Hello everyone and happy February! Angela here, the Live Green! Social Media Engagement Intern. A new month means a new social media campaign, and this is an exciting one. This campaign is going to celebrate 15 years of Live Green! and recognize some past, present and future commitments toward a sustainable future. Read on to learn about the Live Green! Initiative.
15 years of Living Cardinal, Gold and Green
The Live Green! Initiative began in 2008, as a presidential initiative, and offered two challenges: To be a leader in sustainability among land grant institutions and to recognize that the involvement and dedication of every member of the ISU community is critical to achieving this goal. There are so many accomplishments Live Green! has made over the last 15 years. I will highlight some of those accomplishments, as well as what we are doing today and discuss our future goals.
Past
Over the past 15 years, Iowa State University has achieved many sustainability recognitions. A few are highlighted below, but visit the Accomplishments page on the Live Green! website to see a full list of accomplishments and recognitions year by year.
STARS: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), is a transparent, self-reporting international framework for colleges and universities to measure their commitment to all facets of sustainability. STARS focuses on 135 sustainability performance measurements in three areas – education and awareness, operations and engagement. Institutions can receive a STARS platinum, gold, silver or bronze certification. ISU completed its first STARS Gold Certification in 2013 and has been recertified gold in 2016, 2019 and 2022! For a more in-depth look at STARS and Iowa State University’s certifications, read the Now You Know article from the April 2023 Live Green! Monthly Newsletter.
Tree Campus USA: Tree Campus Higher Education, founded by the Arbor Day Foundation, is a program that “provides a simple framework for colleges and universities to grow their community forests, achieve national recognition and create a campus their students and staff are proud of.” There are five overarching standards that need to be met in order for a college or university to be recognized.
These five standards are:
- Establishment of a campus tree advisory committee
- Evidence of a campus tree care plan
- Verification of the plan’s dedicated annual expenditures
- Observing Arbor Day
- Creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body
ISU was first recognized with Tree Campus USA certification in 2016 and has continued to be recertified every year since!
Top 50 Green Fleet Award: The Green Fleet Awards, given by the NAFA Fleet Management Association, “recognizes peak-performing fleet sustainability efforts and honors fleets who have enhanced practices to make a positive impact on the environment.” The award focuses on government and commercial fleets. ISU was first recognized in 2015 and was listed again in 2016, 2017 and 2019!
There are also a number of sustainability initiatives Live Green! has been a part of related to education, student engagement and operations throughout the years. Many of these were featured during the 2018-2019 academic year, when Live Green! celebrated 10 years. Each month during the 10-year celebration was themed and included an education, engagement and empowerment component. Monthly themes included Moving Green, Dining Green, Learning Green and Exploring Green. Visit the 10 Year Celebration webpage on the Live Green! website to learn more about each month’s theme, read the “Iowa State University is Celebrating 10 Years of Living Green!” WordPress blog and accompanying monthly blogs for more information about the full-year celebration and look through the 10 Year Publication, featuring the impressive sustainability accomplishments, through engagement, research, curriculum and operations at Iowa State University in Live Green!’s first 10 years. In addition, visit the Sustainability News webpage of the Live Green! website to the past five year’s highlights and accomplishments in sustainability.
Throughout these 15 years of the Live Green! Initiative, the goal has remained the same, progressing Iowa State’s advancement as a leader in sustainability among higher education institutions. The Live Green! Initiative reminds us of our opportunities and challenges to pursue them, on campus, within our Ames community and beyond.
Present
In 2024, Iowa State University continues its focus on “Working Toward a Sustainable Future”. In all initiatives, the Office of Sustainability considers and defines sustainability as a Three-Legged Stool. Consisting of environmental sustainability, ensuring ecological integrity; economic sustainability, ensuring economic vitality; and social sustainability, ensuring social welfare.
These components are carried forward through the dedication of the Live Green! Leadership Team! The team currently consists of nine members that collectively provide education, engagement and empowerment opportunities through efforts in marketing and communications, campus and community engagement and social media engagement.
Live Green! offers many different resources for students, faculty and staff to utilize and learn from, including our Live Green! website, Live Green! Monthly Newsletter, social media platforms and our monthly WordPress blog you are reading right now!
Live Green! also hosts several sustainability events throughout the year for students, faculty and staff, and also participates in a number of campus and community events. There are five on-campus events held throughout the academic year, all dedicated to celebrating sustainability. Find more information about Campus Sustainability Month Celebration, the Symposium on Sustainability, Sustainapalooza, Earth Day and College Creek Cleanup offered through the Office of Sustainability, by visiting the Green Events webpage on the Live Green! website!
AND… SAVE THE DATE! The Symposium on Sustainability, and its accompanying event, Sustainapalooza are happening later this month! Keep reading for more information.
A unique aspect of the Live Green! Team is the collaboration with the City of Ames through a shared sustainability position of Director of Sustainability (ISU) and Sustainability Coordinator (City of Ames). This shared role, as well as offering a number of unique sustainability collaboration efforts, including Rummage Rampage and the City of Ames Climate Action Plan, adds two additional Live Green! Leadership Team member positions through the City of Ames Smart Business Challenge. The Challenge invites local businesses to take small steps toward making their business more sustainable environmentally, economically and socially. It is a great opportunity for businesses to enhance and build upon current efforts related to areas of focus including energy and water conservation, transportation, waste reduction, environmental quality, carbon footprint and community engagement. For more information about the City and University collaboration, visit the Iowa State University-Ames Sustainability webpage on the Live Green! Website.
Future
Since the Live Green! Initiative was announced, the campus community has successfully and impressively engaged in a diversity of initiatives toward a sustainable future. The Office of Sustainability currently has a Sustainability Plan in place for 2021-2025 focused on reducing carbon emissions, reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste and applying cohesive and overarching sustainability procedures to daily operations – which is a priority as we look toward the future. Alongside this is an ongoing focus of providing sustainability education, engagement and empowerment opportunities for students, faculty and staff.
Keep connected and stay tuned for all that our future will bring and achieve as we continue to Live Cardinal, Gold and Green!
SAVE THE DATE!!! 2024 Symposium on Sustainability and Sustainapalooza
Both the Symposium on Sustainability and Sustainapalooza events are dedicated to celebrating sustainability efforts and initiatives, as well as challenging ourselves to extend our efforts and make green promises. The Symposium will kick-off with keynote speaker, Christine Ervin, on February 26, 7:00 p.m. Ms. Ervin has served as the first president and CEO for the U.S. Green Building Council and as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy. On February 27, 5 – 8 p.m., the companion event Sustainapalooza takes place – featuring sustainability research and art exhibits, campus and community sustainability organizational tabling, a clothing swap, Green-It-Yourself Center (GIYs), local ingredient refreshments and green living giveaways. Be sure to stop to learn even more about what 15 years of Live Green! has brought to ISU!
Looking Ahead…
As we celebrate 15 years, we look forward to the next 15 years and all the sustainability opportunities and achievements that await us. As the Live Green! Leadership Team has done (check out our social media posts throughout the month), I challenge everyone reading this to think of “green” promises you can make toward living a more sustainable lifestyle and ensuring a more sustainable future. There will be opportunities to share your promises at Sustainapalooza and also on social media. Stay connected to learn more!
Thank you so much for tuning in to this month’s blog, and get excited for next month’s campaign, “Get on the Clean Water Wave.” World Water Day is on March 22, so dedicating the month to fresh, clean water and being informative about the risks of contaminated water is so important.
As always, stay updated on all things Live Green! by following us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Live Green! 