Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.36
Liaison Marianella Franklin
Submission Date Jan. 10, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Marianella Franklin
Director of Sustainability
The Office For Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

1st campaign 

Name of the campaign:
Campus Sustainability and Earth Day Outreach and Awareness Campaigns

A brief description of the campaign:
Each April and October, the Office for Sustainability at UTRGV hosts a number of events to increase community engagement around sustainability. To observe Campus Sustainability Day & Earth Day the OFS prepares marketing campaigns and tabling events (social media, digital screens, posters, etc).

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
The programs and events reach out to both students and faculty. An estimated 19,000 students are reached on a virtual and face to face basis annually, as well as 11,000 in community engagement.

Sustainability Pledge
Energy
Water/Rain down the Rain
Planting Trees
Pollinator Awareness
Waste
Health and Wellness (food, physical, mental)
Healthy Relationships

if reporting an additional campaign, provide:

2nd campaign

Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Sustainability Adelante Series/Outreach Campaign

A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
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

A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
In 2020, UTRGV donated nearly $30,127 to the region's state employees continuing the tradition of giving. A university-wide President’s Message explains the campaign that provides employees throughout Texas an opportunity to make a difference in the quality of life for others through their selected charities.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
New Sustainability Adelante Series / Outreach Campaign has had an approximate participation of a little over 15,738 participants (followers, viewers, listeners, etc.) to date.

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.utrgv.edu/sustainability/programs/index.htm

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