Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 32.00
Liaison Kevin Moran
Submission Date May 22, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Drake University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 4.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

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:
A required course for students majoring in Environmental Sustainability & Resilience is Sustainability and Resilience (ENS 151). Students complete Drake's carbon footprint in this class as a project. This class puts together the official carbon footprint report for Drake.

Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Buildings?:
No

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:
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Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Energy?:
No

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:
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Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Food & Dining?:
No

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:
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Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

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:
As part of the Applications of GIS course, students help map permeable and impermeable surfaces at the university as well as tree canopy cover to provide to Drake Facilities Management and Planning for managing vegetation at Drake and figuring out places to better provide future tree plantings.

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Purchasing?:
No

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:
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Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Transportation?:
Yes

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:
Drake University's undergraduate interdisciplinary Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) students complete various projects to make significant contributions to the university and communities of involvement through leadership development. One major project was designing and establishing a Bike Library at Drake for which students could check out bikes for free and use them to explore Des Moines. In a Fall 2015 First-Year Seminar, students applied for and were awarded a $10,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation to promote wellness while encouraging Drake students to explore the region on bicycles. A Spring 2016 LEAD class helped set up a partnership with the Des Moines Bike Collective to help establish the bike library at Drake.

Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Waste?:
Yes

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:
Drake University's undergraduate interdisciplinary Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) students complete various projects to make significant contributions to the university and communities of involvement through leadership development. LEAD students worked with Drake Facilities Management and Planning and Drake Environmental Action League (DEAL) to complete a waste audit throughout Drake's campus and based off those results, help plan and implement a new waste and recycle system campus-wide.

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Water?:
No

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:
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Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
No

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:
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Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

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:
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Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

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:
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Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

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:
The Drake Neighborhood Little Free Pantry Project began with the awarding of a $10,000 Wellmark Foundation Community Kickstarter grant in November of 2016. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters of 2017, Drake LEAD students (Leadership, Education, and Development) researched how to make this project a reality, and installed three Little Free Pantries on Drake's Campus and collaborated with seven other groups in the Drake Neighborhood to host a pantry. The motto of the pantries, modeled after the Little Free Pantry program launched in Fayetteville, Ark., during summer 2016, is "Take what you need, leave what you can." People are welcome to take or leave non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items. Any produce, homemade goods, unsealed items, or refrigerated products should not be placed in the pantries. The pantries on Drake's campus are located in the Olmsted Parking lot and on the corner of Forest and 24th St. at the Sprout Garden. Much of the Drake Neighborhood resides in a food desert - a USDA classification for an urban area where it is difficult to buy affordable or high-quality fresh food. Environmental Science and Sustainability students are required to take a course called Environmental Case Analysis (ENS 37). Environmental Case Analysis is a team-based learning course where students develop scientific and policy responses to three major case studies; each focused on a problem in a different area of environmental studies. Students will be introduced to interdisciplinary analysis; the use of primary literature in problem-solving; and addressing complexity. One major case students explore relates to a local issue. Fourmile Creek in East Des Moines floods periodically and, therefore, the City of Des Moines has purchased some of the homes along the stream. Students examine the current state of a specific part of the neighborhood and discuss the potential solutions and opportunities for the area with stakeholders from various organizations in Des Moines. Students are grouped by disciplinary interest to assess specific issues pertaining to the case (e.g., flooding, ecosystem services, GIS mapping, cost-benefit analyses). Each group presents their work to the class. Students from each disciplinary group then work with students from the other discipline groups to write a paper proposing potential solutions for the area. Students final reports and proposals are given Des Moines city officials to provide insight and guidance to the best practices and strategies to the Fourmile Creek floodplain.

Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
No

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:
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Other Impact Areas 

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)?:
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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:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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