| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.40 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Bodine |
| Submission Date | April 25, 2022 |
Weber State University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Analeah
Vaughn Green Department Program Manager Energy & Sustainability Office |
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 Clear the Air Challenge is a month-long competition that gives participants the chance to reduce their vehicle emissions by choosing alternative methods of transportation and other TravelWise strategies. By driving less and driving smarter, participants ultimately help improve air quality, save money in fuel costs, reduce traffic congestion, and conserve energy in Utah.
Weber State University has participated in the statewide challenge every February for several years. In the past, WSU has competed against other universities and organizations within Utah to reduce the most CO2 emissions. In 2022, the Salt Lake Chamber moved the statewide challenge to take place in July. July isn't an ideal time to engage folks on campus, so WSU will host their own internal challenge between university divisions, students, and colleges each February moving forward.
WSU's Environmental Ambassadors, Green Team leaders, and the university Wellness Program are primarily responsible for advertising the challenge and recruiting participants. Advertising takes place via email, through WSU's Bulletins and Announcements page, social media, student newspaper, tabling, and fliers. More specifically, the Green Department Program Manager targets faculty & staff through the Green Department Program checklist, a Lunch and Learn Training on the challenge, and emails to Green Teams, the college deans and the university vice presidents. The student Environmental Ambassadors (EA) club president targets students through the WSU Sustainable Clubs emails, club meetings, tabling, and coordinating events throughout the month of February. For example, the EA president will plan a day for student volunteers to give out cookies at bus stops, thanking those who are taking public transportation and encouraging them to sign up for the challenge. The Wellness program also awards points to faculty and staff who participate and encourages them to do so.
To learn more about the Clear the Air Challenge at WSU, please visit: https://www.weber.edu/sustainability/CTAC.html
To see an article from the student newspaper, please visit:
https://signpost.mywebermedia.com/2022/02/02/the-air-outside-is-frightful/
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
Impacts are measured using the TravelWise tracker, an online tool that helps individuals and teams track trips and miles saved. Per the TravelWise tracker, WSU traveled over 28,500 miles, logged 1,831 trips, saved 11.1 tons of CO2, saved $15,000 in avoided fuel costs, and burned 17,000 calories through active transportation over the course of the 2021 Clear the Air Challenge.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Weber State University’s sustainability offices, in partnership with UCAIR, and others*, hosted the Empower Northern Utah program in fall 2021 to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and reduce utility bill costs within the community for little to no cost. Community members were provided free LED light bulbs and access to discounted smart thermostats.
Program participants were permitted to sign up for thermostats starting on September 28, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. via http://www.weber.edu/empower. A total of 200 thermostats were provided to program participants on a first-come-first served basis for the reduced cost of $50 (plus taxes and credit card fees), while 100 thermostats were distributed, free, to HEAT program participants. Program participants were able to pick up their thermostats at an event held at the Weber County Main Library on October 9, 2021 or by visiting the WSU Ogden campus information booth after October 9.
LED bulbs were free to program participants in exchange for old CFL and incandescent bulbs. Exchange events were held at the Weber County Main Library on September 25th, October 2nd, and October 9th.
This program was advertised on and off campus via email, social media, local newspapers, and fliers. WSU faculty, staff, and students received information about the program through the WSU Announcements that are emailed out daily. For more information about Empower Northern Utah, please visit: https://weber.edu/empower
*Other partners: Lawrence T. & Janet T. Dee Foundation, Alan and Jeanne Hall Endowment for Community Outreach, Ogden City, H.E.A.T, Weber County Library, Utah Clean Energy and Rocky Mountain Power
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
The Empower Northern Utah program provided the community with 300 Nest E thermostats and 1,104 LED lightbulbs.
Collectively, the community will have an annual savings of $29,727, 175,500 kwh of electricity, 16,800 therms of natural gas, and will reduce 25,047 pounds or 11.36 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. *Calculated for the 300 households that received thermostats funded by UCAIR. Calculations were done by using the average Utah natural gas and electricity rates provided by the Energy Information Administration and emission factors associated with residential natural gas consumption were provided by the Utah Department of Air Quality.
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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.