments/residence halls collections end up in the Free Store, hosted by the Office of Sustainability.
https://sustainability.d.umn.edu/news-events/move-out
https://sustainability.d.umn.edu/news-events/free-store
Energy Conservation Campaign: UMD Sustainability Office engages the campus to save energy during Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break, by sending reminders to close windows, power down, unplug, close fume hoods, and switch off lights and equipment.
https://sustainability.d.umn.edu/campus-initiatives/reduce-emissions/energy
Employee Wellness Collaborative: Promoting a healthy active lifestyle for all employees including sustainability practices such as taking the bus or walking to campus.
https://employee-health-wellbeing-center.d.umn.edu/
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.