Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.88
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date April 30, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Texas at Austin
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Jim Walker
Director of Sustainability, Financial, and Administrative Services
University Operations
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
Yes or No
A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts Yes
A sustainability newsletter Yes
Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability Yes
A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability No
Building signage that highlights green building features Yes
Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems No
Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed No
A sustainability walking map or tour Yes
A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation Yes
Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians Yes
A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience Yes
Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat No
Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above No

A brief description of the central sustainability website:

The Sustainability Portal is the University of Texas at Austin’s central sustainability website. It provides information about sustainability initiatives, campus partners, the President’s Sustainability Steering Committee, green buildings, sustainability in academics, and campus sustainability events.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

The Office of Sustainability newsletter is shared every other month (6x a year) and highlights various eco-initiatives on campus. Each newsletter is organized around a theme (e.g. December 2013 featured Energy) and contains a guest column and an #AskJim column in which (Jim Walker, the Director of Sustainability answers a student’s sustainability-related question). Additionally, the newsletter recaps past events and promotes future events.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:

The Office of Sustainability has their own Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest accounts and the Campus Environmental Center has their own Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and WordPress accounts.


The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

The University of Texas at Austin has a variety of outlets in which students can publish and disseminate their sustainability research. The Office of Undergraduate Research hosts an annual Research Week including the Longhorn Research Bazaar which highlights undergraduate research and creative activity. Further, there are a variety of Undergraduate research journals at the University of Texas at Austin. Each journal is run by an all-student staff and publishes a variety of student work.


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

The AT&T Education and Conference Center, accredited as LEED-NB Gold, has internal signage pointing out building features. The new Norman Hackerman Building and Student Activity Center, which will be accredited LEED Silver (NB) at minimum, will also have internal signage. Both will be open in 2010. The School of Architecture has installed a Thermal Lab (http://soa.utexas.edu/csd/research/experimental-research) which has extensive educational material/signage available.


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

The Division of Housing and Food Service has developed and employed a verity of materials regarding sustainable food systems. These materials include, but are not limited to- infographics pertaining to “Local, Pasture-Raised, Organic, Shell Eggs”, “Local Grass Feed Beef”, “Local Citrus”, “Farm to Table”, “Supporting Local Farming”, “Food Waste”, “Vegetarian and Vegan Diets”, and others. These materials are implemented through various types of printed and digital displays.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
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A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
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The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
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A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

The Sustainability Guide, produced by the Campus Environmental Center, features a campus map with green features on campus. These features are labeled and also provide information about the feature. In addition, all LEED certified buildings on campus are labeled.


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:

The University has an alternative transportation program, Green on the Go, which seeks to reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles by staff, faculty, students, and visitors. The website provides information on using the following: campus shuttles, Capital Metro Mass Transit, E-bus a late night service, long distance buses, late night rides home from the library, Zipcar, carpools, vanpools, biking, walking, and event transportation.


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:

Parking and Transportation Services’ biking website provides information including: maps of bike routes throughout town, maps of bike pumps, maps of bike rack, information about online traffic skills classes, and bike rules and regulations. In addition, Parking and Transportation Services operates the Kickstand, which is a one-stop shop for campus biking needs including, bike registration, buying bike gear, lock rentals, an air pump station, and free maps and brochures. Parking and Transportation Services also operates Orange Bike Project which is UT’s community bike shop where students can volunteer, learn, and work on their own bikes. They also have a bike rental service for daily and semester bike rentals that operates out of the Orange Bike Project.


The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

The Sustainability Guide features a variety of tools for incorporating sustainability into the student experience. The guide addresses the following categories: food, transportation, energy and water, recycling and waste, campus hot spots, Austin activities, get involved on campus, and resources. Each category has the following sections: Sustainability and You which highlights simple steps students can take, Sustainability On Campus, and Sustainability Off Campus.


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
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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A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):
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The website URL for this material (1st material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
No

A brief description of this material (2nd material):
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The website URL for this material (2nd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
No

A brief description of this material (3rd material):
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The website URL for this material (3rd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
No

A brief description of this material (4th material):
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The website URL for this material (4th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
No

A brief description of this material (5th material):
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The website URL for this material (5th 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 (6th material):
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The website URL for this material (6th 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 (7th material):
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The website URL for this material (7th 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 (8th material):
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The website URL for this material (8th 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.