Wake Forest University
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

The Wake Forest sustainability website is maintained by the Office of Sustainability's Communications and Events Coordinator. The website serves as a central hub for both internal and external sustainability-related resources. It also links to the website for Wake Forest's Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, which supports sustainability-related research and academic inclusion.

The Office of Sustainability's Communications and Events Coordinator produces and distributes both a weekly update and a monthly newsletter that is distributed to over 1,800 members of the campus community through Constant Contact. These publications include information on both recent and upcoming sustainability events on and around campus, relevant internships and opportunities, national and international sustainability news, sustainable living tips, and other related information. The Center for Energy, Environment & Sustainability also sends out a regular newsletter to roughly 700 subscribers that focuses on academics and research.

The Office of Sustainability uses Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Flickr as platforms to engage students, faculty, staff, and others in campus sustainability news and events. https://www.facebook.com/SustainableWFU https://twitter.com/SustainableWFU https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4617373 https://www.instagram.com/sustainablewfu https://www.flickr.com/photos/sustainablewfu

Coverage of sustainability-related news and events in The Old Gold & Black, Wake Forest's student newspaper, is featured frequently throughout the year. Newspaper staff members routinely interview students, faculty, and staff involved in sustainability on campus and write about sustainability issues that are specific to campus and national or international in scope. In addition, journalism professors often give students writing assignments with sustainability as the focus; many of these stories are published in The Old Gold & Black as well.

The Wake Forest Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES), promotes critical thinking and effective action across the fields of renewable energy, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, environmental policy, human behavior, social influence, enterprise, and environmental markets. CEES publishes research in the fields of renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, and the human dimensions of sustainability. The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URECA) Center aims to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to engage in mentored or independent scholarship. The center facilitates collaboration between undergraduates and faculty, provides venues for publicizing research results, and maintains a record of undergraduate scholarly activity. Undergraduate research is promoted through the annual Undergraduate Research Day (http://ureca.wfu.edu/research-day).

Wake Forest's eight LEED-certified buildings all contain signage highlighting green features. The Dianne Dailey Golf Education Center features signage detailing the building's LEED Gold certification. Farrell Hall, home of the School of Business, has an interactive building dashboard display that describes its green building features as well as real-time energy and water use. It also has its LEED Gold certificate on display. Similarly, the three LEED-certified residence halls (South, Magnolia, and Dogwood) and one LEED-certified dining facility (North Dining Hall), have interactive digital dashboards and LEED certificates. Finally, the Byrum Welcome Center, typically the first building that prospective students enter, features LEED signage and an interactive dashboard as well.

The Fresh Food Company, Wake Forest's main dining hall, places an emphasis on educating customers about sustainability in dining. The dining hall houses a permanent banner that explains Deacon Dining's commitment to sustainability, with information on local, organic, and fair-trade products, as well as Monterey Bay certified seafood and plant-forward dining. Plant-forward dining took center stage during the 2016-17 school year with the introduction and promotion of the new all-vegan station in the cafeteria. The vegan station has been promoted through displays at each table and through social media, and plant-forward dining is promoted as a way "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and negative effects of production on water supplies." Other signage during the 2016-17 school year included promotion of the "Eat a Bowl, Give a Bowl" partnership with General Mills and Campus Kitchen to combat food insecurity, labeling of other locally-produced products such as honey, and promotion of the use of cage-free shell and liquid eggs. The Fresh Food Company also has a produce cart with samples and a chalkboard prominently displayed that highlights the local items of the day. The other cafeteria on campus, North Dining Hall, has signage next to the dish return explaining how all food waste is composted and that customers should not return any non-compostable "outside" items. This facility also displayed a digital version of the vegan station promotion. Finally, flyers were posted to promote the transformation of the sundry in the Benson University Center into one that focuses on "natural fuel" and "performance dining," with many new products that are organic, vegan, and non-GMO. These flyers were located in the Benson Center, the Fresh Food Company, and North Dining Hall.

The Winston Hall rain garden, comprised of native plants, includes signage labeling it as a Monarch Waystation, as recognized by Monarch Watch. Signs are posted along the Reynolda Village Trail to inform visitors about the invasive plant eradication that is in progress. Signage in the Campus Garden explains the process of composting.

The interactive campus map offers a layer titled "Sustainability" that includes the following types of locations: LEED-certified buildings, natural areas, the Campus Garden, alternative transportation (Zipcar stations, electric vehicle charging stations, campus shuttle stops, the Re-Cycle bike share program, and a bicycle repair station), e-waste collection bins, and sustainability offices, among others. There has also been a large map prominently displayed in the Benson University Center that highlights 12 sustainability-related locations on campus and indicates the specific areas of sustainability that apply to each.

The Office of Sustainability's website includes information about alternative methods of transportation, including walking, bicycling, ride sharing through Share the Ride NC (formerly Zimride), car sharing through Zipcar, campus and area shuttles, and electric vehicle charging stations. Similar information can also be found on the Office of Transportation and Parking's website (http://parking.wfu.edu/alternative-modes-of-transportation). More detailed information about campus shuttles, including real-time tracking, can be found on Wake Forest's new Transloc mobile application.

Wake Forest and Winston-Salem's Bicycle, Pedestrian & Transit Study, as well as the university's Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure Study, can be found on the Office of Sustainability's website. The reports include maps of existing and proposed bicycle and pedestrian routes and pathways. While this information may be useful to cyclists and pedestrians, it is not designed as an educational tool.

The Office of Sustainability has previously distributed the Wake Forest University Green Guide, but it was not used during the most recent school years. The Green Guide is a guide for sustainable living on campus and provides information on reducing waste and resource consumption, alternative forms of transportation, sustainability-focused events on campus, sustainability in the classroom, green buildings, suggested reading, green dining and shopping, volunteering, and more. In consultation with Resident Advisors (RAs) the Office of Sustainability created ready-made bulletin board kits on various pertinent sustainability topics instead.

Sustainability-related news is occasionally featured on the public radio station housed at the university, WFDD. SciWorks Radio, a joint creation of 88.5 WFDD and SciWorks, is a fun and informative look at the role science plays in our lives. This weekly module explores everything from regional geology to regenerative medicine, and more.

Additional link regarding sustainable grounds signage: http://cloud.lib.wfu.edu/fys100fff/exhibits/show/photo-essays-2014-spring/harmony-nature-culture/monarch-waystation