Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.74
Liaison Jennifer Bodine
Submission Date July 22, 2024

STARS v2.2

Weber State University
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Analeah Vaughn
Green Department Program Manager
Energy & Sustainability Office
"---" 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

Name of the campaign:
Clear the Air Challenge

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 September moving forward.


Information to promote the challenge and recruit participants takes place via email, WSU's Announcements page, digital TV displays, social media, student newspaper, tabling, and fliers. More specifically, the Green Department Program Manager targets faculty & staff through the Green Department Program checklist, an information session, and sends emails to Green Teams, University Vice Presidents, and Deans. 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 log trips and and view stats. Per the TravelWise tracker, WSU students, faculty, and staff logged 1,450 trips, logged/traveled over 25,000 alternative miles, saved $11k in avoided fuel costs, burned 32k calories through active transportation, and saved 7.5 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere over the course of the 2023 Clear the Air Challenge.


Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
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A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
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A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
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A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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