SustainAbility Inc.

Dava Antoniotti, Julie Beck, Kristen Demaline, Agnes Peterseil & A.J.

Stone

Greening The New School

The Sustainability Advisory Committee ("SAC") asked Media Advocacy & Social Marketing students to develop a social marketing plan that will facilitate:

• A reduction of both refuse and recyclable waste produced at the university as well as overall reduction in consumption. 

• Increased student awareness of the environmental and energy-related consequences of their actions, and a deeper understanding for the entire university community on the trade-offs made in deciding to buy, use or discard products.

• Greater involvement in and dedication to sustainability initiatives on the part of the student community.

Methodology/What We Did:

• Our team began by:

o Researching best practices for waste reduction and influencing sustainable behaviors

o Surveying approximately 150 New School students

o Interviewing David Eisenhauer

o Evaluating data from NYU to calculate proxy measures for the New School

o Contacting student organizations to ascertain scale of potential campus buy-in

Findings Driving Our Design

• New School students are aware and concerned about social responsibility

• Landscape Assessment survey shows the desire to unify personal action & beliefs is a key motivator

• 58% of students dispose of one or more plastic bottles at the New School per week (approx. 12,000 plastic bottles per week)

• Students are concerned with finances and reducing costs

• "Green" behaviors must be made simple & convenient

• Culture and norms encourage action 

• Written/public commitment increases action

Campaign Objectives

• 1. Encourage Shift to Reusable Beverage Bottles on Campus

• 2. Encourage Shift to Reusable Shopping Bags

• 3. Facilitate Student Engagement to Create a Stronger Knowledge Base and a “Green” Campus Culture

Measurement Indicators: What Will Success Look Like?

 We propose goals including:

• 30% reduction in refuse and recycling collected on campus by May 2012

• 2% annual growth in number of students signing sustainability pledge; goal of 10% increase overall by 2017

1: No Disposable Water Bottles!Shift to Reusable Bottles on Campus

  • Why should NSU’s campus focus on reduce/eliminate use of plastic

water bottles on campus?

o Carrying a re-usable bottle is a simple "green behavior" change - making small changes will allow students to identify with the movement.

• Why will students buy-in?

o Purchasing your recommended daily water intake can cost an average of $1400 per year.  Drinking the same amount fromthe tap costs approximately $0.49 per year!

o Making bottles to meet America’s demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually; enough to fuel 1 million US cars for 1 year.  

2: Reusable Bag Campaign

  • Why should NSU’s campus focus on reduce/eliminate use of

plastic water bottles on campus?

o Carrying a re-usable shopping bag is a simple "green” behavior change - making small changes will help students to identify with the movement

• Why will students buy-in?

o According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually

o Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year

o Each high-quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime

3: Student Engagement & Creating “Green” Campus Culture

•Why should NSU focus on fostering a “green” campus culture?

o“Conformity that occurs due to individuals observing the behavior of others in order to determine how they should behave can have long-lasting effects”

“This norm is most likely to develop through direct contact with people rather than through campaigns that rely upon prompts or information alone”

“To be effective, the norm must also be visible” (McKenzie-Mohr 77)

•Why will New School students buy-in?

oThe New School is lacking a cohesive community feel, and students are eager for community.

oNSU seems to attract students who care about taking action and improving the world around them - they will identify with a more public community of people who care about sustainable behavior

Campaign Strategy: Educate & Solicit Commitment

• SAC gives a 15 minute presentation on Greening The New School at all new-student orientation sessions 

 o Emphasize the importance of everyone's commitment

o Encourage participation and innovation

o Direct students to a SAC table nearby to sign a Sustainability Pledge

o Those who sign receive a re-usable bottle and shopping bag and information on using them

Campaign Strategy:Educate & Solicit Commitment

• SAC representatives visit core/foundation classes in all divisions to give a 5-minute pitch for the initiative, capturing students missed at orientation.

o Ask for a show of hands "who has already signed the Sustainability Pledge to commit to Greening The New School?"

o Who wants to sign right now?

o Solicit signatures and e-mail addresses and hand out           re-usable bottles and bags to those who sign

o Remind students to watch for upcoming events,           guest speakers and films

Campaign Strategy:Educate & Create "Green" Culture

• Host student engagement and education events throughout the semester

o Films, guest speakers, discussion panels, hands-on how-to lessons for green techniques

o Tone is critical.  Ground level education open to all, regardless of prior green knowledge or NS division

o Choose topics that rotate through discipline areas: Eco-art that makes a statement or uses recycled 

               materials Waste and recycling policy in NYC - is there 

a social responsibility to provide organicspick-up?

Apartment composting 101 

Campaign Strategy:Educate & Create "Green" Culture

• Make events fun and inviting with food, drinks and raffles

• Partner with student groups for better outreach

• Every event is a new opportunity to sign the pledge and receive the bottle and bag.

• "How can I get one of those?"  "Come to the event tonight and sign the pledge!"

Promotional Elements

• Poster campaign in campus buildings to attract attention, raise questions and drive traffic to new Green Initiatives website

o "Americans use close to 1 billion plastic shopping bags each year.  How many of those are yours?”

•Integrated Web 2.0: website, Facebook, Twitter and links to NSU student/group blogs

• Use e-mail addresses collected in Sustainability Pledge signing to promote events.  Tell students to bring a friend!

•Personal Connections: Students organizing, peer education, and group activities

 Timetable of Implementation

• Fall 2010: School-wide logo competitiono Preparation for launch

• Spring 2011: "Soft-launch"o Spring orientation: debut Sustainability

Pledgeo Student engagement nights o Multi-media advertisingo Gather feedback 

• Fall 2011: Formal launch of campaign for incoming students

How Much Will This Cost?

•Estimate for Bottles:$2.50/ea: BPA-free plastic$4.50/ea: stainless steel

1,100 students: $2,750-$4,950

•Estimate for Reusable Bags:$3.20/ea: cotton tote bag$4.00/ea: canvas grocery bag

1,100 students: $3,520- $4,400

• $500 logo prize

•Food, beverage & raffle ($100 per event)

Looking Ahead

 

By creating a “green” culture at the New School we will reduce

waste and build a unified sustainable community.

Thank you.

• http://www.dumpandrun.org/garbage.htm

• http://green.harvard.edu/pledge/about.php

• http://www.epromos.com

Bibliography