Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
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Overall Score | 75.15 |
Liaison | Lori Collins-Hall |
Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
Executive Letter | Download |
Sterling College (VT)
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
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4.00 / 4.00 |
Favor
Ellis Dean of Community Residence Life |
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Air & Climate?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Air & Climate:
Expanding upon this course is the launch of a Gear Design and Repair program that includes educational opportunities for peer-to-peer learning through the Work Program which employs students; all jobs through the Work Program have learning objectives.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Buildings?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Buildings:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Energy?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Energy:
The Renewable Energy Analysis and Design (NS335) class is designing a “tiny house” for the College's instructional site at The Farm Between. The concept is to have a moveable residence for the on-site Farm Manager or interns that is energy independent. On the ground measurements are coupled with computer spreadsheets and established values for analysis. Hydroelectric, wind, biomass, geothermal, biomass and solar (both thermal and electric) sources are studied; Background content in thermodynamics and the design process inform design projects that minimize environmental impacts.
Through the Work Program, forestry and sugaring students are conducting research that measures the fuel wood use in the College's maple sugaring operation with the goal of increasing the syrup yield per cord of firewood. Baseline measurements started in Spring 2021 and will continue through Spring 2022 when a reverse osmosis system will be built and used by students in the Work Program. This research is funded by the Work Colleges Consortium and results will be shared with the University of Vermont's Proctor Maple Research Institute and local foresters.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Food & Dining?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Food & Dining:
Gray Hunter '21 completed his Senior Year Research Project, From Grain to Table, Integrating the Sterling College Grain System. Gray’s project assessed the viability and desirability of grain production systems at Sterling.This included assessing the production, processing, milling, and baking qualities of heritage wheat (Red Fife) and corn (Calais Flint) varieties. Lasting outcomes include lab analyses of wheat and corn and recommendations for grains in the Sterling production system based on multi-factoral data gathering.
Aaron Morgan is currently testing indigenous microorganism inoculation on the rooting of trench layered Pawpaws (A. triloba), and characterization of rhizospheric microbiome.
Savannah Storch '18 complete her Senior Year Research Project in small-scale sustainable mushroom farming after starting a small mushroom project in her Agroforestry class two years prior. Thanks to her work, she left a productive operation that provides the Sterling kitchen with shiitake and oyster mushrooms grown on campus from May to October.
In addition to the specific projects above, the dining services portion of the Work Program is one of its biggest assets. Work Program positions include breakfast cooks, prep cooks, brunch cooks, and food systems analysts. These positions utilize the kitchen as a learning tool to consider food waste, purchasing foods that is local, sustainable, humane and fair trade, as well as learning better time management, exploration of cooking meals, and well earned work ethic.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Grounds?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Grounds:
Gabe Francisco '21 completed his Senior Year Research Project with a management planning and forest inventory for the instructional site of Sterling's Wendell Berry Farming Program. Gabe's work now serves as a reference for identifying tree species on campus and their ecosystem function, while also providing possible strategies for future management.
Rick Thomas, Faculty, is using targeted black willow plantings to enhance riparian function on campus in cooperation with the National Resources Conservation Service and the Energy and Environment Cabinet to enhance riparian function and water quality of Cane Run. This effort is ongoing and being designed to showcase agricultural approaches that conserve soil and water resources in Kentucky.
2021 interns at the College's instructional site at The Farm Between developed several invasive species management plans. All invasives were mapped and an individual management plant was developed for each species. Students started implementing the plan and the farm management at The Farm Between will continue to follow the plan.
2021 students planted a grove of 25 American chestnut hybrids (1/16 Chinese chestnut) on campus. These trees are the product of efforts being conducted by the American Chestnut Foundation to renew the American Chestnut to its ecological prominence before the chestnut blight’s introduction during the early 1900’s. These efforts were sponsored by the American Chestnut Foundation and the Work Colleges Consortium. Efforts are now underway to create a nursery of American chestnut trees for further reintroductions and public education.
In 2018 the Agroforestry class designed and implemented an agroforestry polyculture planting to increase the fruits and berry production on the Sterling campus. The design included apples, elderberries, plums, black currants, aronia, seaberries and mulberries. The field is also incorporated in the grazing plan for the Farm.
Students in Forestry Techniques (AS120) use Sterling's woodlot to become familiar with a broad range of skills and concepts necessary for work in a farm or homestead scale woodlot, and wilderness trail work. Students learn how those skills fit within a forest management plan informed by silviculture, ecology, and stewardship ethics. Firewood processing, basic log construction and tool handle hanging add depth to skill development and appreciation of forest products. Wood volume calculations, standings tree measurements, tree species ID, compass and pacing mapping, and sampling layouts provide a practical foundation for forest inventory assessments in work program positions and subsequent classes.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Purchasing?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Purchasing:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Transportation?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Transportation:
Students in Draft Animal Power Systems III (AS285A) allows the opportunity to explore the challenges associated with farming systems where horses are the primary source of traction power. In small learning groups, students actively use horses to manage the College’s working landscape including gardens, fields and woodlot. Students become familiar with reduced tillage practices associated with bio-extensive gardening principles, front-end suspension logging arch, mowing machinery and other field implements.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Waste?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Waste:
Building on the success of this course, Sterling College now has a new work program position as of Fall 2021: Community Gear Repair Specialist. This person will be fixing and maintaining gear for the local community in addition to the college program. This will also have a component of education, as we share the knowledge of how to complete these repairs so folks can feel empowered to complete their own repairs in the future.
Through the Work Program, students run the ReUse Room, an exchange space on campus for secondhand items (clothing, shoes, outdoor gear, household goods, books, electronics, toiletries, pet supplies, etc.). Student workers maintain the space and provide outreach about reducing consumer waste, reusing, repairing, and upcycling, and host events such as “free sales,” mending parties, and end-of-semester donation drives. In 2020 and 2021, the crew assembled mending kits, which were delivered to each dorm; these included sewing supplies, buttons, patches, yarn, darning needles, and instruction packets on darning, sewing, and mending. All items were secondhand donations. The crew also makes “rag bags” which are delivered to the dorms for cleaning, and provides materials for activities on campus such as arts & crafts projects, and the Gear Design & Repair course as well as the Introduction to Hand Weaving course (which upcycles them with rag weaving). Surplus items are donated to a nearby homeless shelter, the nonprofit community organization ReSource VT, and area thrift stores. Starting in Fall 2021, the ReUse Room is partnering with HELPSY, a Certified B-Corp, to host a clothing/textile recycling drive in the local community. HELPSY provides payment for textile donations, which will support future ReUse Room projects.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Water?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Water:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Land Use Planning students explore historical and current, as well as future, land use planning in our communities with hopes of better understanding the social and ecological implications of our decisions. How have we planned for the settlement and development of our communities? What are the successes and the failures of our planning process? How have we addressed natural resources in the land use planning process? What is sprawl and what are the solutions to this land use practice? Students undertake two research projects to explore historical and current land use, and the social and ecological impacts of these practices. Working with records in the local town hall, deed research helps students better understand the influence of historical land use practices on the current landscape. Students also explore current day land use planning processes in a community of their choice and make “smart growth” recommendations for the future.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
Students participating in the Work Program manage and provide a full fleet of rental outdoor recreation equipment, we create access to outdoor recreation at a common barrier point, the cost of equipment. Students can rent items from us for just dollars a day, instead of purchasing expensive equipment up front. All Work Program positions have educational learning objectives tied to them.
Leadership and Social Change (SS335)focuses on the intersection of climate change and social justice. The course objectives are to provide historical perspective on current issues through examining an array of social justice movements, to acquire a theoretical framework for making decisions about social change priorities, goals, and strategies, to understand the dynamics of social change movements, to cultivate leadership skills, and to examine the relationship of one’s personal life, values, and actions to social change. Students develop and lead a workshop for peers, attend social change events in the region, read extensively, and interview activists.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Investment & Finance?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Investment & Finance:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Public Engagement?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Public Engagement:
Ashland Tann '21 designed and enacted a Senior Year Research Project in which he bridged the urban-rural divide by creating a conduit for Henry County-grown and raised produce and meat for purchase and use by nonprofit organizations serving primarily low-income and ethnically and racially diverse areas of Louisville’s west end.
On the farmer advocacy side of the equation, Rachel Hampton '21 used her Senior Year Research Project to lay the groundwork for and then began the early stages of development for a cooperative education and marketing group for heritage breed hog producers.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to other areas (e.g. arts & culture or technology)?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to other areas:
On a larger level, the campus now leases farmland on Wendell Berry Farm in Henry County, Kentucky. This involves a two-year-long curriculum that is available for folks who weren’t already attending Sterling College. The curriculum is focused on the survival of small and mid-scale farms, how to be profitable within ecological bounds, and how to cultivate a culture that supports farming that is inclusive, equitable, parity-based, and resilient.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
At Sterling, all residential students, regardless of financial aid award, work at least 80 hours each semester. Students earn a minimum of $1,650 towards their college costs. Additional earnings are possible through work-study positions, summer internships, and residence hall supervision.
Work at Sterling, whether it’s on the farm, in the kitchen or dormitories, in an office, at the local public school, or at a local nonprofit, is invaluable for both the students and the community.
The Work Program allows all students to contribute to the day-to-day operation of the College. The Sterling community needs the cooperation and skills of everyone involved to prosper. Students learn valuable skills and practices applicable to their futures. While the Work Program is a “résumé builder,” it also demonstrates on a daily basis what it means to be a productive member of an active community.
Everyone at Sterling is proud of the tradition of work, learning, and service evident in our motto: “Working Hands – Working Minds.
In addition to the Federal Work Program, Sterling College utilizes many of the above areas in many classrooms. Sterling is also accredited by the Association for Experiential Education. Whether it's through the work program or through hands-on classroom activities, Sterling College students will gain the opportunities to access experiential learning.
Sterling College is New England’s only Work-Learning-Service College and one of only nine federally recognized work colleges in the nation.
At Sterling, all residential students, regardless of financial aid award, work at least 80 hours each semester. Students earn a minimum of $1,650 towards their college costs. Additional earnings are possible through work-study positions, summer internships, and residence hall supervision.
Work at Sterling, whether it’s on the farm, in the kitchen or dormitories, in an office, at the local public school, or at a local nonprofit, is invaluable for both the students and the community.
The Work Program allows all students to contribute to the day-to-day operation of the College. The Sterling community needs the cooperation and skills of everyone involved to prosper. Students learn valuable skills and practices applicable to their futures. While the Work Program is a “résumé builder,” it also demonstrates on a daily basis what it means to be a productive member of an active community.
Everyone at Sterling is proud of the tradition of work, learning, and service evident in our motto: “Working Hands – Working Minds.
In addition to the Federal Work Program, Sterling College utilizes many of the above areas in many classrooms. Sterling is also accredited by the Association for Experiential Education. Whether it's through the work program or through hands-on classroom activities, Sterling College students will gain the opportunities to access experiential learning.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.