Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 43.28
Liaison Adam Maurer
Submission Date Dec. 18, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

South Seattle College
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Adam Maurer
District Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):

AASHE


Is the institution an active member of a regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):

Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition (WAHESC)


Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):

Two faculty and one staff presented at WAHESC 2017. The Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition Conference took place in Feb 2017 at Gonzaga University. WAHESC conference is a regionally focused opportunity for those teaching, working, or studying within higher education to come together and learn about sustainability in academics, operations, and research. South Seattle staff and faculty presented on their innovative curricular program to help others establish, sustain, and integrate like programs into existing and future campus sustainability initiatives.


Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to a sustainability awards program that is inclusive of multiple campuses? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the awards program(s) and submission(s):

The Sustainable Building Science Technology program submitted and won the 2017 Energy/Facilities Innovation Award presented by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and Washington State University’s Energy Program. The award was announced at the 13th annual Energy/Facilities Connections Conference in Leavenworth, WA, hosted by WSU in May, and recognizes South’s innovative approach to training facility managers who specialize in running “smart,” energy-efficient buildings, and that the program is uniquely designed to address the overwhelming demand for experienced facilities managers as smart building development and technology accelerates across the region. The development of the program is the result of 8 academic, industry, and community partners in a formal partnership.
http://www.southseattle.edu/documents/press/2017/jun30.pdf


Has the institution had staff, students or faculty serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):

The faculty participating in the Expanding Lifelong STEM Career Pathways in Sustainable Building Science Technology partnership developed a 30-hour summer teacher institute for high school teachers and community college instructors offered in 2016 and 2017. A total of 23 educators have participated and produced curriculum in this STEM-focused professional development experience designed to unite educators and industry professionals. The 2016 institute focus was Supply and Demand: Framing Energy through Sustainable Building Science Technology. The 2017 institute focus was Education for the Environment and Sustainability: The Future of STEM Teaching.

Staff participate in WAHESC Committee conference calls.


Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
Yes

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:

As a recipient of a large National Science Grant in the ATE (Advanced Technology Education) program, institutions will frequently turn to South Seattle College for mentoring. Activities include ongoing collaboration with Cascadia College’s Environmental Technology and Sustainable Practices, Shoreline Community College’s Clean Energy Technology, and Bellingham Technical College’s Engineering Technology programs and faculty, particularly around grant funding and grant activities that directly support the development of sustainability programs.

South submits independently from its other two campuses and has separate staff/students gathering and inputting data. All campuses plan time to evaluate one another's STARS submission and develop each program. Many benchmarks (e.g., GHG) are set by either the State or the Seattle Colleges district, so all campuses work together to create consistent data. The primary forum for check-ins occurs at a district sustainability meeting every quarter.


Has the institution had staff, faculty, or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data (e.g. GHG emissions or course inventory) and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the peer review activities:
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Has the institution participated in other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year, e.g. joint planning or resource sharing with other institutions? :
Yes

A brief description of other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year:

Sustainability faculty are engaged in collaborations, both formal and informal, with institutions around the region, including other district colleges, North and Central Seattle Colleges, Shoreline Community College, Cascadia College, Bellingham Technical College, the Pacific NW Center of Excellence for Clean Energy at Centralia College, and Lane Community College. Activities include regular meetings about program practices and ideas for collaboration/improvement and long-term resource planning as well as involvement in the Center of Excellence’s strategic planning process.

The inaugural Seattle College's Commencement 2017 ceremony at Safeco Field marks the first year that Seattle Colleges hold a pilot Cap & Gown Recycling program across all four campuses. Over one hundred gowns and caps set were collected and recycled. The Sustainability office will steam sanitize them in order to be used again by next cohort of students who can rent the gowns and caps and then return them.


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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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.