| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.21 |
| Liaison | Stephen Ellis |
| Submission Date | June 9, 2023 |
Boston University
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Dennis
Carlberg Associate Vice President for Sustainability BU Sustainability |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
1st Partnership
Boston Green Ribbon Commission
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
The Boston Green Ribbon Commission is a group of 36 business, institutional, and civic leaders in Boston working to develop shared strategies for fighting climate change in coordination with the City’s Climate Action Plan. President Brown is a member and active participant. Over the last decade, the GRC has made critical contributions to the development of the City of Boston’s climate strategy. Climate Ready Boston, which the GRC initiated and championed, is now leading to direct investment in resilience projects and regulations to guide future development. The Commission’s Carbon Free Boston report led by the Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy (now known as the Institute for Global Sustainability) is helping to shape the city’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with a strong emphasis on ways to achieve equitable outcomes for socially vulnerable populations in Boston.
BU’s associate vice president for sustainability co-chairs the Higher Education Working Group. The mission of the GRC HEWG is to leverage the higher education sector’s capabilities for climate action by sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration within and across sectors for the City of Boston to meet its climate goals. The GRC HEWG is organized with three task forces: Task Force 1) support climate action planning and implementation across the higher education sector, Task Force 2) facilitate collaborative research that leverages the higher education sector's capabilities to promote solutions for equitable climate resilience and mitigation in the greater Boston area, and Task Force 3) transfer knowledge to other sectors to accelerate change for equitable implementation of climate mitigation and resilience. BU’s sustainability director co-chairs Task Force 1, the director of the Institute for Global Sustainability participates on Task Force 2, and the associate vice president for sustainability participates in Task Force 3.
https://greenribboncommission.org/about/#people
https://greenribboncommission.org/working-group/higher-education/
https://greenribboncommission.org/document/carbon-free-boston/
BU’s associate vice president for sustainability co-chairs the Higher Education Working Group. The mission of the GRC HEWG is to leverage the higher education sector’s capabilities for climate action by sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration within and across sectors for the City of Boston to meet its climate goals. The GRC HEWG is organized with three task forces: Task Force 1) support climate action planning and implementation across the higher education sector, Task Force 2) facilitate collaborative research that leverages the higher education sector's capabilities to promote solutions for equitable climate resilience and mitigation in the greater Boston area, and Task Force 3) transfer knowledge to other sectors to accelerate change for equitable implementation of climate mitigation and resilience. BU’s sustainability director co-chairs Task Force 1, the director of the Institute for Global Sustainability participates on Task Force 2, and the associate vice president for sustainability participates in Task Force 3.
https://greenribboncommission.org/about/#people
https://greenribboncommission.org/working-group/higher-education/
https://greenribboncommission.org/document/carbon-free-boston/
2nd Partnership
BU/Boston Properties (BXP) Best Practices
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Short-term project or event
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
No
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
In fall 2021, BXP hosted our annual best practices workshop. This meeting focused on renewable energy procurement through Power Purchase Agreements and hedging and risk minimization strategies. Senior leadership from BU and BXP attended the Chatham House Rules workshop.
3rd Partnership
C-HEAT: A study of heat exposure in Chelsea and East Boston, Massachusetts
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
C-HEAT is a collaboration between GreenRoots, Inc., an independent community-based environmental justice organization based in Chelsea, MA, and the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). The C-HEAT team focused on creating space for residents of the Chelsea and East Boston communities to discuss experiencing intense heat during summer which raises community awareness to climate change and sharing creativity in adaptations.
http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/c-heat
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f10bf451ccd6f5e7b34d666/t/62e988b68c37322e6a4b1d5c/1659472084177/final_photovoice_report_0802022.pdf
http://www.greenrootschelsea.org/c-heat
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f10bf451ccd6f5e7b34d666/t/62e988b68c37322e6a4b1d5c/1659472084177/final_photovoice_report_0802022.pdf
Optional Fields
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Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This represents FY2021 and FY2022 BU Metrics.
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.