Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.29
Liaison Geory Kurtzhals
Submission Date Oct. 13, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Notre Dame
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Mike Seamon
Vice President
Campus Safety & University Operatis
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Central Sustainability Website 

Does the institution have a central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution's sustainability efforts?:
Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website (optional):
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.

The website URL for the central sustainability website:

Sustainability Newsletter 

Does the institution have a sustainability newsletter?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:
The monthly sustainability newsletter is emailed to 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:
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Social Media Platforms 

Does the institution have social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, interactive blogs) that focus specifically on campus sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of the social media platforms that focus on sustainability:
The Office of Sustainability manages a Facebook page and Twitter feed. https://www.facebook.com/NDsustainability https://twitter.com/sustainablend

The website URL of the primary social media platform focused on sustainability:
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Student Newspaper Coverage 

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

A brief description of the regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
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.

The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper:
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Student Research Publication 

Does the institution produce a vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability?:
Yes

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.

None
The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

Green Building Signage 

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 nine buildings on campus that have received LEED certification: six are LEED Gold and three are LEED Silver. Each of these buildings has a mounted plaque designating the building as a LEED certified building. 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 :

Sustainable Food Systems Information 

Does the institution have signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the 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:

Sustainable Grounds Signage 

Does the institution have signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed?:
Yes

A brief description of the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:
Notre Dame maintains a green campus garden. 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).

The website URL for the signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed:

Sustainable Walking Map or Tour 

Does the institution produce 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.

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The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Guide for Commuters 

Does the institution produce a guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable 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 bike sharing, LEV preferred parking, EV charging, automobile sharing, smart cars, local bus service, video conferencing, and campus shuttle information

The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use more sustainable methods of transportation:

Materials for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution produce navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians (e.g. covering routes, inter-modal connections, policies, services, and safety)? :
Yes

None
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
The Office of Sustainability Website provides information about bike sharing, bike routes, and a bike resource guide.

None
The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
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Green Living Guide 

Does the institution produce a guide for green living and/or 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 and hall staff in its Resources and Get Involved sections. There is recycling information, Green Guides, Community and Faith related resources.

None
The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

Other Outreach Materials 

Does the institution produce other sustainability outreach materials or publications not covered above?:
Yes

A brief description of these materials or publications:
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.

The website URL for these materials or publications:

Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.