University of North Carolina, Charlotte
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Litter Cleanup campaigns have three components to meet the needs of student organizations and staff units. The oldest component is a Campus Cleanup event held every semester going back more than a decade. The second component is a formal Adopt-a-Spot Program that covers ca, 20 sites on campus. A group pledges to conduct multiple cleanup events at a designated site on campus; the Office of Sustainability erects a sign with their logo, provides all materials (gloves, bags, tools), arranges a pickup site, and collects participation data. The thrid component are ad-hoc arrangements to respond to a single request to organize a cleanup, which the Office of Sustainability runs similar to the Adopt-a-Spot events.
https://facilities.charlotte.edu/our-services/general-services/recycling/programs/adopt-spot ; https://campusevents.charlotte.edu/event/campus_cleanup_6838?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=University+of+North+Carolina+at+Charlotte

These three components work well together by providing different levels of commitment and engagement. Recruitment of Adopt-a-Spot groups can come from the singular events, and the Adopt-a-Spot groups contribute to the semesterly Campus Cleanup events. The Campus Cleanup events draw up to 200 volunteers and collect 1-2 tons of litter. The Adopt-a-Spot site adoption is >90% with a mix of student organizations, greek life organizations, and campus offices. The total number of cleanup events has tripled in the past 3 years.

Tree Planting events are held every semester, with spring events aimed at celebrating Tree Campus USA recognition and Arbor Day. Students and staff are invited to participate, and learn about campus landscaping and efforts to increase the tree canopy of Charlotte. Recent Tree Planting events have been tied to recognizing carbon emissions from travel abroad programs, organized for traveling students to each plant a tree before leaving campus.
https://inside.charlotte.edu/news-features/2020-03-04/help-beautify-campus-plant-tree

Each Tree Planting event adds between 40-100 trees to campus. We see registrations from campus units using the event as a team-building exercise, from student organizations, and individuals. The sites selected have included ecological restoration areas, projects to increase shading on buildings and walkways, and campus beautification. These events help us secure our Tree Campus Higher Education renewal every year. They have also been important for giving our grounds crew a chance to explain their sustainability role on campus to an audience of students and staff.

The Office of Sustainability collaborates with Parking and Transportation Services to host a Transportation Fair every October as part of Campus Sustainability Week, to provide timely information about affordable, safe, and low-emission transportation options. Our dining contractor, Chartwells, provides outreach campaigns aimed at sustainable dining options, food sourcing, and nutrition. The Office of Sustainability collaborates with Athletics and Chartwells on a Zero Waste Stadium program to equip and educate football game attendees to compost and recycle, and to host volunteer-based sorting events after each game to optimize waste diversion (70% for the 2022 season).