| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.52 |
| Liaison | Geory Kurtzhals |
| Submission Date | Oct. 15, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Notre Dame
ER-4: Sustainability Outreach and Publications
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Geory
Kurtzhals Sr. Director Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts:
The Office of Sustainability has a central website devoted to information, events, and initiatives related to sustainability at the University of Notre Dame. The website includes significant information about progress made in sustainable operations, education and research on campus. Several webpages include information to help students, faculty, and staff become more involved in sustainability on campus. News articles on the front page of the site are updated frequently and often the news stories are published in the Observer and ND Works, both newspapers for the Notre Dame community.
None
The website URL for the central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts:
None
Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The quarterly sustainability newsletter is emailed to a listserve of friends of the Office of Sustainability including faculty, staff and students. The newsletter includes updates on sustainability competitions on campus, upcoming speakers, student sustainability events, staff sustainability events and student/faculty spotlight.
None
The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
---
None
Does the institution have a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
Students pursuing the Sustainability Minor must complete a capstone project on a sustainability-related topic of their choosing. Each student's capstone project is published on the Sustainability Minor's website. Currently, the website features capstone projects completed by the Sustainability Minor classes of 2014 and 2013.
None
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
None
Does the institution have building signage that highlights green building features?:
Yes
None
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :
Currently, there are seven buildings on campus that have received LEED certification: five are LEED Gold and two are LEED Silver. Each of these buildings has a mounted plaque designating the building as a LEED certified building. In addition, Stinson-Remick (the newly constructed, LEED Gold, engineering research building) includes an LCD screen that displays the building's energy information. The information includes the energy generated from the rooftop solar array on the building. Finally, Notre Dame's interactive campus map allows prospective visitors to identify LEED certified buildings through its "Green Tour" overlay.
None
The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
---
None
Does the institution have food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes
None
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
Notre Dame Food Services employs signage throughout the dining halls identifying foods that are locally sourced, contain fair trade or organic ingredients, or were farmed using sustainable methods. Food Services' "Locally Grown" symbol indicates that food was sourced from Indiana, neighboring states, or Wisconsin, and is applicable to more than 44% of the dining halls' offerings. The "Marine Stewardship Council" symbol is used for sustainably farmed seafood products such as tilapia, catfish, wild Alaskan salmon, dungeness crab, and Alaskan halibut. Finally, Food Services uses a symbol system on all of its food to identify certain allergens such as gluten or peanuts, and vegan or vegetarian options.
None
The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
None
Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable grounds-keeping strategies employed?:
Yes
None
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable grounds-keeping strategies employed:
Notre Dame maintains a green campus garden at White Field. Signage at the garden identifies organic growing methods and communal gardening guidelines. Notre Dame's campus also features a sculpture garden, where each sculpture has a QR code that will lead visitors to a website explaining the sustainability of the garden and the area of campus it resides in (a state protected marsh land).
None
The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable grounds-keeping strategies employed:
None
Does the institution have a sustainability walking map or tour?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:
Notre Dame's interactive campus map feature a "Green Tour" overlay, which highlights LEED certified buildings and alternative energy installations. In addition, the Office of Sustainability's website features a Tree Tour, which provides locations of more than 30 tree species located on campus.
None
The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
None
Does the institution have a guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
The Office of Sustainability website features a transportation section that identifies a number of alternative transportation options found on campus. The site provides locations of electric vehicle charging stations, instructions for using Zipcar services on campus, sign up instructions for Low Emitting Vehicle preferred parking spaces, Michiana bus locations and schedules, Michiana bicycle path maps, and Notre Dame faculty/staff shuttle information.
None
The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
None
Does the institution have a guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
The Office of Sustainability website provides guidance to students, hall staff, faculty, and alumni through its "What Can You Do" section. Students can explore an interactive "Green Your Dorm Room" tool, which identifies several easy steps to reduce energy consumption and waste production. The "Green Guide for First Year Students" is an exhaustive checklist of sustainable guidelines for freshmen first moving to campus. Upperclassmen or grad students living office campus, as well as faculty and staff, are encourage to consult the "Off-Campus Green Living Guide" for tips and resources to make their living space more sustainable.
None
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
None
Does the institution have regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper (either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat)?:
Yes
None
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
Interns from the Office of Sustainability have regularly published articles in Notre Dame's student newspaper, the Observer. Past topics have included Earth Day observances, sustainable household behaviors, global climate change, and local food sourcing. In addition, interns have published columns under the theme, "Ask the Greenman," through which they answered student questions about sustainability themes.
None
The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (1st material):
Yes
None
A brief description of this material:
The Green Guide to Sustainable Office Practices is a downloadable, comprehensive guide to sustainable office practices at Notre Dame. It covers energy usage, waste reduction, purchasing strategies, event planning, and Notre Dame's Green Loan Fund for environmental improvements. It is available on Office of Sustainability's website for students, faculty, and staff.
None
The website URL for this material:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
Yes
None
A brief description of this material:
The Office of Sustainability created the Green Guide to Event Planning, which is distributed at the beginning of each year's staff fair. The Green Guide to Event Planning can also be found on the Office of Sustainability's website. The brochure includes tips for reducing advertising and print material, choosing sustainable food, as well as waste reduction and recycling information.
None
The website URL for this material:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
Yes
None
A brief description of this material:
The Green Guide for Freshman Move-In is available on the Office of Sustainability's website. It provides helpful tips and tricks to first year students to help them reduce their move-in impact. It also provides resources for students to get involved in sustainability efforts on campus.
None
The website URL for this material:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
Yes
None
A brief description of this material:
The Green Travel Guide is available to the general public on the Office of Sustainability's website. It provides tips for reducing CO2 emissions from travel. The guide discusses modes of travel, packing, hotel choice, and waste reduction.
None
The website URL for this material:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
Yes
None
A brief description of this material:
The Green Guide for New Employees is a comprehensive list of sustainable behaviors that all Notre Dame staff and faculty are encourage to follow. It covers lighting, thermostats, computer settings, appliances, tele-conferencing, transportation, paper use, recycling, intra-campus communication, water use, and responsible purchasing.
None
The website URL for this material:
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material:
---
None
The website URL for this material:
---
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material:
---
None
The website URL for this material:
---
None
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
No
None
A brief description of this material:
---
None
The website URL for this material:
---
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.