| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.84 |
| Liaison | Zachary Czuprynski |
| Submission Date | Jan. 21, 2025 |
Prescott College
PA-2: Commitments and Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.67 / 6.00 |
Zachary
Czuprynski Sustainability Coordinator Green Mountain Center for Sustainablity |
2.1 Public sustainability commitment
Narrative detailing the institution’s guiding vision or goals for sustainability and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Prescott College Sustainability Plan
Equality, diversity, social justice, and environmental responsibility have been core values of the Prescott College community for many decades before these concepts were framed within the more recent language of "sustainability." With bold imagination, our core values enable us to fulfill a founding charge of educating authentic leaders for the 21st century. Our core curriculum, rooted in self-directed, experiential education, provides a unique and innovative context for weaving sustainability throughout the curriculum. We have long been on the path as a national leader in sustainability education and action. Sustainability design and leadership begin with responsibility for our college programs and operations' impacts on society, the economy, and the environment. Prescott College seeks to go beyond the fundamental goals of sustainability by investing in the resilient and regenerative capacity of natural and social ecologies and relationships: all forms of critical or beneficial capital with tremendous value that appreciates over time.
At Prescott College, we help our leaders see the importance of going beyond basic sustainability, creating ways of understanding and living that protect, preserve, and restore the habitats of all beings in the Earth community. This begins with demonstrating accountability for our programs and operations' impacts on society, the economy, and ecosystems. We also focus on continual performance improvements in the management of energy, water, food, materials, and people. We invest resources to strengthen ecological and social relationships while managing financial and physical assets with attention to and responsibility for our underlying ethics of efficiency and effectiveness.
At Prescott College, we say that education is a journey, not a destination; so, too, sustainability is an ongoing journey of leadership in the design of resilient and regenerative relationships.
(Prescott College Sustainability Plan - Intro)
Narrative and/or website URL outlining the institution’s external sustainability commitments that include a reporting requirement:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
2.2 Measurable sustainability objectives
Narrative listing the institution’s measurable sustainability objectives that address teaching, learning, and research:
-Establish an introductory course and/or other requirement and similar priorities in learning assessment for sustainability literacy in all programs, in order to embed values alignment deeper into curriculum
-Develop a broad base of undergraduate and graduate level curricular offerings, as well as related speaker series and other events, in fields and topic areas related to sustainability science and theory integrated with applications in design, practice and leadership
-Support faculty capacity and increase student learning opportunities for experiential, project-based learning, participatory action research and service in learning focused on sustainability planning and implementation, particularly through integration with college operations
Has the institution adopted one or more measurable sustainability objectives that address stakeholder engagement?:
Narrative listing the institution’s measurable sustainability objectives that address stakeholder engagement:
-Engage students in projects that are aligned with the college’s values and serve populations or communities presented with sustainability challenges or opportunities
-Improve local and bioregional outreach and stakeholder engagement as a means to expand dialogue and action on sustainability issues
-Develop public speaking opportunities for Prescott College champions of sustainability initiatives
-Develop stronger national and international partnerships as an institutional leader in the sustainability movement, as well as memberships in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and other relevant professional associations
Has the institution adopted one or more measurable sustainability objectives that address campus operations?:
Narrative listing the institution’s measurable sustainability objectives that address campus operations:
-Support the development of food production and management plans, with education and communication programs around value-based food issues (local, slow, organic, non-GMO, FairTrade, etc.)
-Apply comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions models and accounting tools to support planning and decision making for action plan implementation, and also preparation of bi-annual greenhouse gas emissions inventories
-Conduct assessment and apply planning methods for land management practices that enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services; emphasize this as a key area for performance innovation beyond industry standards
Has the institution adopted one or more measurable sustainability objectives that address racial equity and social justice?:
Narrative listing the institution’s measurable sustainability objectives that address racial equity and social justice:
-Analyze and plan to improve the affordability and relative social equity of tuition and scholarships across all college programs
-Support the DEIJB Committee in the implementation of recommendations for improving diversity, social justice, and sustainability
-Develop appropriate indicators, assessment tools, and methods for tracking success in plans and initiatives related to diversity and justice issues
Has the institution adopted one or more measurable sustainability objectives that address administration and finance?:
Narrative listing the institution’s measurable sustainability objectives that address administration and finance:
-Develop a cost accounting method and productivity measures for assessing financial and economic aspects of sustainability, extending to ROI of on-campus student projects
-Collect data and apply valuation methods for sustainability accounting to integrate triple bottom line (economic, social, environmental) indicators into financial reporting systems and institutional risk assessment
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
2.3 Climate resilience assessment and planning
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s climate resilience assessment:
The Sustainability Coordinator worked with local stakeholders and the Prescott City Council to commission a study of climate impacts through the University of Arizona CLIMAS team, which specializes in watershed-level climate impacts. The report was completed on February 1, 2023, and presented to the city council on February 14th. Overall, the report models projections in temperature and precipitation changes through the end of the century and presents possible climate impacts in the Prescott Active Management Area watershed, which includes the Prescott College campus. The reports are available under the QCCC Climate Action Hub.
Does the institution participate in an ongoing campus-community task force or committee that is focused on climate resilience?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the campus-community task force or committee focused on climate resilience:
The Quad Cities Climate Collaborative (QCCC) is a grassroots movement in the central Yavapai region working to mitigate and adapt to current and future climate impacts. Our Sustainability Coordinator is a board member of QCCC and is the liaison between climate resilience work on campus and within the broader Prescott community. QCCC partners closely with the local Sierra Club chapter. Activities include providing commentary on local public policies during open comment periods, adding data-led sustainability recommendations to the upcoming Prescott town plan, networking with other climate groups, and advocating for resiliency in the Quad Cities region.
Has the institution incorporated climate resilience strategies and/or goals into one or more of its published plans?:
Narrative listing the institution’s climate resilience strategies and goals and the plan(s) in which they are published:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.