Overview
The Social Outreach team for the Nitrogen Working Group (NWG) is responsible for educating the University of Virginia community about reactive nitrogen, its environmental impacts, and the actions that can be taken at the university and individual level to reduce our footprints. Outreach is performed through a variety of means. First, we have an active presence on Instagram, where we post facts about nitrogen and other sustainability topics, as well as encourage students to reduce their environmental footprints.
We also collaborate with other sustainability-focused UVA Instagram accounts in order to broaden our reach and that of others. Furthermore, we educate on the impact of food on nitrogen footprints by tabling at the dining halls. The “Laundry Project: Chill for Change” initiated by the outreach team created awareness about the energy demands of laundry water temperature. Likewise, efforts are being made to expand knowledge about sustainability by creating a journal located in the shower stalls of first-year housing. This sustainability journal will encourage students to make sustainable choices, like taking shorter showers. The outreach team is also responsible for the creation of the logo and other marketing materials for the NWG.
For any outreach-related questions, reach out to the head of the Outreach Team, Olivia Beidler, at onb8dbe@virginia.edu