| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.13 |
| Liaison | John Alejandro |
| Submission Date | March 24, 2021 |
University of San Diego
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Alison
Sanchirico Sustainability Coordinator Sustainability |
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 Office of Sustainability has been partnering with Residential Life and our local utility, San Diego Gas & Electric, to sponsor a project that measures the energy usage of all apartments in Palomar Hall, a residential building in the Alcala Vistas Apartments, which houses second-year students. Each apartment in Palomar Hall is individually metered and a student assistant from the Office of Sustainability reads each meter each week that school is in session and records the information. This information is then passed along to the Hall residents, identifying each apartment by a code known only to its residents. Thus, while not being able to identify which room is which, other than their own, students can be informed as to how their energy usage compares to their peers. The weekly readings are displayed along with previous reading and are color-coded to demonstrate whether their usage increased or decreased from the previous week. Students in this residence hall also receive information on how to conserve energy in their dorm room (and beyond). Tips include limiting phantom power, using power strips, utilizing natural light, turning off fans and lights when leaving the room, hang drying clothing, etc.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Energy usage and tips are emailed to the student residents and posted in a common area on a weekly basis, showing their week-to-week energy usage. This project has helped to educate students regarding energy efficiency and encourages them to conserve and reduce their energy usage. This campaign has also increased student interest of energy usage in the participating hall, as per their feedback.
The Palomar Energy Project data has shown trends toward student residents decreasing their energy usage. A measurable outcome of reduced energy consumption of 9.44% decrease was seen in these apartments in the 2018-2019 academic year. This initiative has been well received by the participating students- along with encouragement to replicate the program to other areas of campus.
https://www.sandiego.edu/sustainability/initiatives/energy/projects-and-programs.php
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Vampire Energy Slayers Program is designed to introduce and educate USD employees in regard to vampire energy in an engaging manner. Student Assistants from the Office of Sustainability act as “vampire energy slayers”, assessing work stations of employees at various buildings on campus. During this assessment they will "ticket" the employee if they notice vampire energy (ex. a lamp left on when the employee is not there or a cell phone that is plugged in but fully charged) and record their findings on a laptop with blueprints of the corresponding building. The ticket notates the violation so that the employee knows what the offense is and also provides tips on reducing vampire energy and what to watch out for. If employees are present during their visit they interact with the employee and discuss the importance of vampire energy with them. Ideally, this tactic will lead both employees and the student assistants to be mindful about avoiding vampire energy at USD and at home, and inspire them to reduce their energy consumption. No announcements were made about this program beforehand, so that employee behavior would not be swayed.
https://www.sandiego.edu/sustainability/initiatives/energy/policies-and-practices.php
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
In the fall 2018 semester, the Vampire Energy Slayers Program targeted 7 campus buildings, reaching ~250 office spaces. In the following semester, students visited the same offices they targeted the previous semester in order to gauge behavior modification. Overall, vampire energy identification decreased throughout the academic year. The ratio of vampire energy offenses to number of offices measured decreased by 0.25 from the fall to spring semester. Over 75% of offices were rated either “Excellent” (0 offenses) or “Good” (1- 2 offenses). The ratio of vampire energy offenses to number of offices measured decreased for 5 buildings and increased for 2 buildings. Additionally, scripted discussions with employees in the second round of visits indicated an increased knowledge about vampire energy from employees. As a whole, this program seems an effective way to reduce energy consumption at USD. As such, this program has continued in different buildings.
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.