Vanderbilt University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
| -- | Reporter |
Chelsea
Hamilton Sustainability Outreach Program Manager Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability |
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?:
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?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
The Ingram Commons Cup - Just as Hogwarts has its House Cup, The Ingram Commons has the Commons Cup with ten individual Houses competing against each other in academics, intramural sports, House involvement, community involvement and sustainability. The Commons Cup is awarded at the Commons Carnival on the last day of classes. Students in first-year houses compete against each other to conserve as much energy as possible in their own House each year. Each month, the ten residence Houses’ electricity usage data is sent to The School for Science and Math, a joint venture between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), which offers high school students a four-year, interdisciplinary, research-centered learning experience. The School for Science and Math calculates the houses with the most energy conserved as compared to the same house the previous year. Points are awarded on a sliding scale, and the points are added to each House’s running total to determine placement in The Commons Cup.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Past years’ competition resulted in approximately $10,000 in energy savings in five months by reducing energy usage by 3.5% compared to the previous year.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Holiday Energy Bowl – Created in 2013, the Holiday Energy Bowl encourages faculty and staff to lower thermostats, turn off lights, electronic and equipment and close fume hoods in order to save energy during the weeks of Christmas and New Years, when fewer people are on campus. Plant Operations also centrally lowers heat to unoccupied spaces while the students are away, including residence halls and classrooms.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The 2013 Go Green for the Holidays and Energy Bowl contests resulted in $200,000 in energy savings combined.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Go Green for the Holidays Contest – Created in 2013, the Go Green for the Holidays Contest encourages faculty and staff to lower thermostats, turn off lights, electronic and equipment and close fume hoods in order to save energy during the weeks of Christmas and New Years, when fewer people are on campus. The 2013 Go Green for the Holidays and Energy Bowl contests resulted in $200,000 in energy savings combined. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/2014/01/pharmacology-lab-named-vumc-go-green-for-the-holidays-contest-winner/
Athletics Sustainability Competition – “Greenest Group on Campus” – Twice a year, the athletics sustainability competition, presented by Vanderbilt Athletics, Waste Management and SEMO, invites all Vanderbilt groups, teams, departments and campus organizations to compete for the title of “greenest group on campus” by completing an application detailing what sustainable actions their group routinely implements to reduce, reuse or recycle; save energy or water; use mass transit and alternative transportation options; or any other innovative sustainability programs going on within their department or organization. The winning group receives free tickets to either a VU football game or a VU basketball game, depending on the season in which the competition is held, on-field or on-court recognition and a catered tailgate or in-game event for 20-25 people as well as a signed premium item and recycled glass award. https://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/2016/10/rooted-community-health-wins-2016-football-greenest-group-on-campus-award/
The Commons Unplugged environmental awareness week celebrates sustainability, natural resource conservation and energy conservation through various events focusing on Vanderbilt’s first-year student population. Commons Unplugged is co-sponsored by The Ingram Commons, in partnership with the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office and the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt.
As part of the Commons Cup Sustainability category, Houses can earn participation points for the greatest percentage of residents who attend and are engaged with this event. Points will only be awarded for those students who stay for the duration of the presentation. Students will also be participating in a week-long House energy conservation competition to earn points for the Commons Cup sustainability category. Also part of the Commons Unplugged event is the Green Fair where sustainability-related departments and student organizations, as well as local environmental leaders, will be on hand to talk about what we can do as individuals to build a sustainable future together and the Green Forum, which features a Vanderbilt/Nashville sustainability leader.
http://commons.vanderbilt.edu/majorprograms/commonscup.php
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.