Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.23
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date June 14, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

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

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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 (optional):

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:
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

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:
Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on 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 focused on sustainability:
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 the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
---

The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
---

Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
No

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:
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes

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 :
---

Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
No

A brief description of the 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:
---

Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
No

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
---

The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
---

Does the institution produce a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

The Bleed Orange, Live Green Campus tour is a self-guided tour, available online at greentour.utexas.edu. Landmarks, buildings, and landscaping are some of the stops on the tour, addressing dimensions of sustainability, integrated with the history of UT.


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

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable 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 more sustainable methods of transportation:
Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

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:
Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes

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:
Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
No

A brief description of these materials or publications:
---

The website URL for these materials or publications:
---

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.