| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.80 |
| Liaison | Paul Scanlon |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Slippery Rock University
EN-9: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Paul
Scanlon Special Assistant to the President President's Office/Sustainability |
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “supportive”?:
A brief description of the institution’s supportive sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
The staff and graduate assistants at the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research offers garden plots and organic gardening lessons for local Slippery Rock residents to rent (very affordably, with rent rebates to those who follow strict organic gardening principles) during the summer. This allows members of the community that have limited land to grow fresh, nutritional food. It also fosters community relationships and a feeling of accomplishment and unity.
SRU also partners with the local community in the annual Fall leaf collection program, where the leaves are disposed of at the Macoskey Center where they are composted in wind rows; the compost is then used for campus landscaping. A free community E-Waste collection day sponsored by SRU is also being planned for Spring semester 2014..
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “collaborative”?:
A brief description of the institution's collaborative sustainability partnership(s):
The Slippery Rock Student Energy Accelerator (SEA) is a group of SRU business students that partner with the local community by helping local businesses become more sustainable and energy efficient, with mentoring provided by faculty and/or Office of Sustainability staff. One (of many) examples is a student group that worked with the North Country Brewery (a microbrewery pub and restaurant) in Slippery Rock to decrease energy costs and assist the Owner in applying for energy conservation tax credits. Proposals for a photovoltaic alternative energy system for the restaurant were coordinated and evaluated for the Owner.
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “transformative”?:
A brief description of the institution's transformative sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
The SRU President's Commission on Sustainability includes representative members of the entire university community as well as the community at large. This commission is an ongoing entity that functions as an advisory board that initiates or reviews sustainability programs and recommends actions to the president.
The SRU Sustainability Office also currently works alongside the sustainable Enterprise Accelerator and Sustainable Slippery Rock (SSR), a community organization focused on helping local residents become more aware of sustainable practices and helping individuals in the community put these ideas into action by educating them on current recycling policies, local food markets, community resiliency, and other environmental and sustainable issues. Slippery Rock University helps SSR reach out to both students on campus and individuals in the community, by providing a place to hold educational speaker events as well as by spreading awareness of upcoming programs and events. Both SRU and SSR are a part of the Slippery Rock Community Farmers Market and collaborate on supporting a wide range of activities like community-supported agriculture, local food conferences, and educational panel discussions.
A brief description of the institution’s sustainability partnerships with distant (i.e. non-local) communities:
The website URL where information about sustainability partnerships is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Sustainable Slippery Rock Website: http://sustainablesr.org/about/
Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator Website: http://www.seasru.com/our-projects.html
Sustainable Slippery Rock Website: http://sustainablesr.org/about/
Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator Website: http://www.seasru.com/our-projects.html
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.