| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.50 |
| Liaison | Ken Foster |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Vassar College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Alistair
Hall Sustainability Assistant Dean of Strategic Planning |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at students within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes
Has the institution held at least one sustainability-related outreach campaign directed at employees within the previous three years that has yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Yes
The name of the campaign (1st campaign):
Compost and Waste Audit and Signage
A brief description of the campaign (1st campaign):
The interns of the Sustainability Committee audited our trash, recycling, and compost (compost in Dining Services only) in a dorm, Cushing, and one dining area, the Retreat, to examine contamination and improper waste disposal. After the audit, we redesigned and reinstalled new signage in the dining areas and in the dorms to address the problems we saw.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (1st campaign):
We measure our compost from Dining Services daily. Additionally, our waste disposal company, Royal Carting, noticed high levels of contamination in the compost and has since not complained of contamination. From September 2013 to November 2013, the average daily collected weight of compost increased from 904 to 999 pounds per day. In 2013 we collected an average of 128 pounds more per day than in 2012. We believe that this is due to the signage effort.
The website URL where information about the campaign is available (1st campaign):
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The name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Wellness Walking Challenge
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
In Fall of 2013, our Employee Wellness Initiative ran a walking contest between college employees, challenging them as teams to walk the most steps. The competition was a month long and 254 employees participated in as 35 competing teams. Everyone received a pedometer to track their steps and the winning team got reusable water bottles. As a residential campus there was a large increase during the month of people electing to walk or bike to work and/or walking to lunch as a way to get their 10k daily steps in.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Over the course of the month long competition the average number steps taken per team each week increased from 40k to 57k to 62k to 65k. Roughly 25% of all employees participated and together they walked more than 8.1 million steps. HR and Vassar Sustainability plan to make this an annual competition.
The website URL where information about the campaign is available (2nd campaign):
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A brief description of other outreach campaigns, including measured positive impacts:
Campus Energy Challenge, electricity conservation competition among dorms and academic buildings held in April, 2011 and April 2012. In 2012 Cushing House won for decreasing their energy usage by 12%. In 2011, overall campus decrease of 7% in electricity consumed and the winning dorm, Strong House, reduced consumption by 11%.
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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