Using the Web to Promote Campus Sustainability

Submitted by Sam Hummel on August 1, 2007 - 6:52pm
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Here at AASHE we are working behind the scenes on a plan to overhaul our website in order to provide a more dynamic and community-oriented experience. More on that in a future post. At this time, I'd like to explore novel and creative ways that campuses or other organizations are using the web to promote campus sustainability. Here are a few things I've seen, but I'm hoping you, dear readers, will clue me in to many more!

 

Websites - many campuses now have a website dedicated to their sustainability efforts. AASHE maintains a compehensive list of campus sustainability websites.
Online Pledges - using the web to collect "signatures" from campus community members. Examples: Havard Sustainability Pledge, University of British Columbia Sustainability Pledge
  wooden computers by Iameco
 

Wooden computers!? A novel concept by Iameco.

Facebook Groups - student environmental groups have been moving some of their recruiting and communication into Facebook. How is that working out for folks? Examples: Duke Environmental Alliance, CSU Advocates for Environmental Change! And some are using it to build alumni networks... Academy of Environmental Science Alumni
Feedback Loops - displaying energy consumption and other data from buildings for occupants to review. Examples: Oberlin's Resource Monitoring System, University of South Carolina West Quad
Flickr & YouTube - promoting the creation of campus sustainability content on Flickr and YouTube. Then, collecting and distributing it. Example: Campus Climate Challenge
Google Earth & Google Maps - creating custom Google Maps or Google Earth Layers which display environmental attributes to site visitors. Examples: University of Tennessee Green Projects Map, National Memorial for the Mountains
Webinars - teaching and sharing sustainability best practices through real-time multimedia presentations given over the web. Examples: ACPA's Engaging Students in Creating a Sustainable Future, The Financial Benefits of Creating a Sustainable Campus
Streaming Speakers - great sustainability-related talks are given every day on campuses around the world, but only the people nearby can attend them. Some folks are taping the speaking engagements they host and sharing them online for all to see. Examples: Yale's Symposium on Sustainability in Higher Education (hosted by Google Video), Keynotes from the AASHE 2006 Conference at ASU (hosted by ASU): Hunter Lovins, Beverly Wright, Ray Anderson
Online Courses - taking webinar and streaming speakers to a whole new level by adding readings, assignments, tests and course credits. Example: Harvard Green Campus Initiative's distance learning course entitled Sustainability: The Challenge of Changing Our Institutions
Podcasts - recording an interview or producing a radio-type audio piece for download over the internet. Examples: Dickinson College President Bill Durden discusses Dickinson's sustainability, Butte College student Ryan Laine introduces campus sustainability initiatives at Butte College & Chico State
Wikis - Posting or hosting user-editable webpages about campus sustainability efforts. Examples: Sustainable MIT's Wiki, Sustainability page in Oregon State's Wiki
Blogs - websites made up of regular posts by thinkers active in campus sustainability. Examples: UWinnipeg's Sustainability Champions Blog, Rethink College Park
Syndication (RSS) - I don't have any examples other than this blog, which you can subscribe to now by clicking the orange RSS button at the bottom of this page! What is syndication and how does it benefit me?

Comments

As a newcomer to these online

Submitted by Jesse on August 3, 2007 - 8:31pm.
As a newcomer to these online tools (I wrote out all of my college papers by hand before I typed them into a library computer), I've found the blog format pretty user friendly. Our Communications Office actually suggested that I start an office blog to promote things that we're doing in sustainability and service-learning while our official sustainability website is under construction. I'm not entirely sure that it's widely read, but the blog format does a few important things for me regardless: 1.) It allows me to focus on specifics; for example, I can highlight individual efforts to reduce environmental impact, and change that profile as frequently as I wish, 2.) The format lends itself to a casual tone; readers know that the blog authors are writing from their own point of view, and may relate better to the author than s/he would to more "formal" promotional material, 3.) It's a great source of connection to students; we mostly highlight the great stuff that our students are doing, and I love sending links to these students and encouraging that kind of pride in what they do.

The feedback loop sites look

Submitted by Tim on August 4, 2007 - 12:12am.
The feedback loop sites look really cool. How much does it cost to get something like that for your campus?

Good question, Tim. I think

Submitted by Sam Hummel on August 4, 2007 - 12:38am.
Good question, Tim. I think the answer is "it depends." First, it depends on how utilities are metered on your campus. In older building stock, there are often very few meters. And many of those have to be read by hand. In order to use a real-time monitoring system, your utilities need to be metered at interesting places (per building, per floor) and they have to be metered electronically. If your campus or building already has all that in place, then displaying the data on a website is simply a matter of software. There are at least two vendors out there with turn-key software systems for just this purpose. The Oberlin website linked above uses software by Lucid Design Group (www.luciddesigngroup.com). The University of South Carolina site uses a package by GreenTouchscreen (www.greentouchscreen.com).

One alternate use of Wikis is

Submitted by Allison Jack on August 15, 2007 - 3:26pm.
One alternate use of Wikis is to capture the outcomes of participatory conferences. The Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture Education national conference held at Cornell had a unique format where participants self-assembled into study teams and then uploaded their learning outcomes to share with conference participants and the public. The wiki for this conference has become a jumping off point for people at different universities to collaborate on specific issues and network with others interested in those issues. The conference itself used an online resource directory to help participants self-assemble around their areas of interest. http://sustaged.mannlib.cornell.edu/index.jsp?home=1&primary=1 It turned out to be an incredible group learning experience and the web tools developed with help from Mann Library were essential to our success.