Saint John's University
EN-9: Community Partnerships

St. John's University has had a formal partnership with The Avon Hills Initiative for the past The Avon Hills Initiative (AHI) is a community based organization located in central Minnesota committed to preserving the rural and natural character of roughly 50 square miles of land in Avon, Saint Joseph, Collegeville, and Saint Wendel Townships. Saint John’s University’s Outdoor University and the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum work with AHI work through education, community organization, and local government to increase awareness of land development pressures facing the Avon Hills. We act to initiate meaningful dialogue between stakeholders relative to these pressures, in order to preserve the rich cultural history, natural beauty, and biological diversity of the Avon Hills for generations to come. SJU offers support through education and hosts the annual conference for area land owners each spring. For more information, please visit http://www.mnland.org/avon-hills-initiative/

SJU collaborates on an annual basis with the local branch of Catholic Relief Services. Saint John’s plans a program to reduce waste and to reuse furniture, electronics, school supplies, etc. at the end of each spring semester. During the last few weeks of the academic year, the SJU Office of Sustainability communicates with the charity. A plan is developed which includes distributing collection boxes to all on-campus residence halls, advertising, and picking up the goods at the completion of move-out.