| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.64 |
| Liaison | Eva Rocke |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2021 |
University of Montana
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Madeleine
Jones ASUM Sustainability Coordinator ASUM |
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?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
The University of Montana partners with a local organization, Missoula In Motion, to educate university employees about sustainable transportation methods. During February 2019 and 2021, departments, offices, and student groups across campus are encouraged to join the Commuter Challenge. During the two week challenge, teams compete with each other to earn points for sustainable commutes. Each team member must use a sustainable method of transportation to commute to work at least once. Prior to the challenge beginning, team captains are invited to a lunch in which they're trained on various sustainable commute options and given resources to share with their team. Throughout the two week challenge, daily emails are sent with resources and motivation. February is one of the hardest months to commute using sustainable practices because of the winter weather. However, because of the inversion and poor air quality, reducing winter emissions is especially important.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
In the 2020 Commuter Challenge, 125 people from across 12 departments on campus participated. Throughout the two week challenge, 11,451 miles were traveled using sustainable transportation resulting in 6747lbs of carbon diverted. From the post-event survey, most participants indicated having a positive experience and that this challenge has change how they regularly commute to campus.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
University of Montana is a participant in Recyclemania or Race to Zero Waste. During the time of the campaign, several strategies were implemented to reduce overall campus waste and divert more from landfill. These included, All in the Hall, a pilot in offices in Eck Hall, where deskside trashcans were removed and 3-stream recycling and landfill stations were placed in central locations for occupants to use. Direct outreach and broader marketing about this initiative and waste sorting were done in the building, including mass emails, 1:1 conversations with occupants, flyer distribution, and social media content. Additionally, a pilot program of pre-consumer composting in a dining facility food court was implemented. Volunteers staffed a table during the lunch rush and assisted with waste sorting and waste education. Signage was placed around the UC and food court patrons were asked to take a survey about their composting knowledge and the pilot.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The composting effort in the University Center has had a significant reduction in the amount of waste being generated to landfill. The first two months of the pilot (March/April 2021) the compost diversion was 842.2lbs. We have also seen a decrease in the contamination in recycling and compost containers. While the All in the Hall efforts are too early to have meaningful data, anecdotally we have seen a reduction in the waste being generated.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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.