| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.09 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Andrews |
| Submission Date | Aug. 16, 2021 |
University of New Hampshire
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Jennifer
Andrews Project Director Sustainability Institute |
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:
In April 2020 and 2021, faculty and staff from the Sustainability worked with partners across campus to participate in the national 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, designed by Food Solutions New England. https://foodsolutionsne.org/21-day-racial-equity-habit-building-challenge/
The Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, exploring equity through the lens of sustainable regional food systems. It allows space for individuals to first explore their own bias and gain a deeper understanding of how that influences thoughts, behaviors and practices. The 21 Day Challenge was included in multiple courses, featured in a partnership with UNH Dining, and involved numerous Community-Wide Dialogues.
https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/21-day
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
More than a third of UNH's students, and a significant number of staff and faculty, took part in at least one of the UNH 21 Day Challenge events in April 2021. As a result of their participation, our UNH community built additional "skill and will" to tackle racial equity and social justice, especially in the context of increasing the sustainability of our regional food systems.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
In 2021, the UNH Sustainability Institute worked with with a variety of campus offices and student groups to coordinate and promote events for Earth Week, informing and celebrating UNH's sustainable learning community. The events ranged from sustainability-themed community service opportunities; to several lectures and webinars on topics from climate change to social innovation to social justice; to the first annual Sustainability Focused Undergraduate Research Conference. Email communications from the UNH President's Office, and Provost's office, highlighted the prominence of this range of work to every UNH student and employee, and encouraged active participation by all.
https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/campus-initiatives/earth-day
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The integration of community service events into the Earth Week campaign strengthened the tie between sustainability and community outreach. Many departments and offices were involved in the effort. From a campus clean up to volunteering at community centers, this event engaged hundreds of individuals form across campus in connecting the dots between community service and sustainability, and in achieving positive environmental and social outcomes (e.g. hundreds of tons of waste materials gathered and invasives removed in the community clean-up activities. In addition, hundreds of students and staff learned about sustainability issues and solutions through participation in the lectures, webinars and URC presentations.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Take Less, Waste Less
In 2015, UNH Dining, Student Senate, and the Sustainability Institute began partnering on a communications campaign called "Take Less, Waste Less" that is still running and yielding positive results in 2021. This campaign encourages diners to take only what food they need. Since all UNH Dining halls allow diners to take as much food as they would like, there are opportunities for greater food waste. Students and other diners were engaged with posters, flyers, and social media posts encouraging them to take less food. UNH Dining conducts plate scrape studies each semester. The studies take place in the dining hall and are visible to diners, showing them what happens to their waste.
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.