Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.56
Liaison Suchi Daniels
Submission Date Jan. 28, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

University of South Florida (Tampa)
ER-4: Sustainability Outreach and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Christian Wells
Director
Office of Sustainability
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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 that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts:

Office of Sustainability website - The Office of Sustainability coordinates and builds partnerships for university-wide initiatives that advance the University of South Florida's strategic goal of creating a sustainable campus environment.

To accomplish this mission, we actively support faculty, staff, students, alumni, and neighborhood partners in their efforts to transform the University of South Florida into a 'Green University', where decisions —structural and routine—consider both individual and collective impacts to our campus, community, economy, and environment. As citizen-scholar activists, we share a sustainability ethic that promotes conserving resources, reducing waste, recycling and reusing materials, finding new sources of clean energy, increasing energy efficiency, and diminishing life-cycle impacts and our consumption of greenhouse gas producing materials. We engage in this ethic of stewardship to guide the development and implementation of programs, policies, and other courses of action in the operation and management of the University of South Florida system as well as its institutional teaching, research, and service commitments.


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

A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

1)Sustain-a-Bull website - Under the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, this website outlines the actions of the the USF Sustainability Steering Committee, news articles, events, and reports concerning sustainability on campus.

The Sustainability Newsletter can be found in PDF format at this website URL.

2) The Office of Sustainability website features a page where recent news related to sustainability are published. Please see http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/resources/news.html


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
Does the institution have 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:

1) The USF School of Global Sustainability website features information on the school, programs, global partners, current students, and the MA Program Portal that allows students to connect with fellow program participants and access lectures and other useful tools.

2) The Office of Sustainability website features a page highlighting student research on the topic of sustainability and efforts by students to promote sustainability on campus and beyond. Please see: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/Initiatives/students.html


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?:
No

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

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

Dining Services has a "Make Your Mark" flyer outlining the various sustainable efforts of dining services on campus, which include trayless dining, the collection of used cooking oil for conversion to biodiesel fuel, and locally sourced food options.


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

A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable grounds-keeping strategies employed:
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The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable grounds-keeping strategies employed:
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Does the institution have a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Students from the Green LLC are given a green tour of campus during new student orientation. The guide, a faculty member, speaks about the development of sustainability initiatives on campus, shows examples of sustainability related projects, and has them visit the Office of Sustainability, the center for urban transportation, and the botanical gardens. Overall the tour takes about 1.5 hours.


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

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

1) Parking and Transportation Services produces a handout outlining the Car Pool Program policy and goals, which center around the need to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in and around the campus.

2) The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), established in 1988, has become recognized nationally and serves as an important resource for policymakers, transportation professionals, the education system, and the public. With emphasis on developing innovative, implementable solutions to transportation problems, CUTR provides high quality, objective transportation expertise in the form of technical support, policy analysis, and research support that translates directly into benefits for its project sponsors. Please see http://www.cutr.usf.edu/index.shtml

3) The New North Transportation Alliance (NNTA), is a public-private partnership in Northeast Tampa that provides a forum for businesses, local governments, residents, and commuters to address the transportation needs of the area. Our purpose is to improve and expand transportation options for all travelers in the New North area. The website brings together information on a wide variety of transportation programs and news relevant to the area, especially the USF campus. Please see http://www.newnorthalliance.com/


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
Does the institution have a guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
No

A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
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The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
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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)?:
No

A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
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The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (1st material):
Yes

A brief description of this material:

The Facilities, Planning, and Construction website lists and provides links to numerous related sustainability reports and efforts.


The website URL for this material:
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material:

The Physical Plant website outlines the Physical Plant Sustainability and Energy Conservation initiatives, including recycling, energy and water conservation, and stormwater pollution prevention.


The website URL for this material:
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material:

A newsletter is produced by the Clean Energy Research Center, where fundamental investigations into new environmentally clean energy sources and systems (hydrogen, fuel cells, solar energy conversion and biomass utilization) meet the needs of power and energy producers and the transportation sector through multi-disciplinary research, technical and infrastructure development and information transfer.


The website URL for this material:
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material:

The USF Botanical Gardens Website contains urban sustainability information, such as environmentally friendly mulch and best plants for wildlife in Florida pamphlets.


The website URL for this material:
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
No

A brief description of this material:
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
No

A brief description of this material:
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The website URL for this material:
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
No

A brief description of this material:
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The website URL for this material:
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
No

A brief description of this material:
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The website URL for this material:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.