Employer Impact Awards Rubric: Impact in Sustainability

Prompts (500-word maximum per prompt):

  1. Describe how Waterloo co-op students have supported your organization’s approach to meaningful contributions to advance environmental sustainability goals.
  2. Summarize other strategies, initiatives and/or actions your organization does to reduce its environmental footprint or advance sustainability goals.
  3. Provide details about the specific impact, outcomes and/or results your organization has realized from involving Waterloo co-op students in sustainability projects and initiatives.

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Prompts Scoring criteria 1-3 points 4-6 points 7-8 points 9-10 points

1. Describe how Waterloo co-op students have supported your organization’s approach to meaningful contributions to advance environmental sustainability goals.

Do they include the following?

  • How students are involved in advancing sustainability goals.
  • Examples of sustainability projects or tasks that students have worked on.
  • Skills or perspectives that students provided that helped advance sustainability goals,

Provides minimal detail and few/no examples

Provides some detail and adequate examples

Provides adequate detail and good examples

Provides excellent detail and strong, connected examples
2. Summarize other strategies, initiatives and/or actions your organization does to reduce its environmental footprint or advance sustainability goals.

Did they include the following?

  • A summary of the organization’s overall commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability.
  • How sustainability aligns with the core mission and values of the organization.
  • Specific strategies or goals to reduce environmental impact.
  • Initiatives that engage employees, stakeholders, or the public in sustainability efforts.
 Provides minimal detail and few/no examples Provides some detail and adequate examples Provides adequate detail and good examples Provides excellent detail and strong, connected examples
3. Provide details about the specific impact, outcomes and/or results your organization has realized from involving Waterloo co-op students in sustainability projects and initiatives.

Did they include the following?

  • Specific results or improvements resulting from student contributions.
  • Longer-term benefits from students working on sustainability projects.
  • How they quantify the impact where possible (e.g., cost savings, revenue growth, product development, improved processes, outcomes related to the UN SDGs or other sustainability measures).
  • Accolades or recognition earned because of these efforts (e.g., awards, media coverage).
 Provides brief overview or minimal examples Provides example of impact, results and achievements – may not show how it is measurable Provides adequate detail and good examples of measurable impact, results and achievements Provides ample and insightful examples of measurable impact, results and achievements