University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

The Office for Sustainability at UTRGV has multiple social media platforms including Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, through which they create awareness, share information and resources about sustainability.

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/UTRGVSustainability/

Youtube- https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCkk57Fshay722U8uTEvuH2Q

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ofs_utrgv/?hl=en

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/utrgvofs

UTRGV Innovate Newsletter- The Office for Sustainability at UTRGV works under the Office for Research, Graduate Studies and New Program Development which releases a monthly newsletter. Innovate is informed by a sustainability perspective as their motto of Building a Sustainable Future for our Region and Beyond indicates. The newsletter dedicates a section to the OFS.

https://www.utrgv.edu/innovation/_files/documents/newsletters/jan-2020-v3i1.pdf

UTRGV commits to educating the campus and broader community about pollinator-friendly landscaping principles by labeling the plants in campus pollinator gardens and posting signage to explain how beneficial insects provide a natural process for pest management and pollination. Signs have been posted across both the Edinburg and Brownsville campus to explain the role of pollinators in food production and to indicate that UTRGV is part of Bee Campus USA.

Similarly to Bee Campus USA signage, UTRGV has posted Tree Campus USA signs on both campuses.

AASHE designations signage is proudly displayed at both the Office for Sustainability and the Office for the EVP of Research, Graduate Studies and New Program Development.

UTRGV Buildings which are LEED certified proudly display their plaques in the building's lobbies.

UTRGV proudly showcases the Only Rain Down the Drain campaign throughout the multicampus institution.

UTRGV ALLY SAFE ZONE signage/plaques promotes inclusivity and peer mentorship for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty - https://www.utrgv.edu/studentlife/departments-and-programs/center-for-diversity-and-inclusion/utrgv-allies/index.htm

Diversity & Inclusion: LEAP
A workshop series designed to educate students on diversity and inclusion. Learn about diversity. Empower yourself and others. Advance initiatives. Promote Inclusion.https://www.utrgv.edu/studentlife/departments-and-programs/center-for-diversity-and-inclusion/leap/index.htm

The UTRGV DREAM Zone was created to provide members of our campus community with information on how we can work together to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive community for our undocumented and DACA students. https://www.utrgv.edu/studentlife/departments-and-programs/center-for-diversity-and-inclusion/dream-zone-advocates/index.htm

UTRGV offers maps for all of its campuses: Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, McAllen, SPI and Starr. These maps illustrate safe, designated walking trails and highlight sustainable aspects of campus such as transportation services and green areas. New university interactive maps are currently being developed to include sustainable features in renewable energy, water, transportation, gardens and waste across campuses.

https://www.utrgv.edu/maps/ *******Pending Update Completion

Additionally, group tours of the first certified organic facility on Texas university grounds and the campus agroecology garden are available, often led by agroecology students.

http://www.utrgv.edu/agroecology/community-engagement/tours/index.htm

During freshman orientation, students are provided with a Sustainability guide which gives them tips for a more sustainable life on campus. This guide along with others can be found on the OFS website. The guides available for students are:

Sustainable dorms/apartments guide-provides tips in the areas of Education, Reusing, Reducing, Recycling, Shopping, Utilities, Transportation, Health, Safety and Connection.

Sustainable Dining at UTRGV guide-provides information about the dining and food resources at UTRGV such as the campus cafeteria, community garden and farmers' markets. In addition, from sharing its selection of food contractors to how food is donated instead of wasted, the guide also outlines the standards and actions the institution has taken to ensure better, more sustainable dining practices.

https://www.utrgv.edu/sustainability/resources-and-guides/guides-for-students/index.htm

The OFS also offers a new Sustainability Adelante Outreach and Awareness Series which includes:
1. Podcast series - The Sustainability Adelante UTRGV Office for Sustainability Podcast Series showcases the testimonials and accomplishments of our expert sustainability partners throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The Podcasts will cover a wide range of Sustainable Development topics that support the social, environmental, and economic areas that are needed to sustain life and promote equity in our world. The series will cover spotlight topics each month that is historically significant to sustainability in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and the World beyond.
https://www.utrgv.edu/sustainability/programs/sustainability-podcast-series/index.htm

2. Film series - The Sustainability Adelante UTRGV Office for Sustainability Film Series provides its viewers an opportunity to view our world, as it is today, through the lens of sustainable development of our environmental, social, and economic spheres. The Film Series will showcase films that bring its viewers closer to understanding their relationship with the world around them, and their contribution to sustaining life for the generations to come. The film series will be conducted from the Fall and Spring semesters and will feature experiences to their respective months/days of historical recognition.
https://www.utrgv.edu/sustainability/programs/sustainability-film-series/index.htm

3. Video series - The Sustainability Adelante UTRGV Office for Sustainability Video Series covers monthly videos that highlight the projects, activities, and planning of Sustainable Development at UTRGV and our surrounding communities through an innovative and easily accessible platform. The TikTok Series is designed to give the modern-day subscriber a relatability to the natural, social, and economic world, and their influence on it through 1-minute Videos. The hope is that we create small behavior changes today, so we can make a world of a difference tomorrow.
https://www.instagram.com/ofs_utrgv/reels/?hl=en

4. Speaker Series: The Sustainability Adelante UTRGV Office for Sustainability Speaker Series offers expert insight into the world of sustainable development from leaders in the subject matter of diverse and distinct disciplines. The speaker series is intended to invite its viewers to integrate sustainability into their professional and personal development and become sustainable champions of their universities and communities. The Sustainability Adelante Speaker Series will offer innovative and change-inducing platforms that will collaborate and support the intention of sustaining human life as ascribed by the United Nations 17 Goals for Sustainable Development.
https://www.utrgv.edu/sustainability/programs/sustainability-speaker-series/index.htm