When you're known for being green, the number of inquiries from those looking to replicate your efforts can quickly jump to a level that's overwhelming.
Take the University of British Columbia, for instance. The institution has reached near-celebrity status in sustainability circles, thanks to a number of firsts, including:
Becoming Canada's first university to adopt a sustainable development policy (in 1997) and the first to open a campus sustainability office (a year later).
Being the first and only Canadian university to receive Green Campus Recognition from the U.S.-based National Wildlife Federation.
Receiving one of the first Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.aashe.org/programs/awards.php) by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
'People need to understand what we're doing, why it's cutting edge, and then we'll invite them to consider donating.'--David Ervin, coordinator of academic sustainability programs and a professor of environmental studies at PSU
Not surprisingly, interest in UBC's sustainability efforts has grown in recent years. "We've jumped from answering about 250 questions annually from the public on and off campus, to answering 1,825 this academic school year," says Ruth Abramson, manager of marketing and communications in the UBC Sustainability Office. "It's really been quite a challenge. We're constantly being asked for things," she explains, adding that responding to inquiries is part of her role.
Before Abramson was hired about five years ago, there was no formal communications person in the Sustainability Office. "They were doing a lot of great work, but not a lot of people knew what was going on," she says. Promotional efforts got underway, and as media attention grew, interest snowballed.
How does Abramson's department handle the questions that go hand in hand with sustainability stardom? Besides being available to respond, the Sustainability Office has created a detailed website (www.sustain.ubc.ca/index.html)--featuring full descriptions of various campus efforts, copies of reports, a video on leadership in sustainability (also available on DVD), a search box for sustainability efforts on campus, and more--so that interested parties can find information on their own.
It's not always easy being in the spotlight, but leaders at colleges and universities with strong sustainability initiatives understand that being recognized can only be beneficial to the institution. Here's how they get the word out about their efforts to three key audiences: prospective students, prospective donors, and other IHEs.
Prospective Students
Get support from the Marketing department. "Our marketing communications folks have retooled a number of our Admissions marketing pieces to be more 'front and center' about our campus commitment to sustainability," reports Marian M. Brown, special assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ithaca College (N.Y.). For instance, the 2006-2007 college admissions viewbook contains profiles of students such as Anna Day, an environmental studies major and founder of the college's Students for Sustainability organization.
Ithaca administrators don't yet have data to indicate that students are choosing the college because of its sustainability focus, although Brown says, "We do have anecdotal evidence that students and their families coming through our doors on tours and looking at our marketing materials are intrigued and attracted." In addition, student selection of environmental studies and environmental sciences programs is steadily climbing--as is enrollment in sustainability-themed courses across various disciplines.
Give student groups a web presence. At Ithaca, the website for the group Students for Sustainability (www.ithaca.edu/biology/sfs/index.htm) shares information and success stories related to the organization's campus initiatives, promotes events, offers resources to learn more about sustainability, and invites others to join the organization. Links to the site are provided from related academic program homepages, so prospective students on the hunt for details about those programs can find out about Students for Sustainability.
