| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.39 |
| Liaison | Shane Stennes |
| Submission Date | Dec. 15, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
August
Horner Sustainability Student Asst Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
| Yes or No | |
| A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts | Yes |
| A sustainability newsletter | Yes |
| Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability | Yes |
| A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability | Yes |
| Building signage that highlights green building features | Yes |
| Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed | Yes |
| A sustainability walking map or tour | Yes |
| A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation | Yes |
| Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians | Yes |
| A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience | Yes |
| Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat | No |
| Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above | Yes |
A brief description of the central sustainability website:
It All Adds Up is the U's sustainability campaign. Designed to enlist the university community's help in making campus more sustainable, It All Adds Up encourages individual and collective actions to reduce our environmental impact, conserve resources, and demonstrate sustainable practices.
The website itself is supposed to bring all aspects sustainable together in order to give an inclusive access for sustainability topics to the public.
The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
Each year we collect email addresses of incoming students, and communicate with them through out the year through a biweekly newsletter about sustainability news and events to get involved with on campus.
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:
It All Adds Up has Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts that get faculty, students, and other departments involved with sustainability. The main pages are updated daily with sustainable tips to living and achievements that the University has attained surrounding sustainability. All activities on social media are tagged with #MySustainableU to establish a calling card that social media viewers can recognize.
The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
The Sustainability Education department has a news feed on their website directly for undergraduate achievements and reports on them whenever student sustainability research has been completed.
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
Signage includes key sustainability features:
Energy Star certified efficient equipment
Heat recovery mechanical systems
High efficiency plumbing and lighting fixtures
Vegetated roof
Water reclamation system
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Brochure includes sustainable food procurement, waste stream management, responsible procurement, and water & energy conservation.
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
Living Labs have signs for each specific grounds project that give the public basic information on the what type of research is being conducted and where it is.
The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
The walking map tour allows viewers to explore sustainability sites through out the institution by zooming in and out on certain areas. Each site on the map has a description in the map tour itself so people can learn about the places they find.
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
The University of Minnesota is the third largest generator of traffic in the State of Minnesota after the downtown areas of St. Paul and Minneapolis. To facilitate all of these trips to and around campus, the University has become a leader in sustainable transportation services, offering a variety of programs that reduce emissions, noise pollution, and traffic congestion. Such programs include car-sharing, reduced fare passes for public transit, incentives for bike commuters, a social media site for carpooling, and free campus shuttles.
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
The University of Minnesota Bike Commuter Program uses a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technology called ZAP to enable automated recognition of bike commuting. The system was developed by Dero Bike Racks, a local company, and pioneered right here at the University of Minnesota. It is an effortless way of verifying and logging bike trips, then rewarding and incentivizing bicycle commuters. Faculty and staff can earn credit toward reducing health insurance premiums and students can win gift cards and other prizes through the program.
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
University of Minnesota Housing & Residential Life is committed to doing what we can to conserve water and resources, as well as promoting recycling and green living in our residential communities. We have taken many steps in the right direction including:
Recycling programs
Low-flow shower and toilet features
Water and energy-saving laundry facilities
Recycled materials in hall offices
In addition, the HRL Sustainability Committee meets once a month to better understand and respond to sustainability issues and opportunities within Housing.
Peer-to-Peer staff & Volunteers:
HRL has a Sustainability Education Coordinator (SEC) staff position and about 10-15 volunteer Sustainability Advocates. The Sustainability Advocates meet regularly with and gain direction from the SEC; they all provide peer-to-peer sustainability outreach, helping facilitate in-building sustainability community development with councils, aid with public relations and advertising, and help support HRL-wide (and U) sustainability efforts.
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):
Through the Institute on the Environment, this publication is centered around environmental events and news. It is published every month.
The website URL for this material (1st material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
A brief description of this material (2nd material):
The website URL for this material (2nd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
A brief description of this material (3rd material):
The website URL for this material (3rd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
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The website URL for this material (4th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
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The website URL for this material (5th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
A brief description of this material (8th material):
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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.