Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.94
Liaison Samuel Crowl
Submission Date Aug. 11, 2021

STARS v2.2

Ohio University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Sydney Hutchinson
Reporting Assistant
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Sugar Bush Foundation

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 Sugar Bush Foundation works with Ohio University and local communities to improve the quality of life in Appalachian Ohio by encouraging civic engagement and by fostering sustainable environmental and socioeconomic development.

In planning, decision-making and implementation, Sugar Bush Foundation requires joint design and equal partnership between the university and the community partner. Their current community partners are: ReUse Industries; Torch Can Do; Rural Action Zero Waste Initiative; Rural Action Watershed Group; ReStore (Habitat for Humanity); Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry (Chesterhill Produce Auction); Community Food Initiatives. All of these groups work with “under-represented groups and/or vulnerable populations”. Review of projects is handled by the Sugar Bush Board, which is comprised of representatives of the Athens community and Ohio University.

https://www.ohio.edu/advancement/sugarbush/

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Rural Action

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):
Multi-year or ongoing

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):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Rural Action's mission is to promote social, economic, and environmental justice by training, organizing, and supporting communities. Their work is about developing the region's many assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. They do this by focusing on sectors such as: food and agriculture, forestry, zero waste and recycling, environmental education, and watershed restoration. Ohio University works with Rural Action in the sectors of zero waste, watershed restoration, local food procurement with OU Culinary Services, and sustainable outdoor recreation development.

http://ruralaction.org/about-us/who-we-are/

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Bobcat Pass

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):
Athens Public Transit and Ohio University have partnered to provide free bus services for all members of the Ohio University community through the Bobcat Pass program since the summer of 2016. The Ohio University ID serves as a fare card for unlimited travel on the Athens Public Transit (APT) system. The Bobcat Pass program is intended to significantly increase access for a large population within Athens County. During the 2017 – 2018 school year, 132,302 OU students were passengers. This partnership provides Hocking Athens Perry County Community Action Agency, who manages all regional public transit systems, the ability to offer no or low cost services to under-represented and economically at-risk populations.

https://www.ohio.edu/transportation/bobcat-pass.cfm

A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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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:
Data provided by Mary Nelly on 3/23/2020.

Entered by Sydney Hutchinson on 3/25/2020.

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.