Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 42.13
Liaison Eva Rocke
Submission Date June 30, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Montana
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Madeleine Jones
ASUM Sustainability Coordinator
ASUM
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):

UM Sustainability is a hub for all sustainability initiatives at the University of Montana. The website is organized into categories of campus activities, including Operations, Academics & Research, Background/About, and Events/News. It houses the 2010 Climate Action Plan, all GHG inventory updates, our STARS report, and lists of programs, offices, and departments that are engaged in sustainability efforts.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

The Environmental Studies Program currently oversees and shares an open newsletter available to anyone on campus or in the community. It includes jobs, educational opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and a classifieds section. Any campus or community member is invited to submit content for the newsletter, which is published in an online version as well as sent via email. The EVST program also oversees the Conservation Calendar, a calendar that includes sustainability events at UM and in the greater western Montana region.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:

The Office of Sustainability supports a Facebook page entitled “University of Montana Sustainability.” The page is updated and managed by the Office of Sustainability and student interns. The group regularly collaborates to encourage sustainability oriented events on campus. The main focus of this page is to “enhance students' understanding of the connection of ecological, social, and economic issues.”


The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat?:
Yes

A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:

The Montana Kaimin selects one reporter per semester to cover the sustainability thread, though the newspaper does not necessarily cover a sustainability topic each week.


The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
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Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

There are several modes through which student research on sustainability is shared. Though not a published document, the UMCUR (Conference on Undergraduate Research) provides a venue each spring for all undergraduate students to present their work, whether the research is sustainability-related or not. http://www.umt.edu/ugresearch/umcur/ The Office of Sustainability is working with the CUR committee to compile a list of student sustainability research to include on the campus-wide sustainability website.

Aside from UMCUR, several academic programs publish student research using digital platforms. The Climate Change Studies program hosts and updates a blog that includes all CCS student research, internships, and capstone projects. https://umclimatestudy.wordpress.com/

The College of Forestry and Conservation also maintains a blog that highlights student research: http://forestryandconservation.tumblr.com/
The Ecosystem Science & Restoration program also shares the research and capstone projects completed by their students. http://www.cfc.umt.edu/undergrad/restoration/student-presentations.php


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

The Payne Family Native American Center was constructed from 2009-2010 and is the first LEED certified building on the University of Montana campus as well as the first off-reservation building in the state of Montana designed to symbolically represent Native American culture and Montana’s twelve tribes. In order to raise awareness of LEED credits and certification, the building provides informational brochures that explain nearly all of the steps taken to reach Platinum status, as well as a blueprint of the building that shows where these steps were taken. The point system is also broken down to explain where we received points for different categories, such as water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, and innovation & design. This brochure is a great way to succinctly explain the hard work and dedication needed to receive a LEED Platinum rating. In addition to the brochure, signage in the building points out sustainability features.

In addition to the NAC, the Campus Recreation facility contains a number of signs calling attention to resource conservation projects that have been implemented over the last few years including: daylighting in the basketball courts, solar panels on the roof, and 3 water bottle refilling stations.


The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:

Farm to College signage throughout Dining Services- Dining Service’s Farm to College Program has installed educational signs and visuals that provide students and the campus community the opportunity to see and understand where and who their food comes from. Some examples of visual aids include creating special menus, providing name cards for locally grown products, and custom-designed seed starting racks that are placed in a display window just outside of the busiest dining hall, the Food Zoo, where students can see the beginning stages of growth of organic and heirloom produce. UMD has also posted interpretive signs on the fence that surrounds the garden on central campus so that passersby can learn more about UMD's sustainability efforts and what is being grown in the garden throughout the season.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
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Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
No

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
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The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
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Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Go Griz Go Green Sustainability Walking Map- The Associated Students of the University of Montana Sustainability Center publishes a sustainability walking map that shows where on campus sustainability initiatives are occurring as well as exactly what is being done to move our campus towards a sustainable future.

The interactive campus map located on the University of Montana homepage also has a sustainability layer that viewers can select from a menu of map layers. The layer includes recycling hubs, bike parking, solar arrays, LEED certified buildings, and other sustainability projects/features around campus.


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:

Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) Transportation Bike and Bus Maps- The ASUM Transportation Board developed a Bike and Bus map that outlines the bike paths found throughout Missoula. It also provides the schedules and routes of UM transit and Mountain Line, the city bus service. The maps also include Park n Ride locations and basic bike safety tips.


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:

In addition to their in-person trainings and workshops to encourage biking and walking to campus, the ASUM Transportation Ambassadors have developed a number of handouts and social media posts to help educate and update commuters. One of the services ASUM Transportation offers is a "bike safety" workshop, as well as 1-on-1 route planning. The ambassadors make all of their services and outreach materials widely available during tabling events, workshops, and at the ASUM Office of Transportation in the student union (University Center).


The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

Green Your Dorm Room- The Office of Sustainability offers a guide for students living in the residence halls that provides tips on basic sustainability and sustainable behaviors. Some suggestions from the guide include: shopping at local thrift stores instead of buying new, turning off all your electronics at night, bringing a bike instead of a car, purchasing a mini-clothesline for drying, washing your clothes with cold water, and how to recycle in the residence halls. To supplement, UM sustainability coordinators offer a sustainability-themed training to Resident Assistants (RAs) each fall and coordinate sustainability events in collaboration with Residence Life.


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
Yes

A brief description of these materials or publications:

Farm to College Informational Brochure- An informational brochure produced by UM’s Farm to College program that outlines UMD's sustainable purchasing efforts. This include a definition of local food, opportunities for students to get involved, an array of benefits the program provides, a map illustrating the distance traveled from supplier to UM, and contact information for suppliers all around the state.

Camas magazine aims to cultivate novel ideas and perspectives while remaining rooted in the inherited traditions of art and literature of the American West. Founded by Environmental Studies graduate students at the University of Montana in 1992, Camas is a biannual environmental literary magazine that continues to be produced by students in the Environmental Studies program. The goals of the publication are to encourage a dialogue on environmental and cultural issues in the West; celebrate the people who work, study, write, and live here; and provide an opportunity for students and emerging writers to publish their work alongside established environmental authors.


The website URL for these materials or publications:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Several of the links we've provided are not for PDFs of the outreach materials we offer at UM, but rather are the websites of the organizations that generate these materials, many of which contain similar information on sustainable commuting, food systems sustainability efforts, etc. that we include in our printed documents.


Several of the links we've provided are not for PDFs of the outreach materials we offer at UM, but rather are the websites of the organizations that generate these materials, many of which contain similar information on sustainable commuting, food systems sustainability efforts, etc. that we include in our printed documents.

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.