By the Numbers

There are a lot of metrics we could use to measure our success, and we would make ourselves crazy trying to keep track of all of them. These are ones we think matter the most (note that how much money we make isn’t one of them):

 

• Diversion rate

  • WHAT: How much waste we divert from the landfill for a given period of time.

  • HOW: Typically, we pick a month to audit our waste stream (i.e. garbage, recycling or compost) and calculate what percent is not going to the landfill

  • WHY: It’s an important indicator of how much waste we’re generating, which is a major component of our environmental footprint.

 

• Local purchases

  • WHAT: How many of our purchases are sourced from local or regional providers

  • HOW: When we make a purchase, we first seek suppliers within 500 miles. We then can calculate the gross total and/or percent of local purchases for a given period.

  • WHY: Not only does purchasing locally reduce our environmental impact by decreasing transportation-induced fossil fuel use, it also helps boost the local economy and fosters meaningful relationships with our suppliers.

 

• Participant satisfaction

  • WHAT: How satisfied our participants are at the culmination of their experiences with us

  • HOW: Using a self-reported survey, we ask our participants to rate their overall level of satisfaction with their experiences on a scale of 1 (being “not at all satisfied”) to 5 (being “exceeded expectations”) and report the overall average.

  • WHY: Satisfaction (otherwise known as happiness) is the ultimate measurement of success for us: If our participants aren’t happy, we’re doing something wrong.

 

• Electricity generated from Solar

  • WHAT: How much of our total electricity needs are being met by our own solar power

  • HOW: Using data provided by our solar panel’s connectivity to online software, we can glean how many kilowatts of energy are being generated by the 12-array panel for a given period and compare it to our total use for the same period.

  • WHY: It’s a valuable measure of our total electricity consumption and generation, which are vital indicators of our environmental footprint.

 

• Camp 4 participation

  • WHAT: How many people are participating in our Camp 4 outdoor fitness campaign

  • HOW: Using sign in-sheets and loyalty punch cards, we can keep track of how many participants we have at a given session

  • WHY: It tells us several things, including logistical indicators (such as whether or not the time frame is conducive or if our advertising efforts are sufficient) as well as helps us gauge deeper insights into people’s interest and motivation to participate in outdoor-based physical activity. The latter points are particularly poignant as we seek to expand our programming into this area.

 

• Sustainability tour participation

  • WHAT: How many people participated in our sustainable campus tour

  • HOW: Using sign-in sheets and staff reports, we can keep track of how many visitors (including prospective and current students, official college visitors, school and community groups, and members of the general public) have taken tours over a given period.

  • WHY: It lets us know how many people we’re educating about the sustainability efforts on campus, which speaks directly to our commitment to community outreach and promotes awareness of important environmental initiatives.

 

 

A quick testament to what’s not included here—we’ve intentionally left out how much profit we generate as a measure of success. To us, success is defined by our actions and their effects on the world around us. We think that as long as we’re adhering to our mission and principles and paying attention to our core values, the money will follow.

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Take a look at our infographic HERE>>