| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.85 |
| Liaison | Aimee Lemrise |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Is the institution an active member of a regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
-Southern Illinois University Carbondale is actively part of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois and the Residential Environmental Education Partnership.
-In addition, SIU is supportive of work related to conservation and restoration of natural lands by supporting faculty involvement with the Vital Lands Illinois Network. 3 faculty and the Sustainability Director have actively been involved in 1 or more conferences in the last 2 years.
-SIU has had some involvement with the St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium, networking with members and attending one meeting virtually. We have some challenges engaging with this group due to our physical location, which is approximately 2 hours from St. Louis.
Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
-Professor Marjorie Brooks gave a climate talk at the last Vital Lands Illinois Network Summit, highlighting sustainability conservation efforts that can support network members in the face of climate change
(Feb. 4, 2019).
-Director of Sustainability, Geory Kurtzhals, presented at the ACUBSS International Conference in November 2018. Geory presented “Sustainability Trends and Innovations” at the sustainability-themed conference, as well as providing a virtual green tour to all conference participants.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to a sustainability awards program that is inclusive of multiple campuses? :
A list or brief description of the awards program(s) and submission(s):
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? :
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
-Professor Marjorie Brooks serves as Vital Lands Illinois Network Architect (steering committee member).
-Student Nick Erwin serves on the City of Carbondale Sustainability Commission.
-The North American Forest and Climate Movement Convergence had many attributes of a conference (keynotes, panels, meeting sessions, etc.) but was specifically promoted as "Not a conference! A call to action!" to highlight that participants wouldn't just be listening to each other and going home, but rather making strategic plans with concrete outcomes to forward the forest ad climate movement. With this description, we feel it fits here and have included it. Student Dylan Gibson was a member of the Logistics Working Group and Agenda Working Group, which contributed to the planning of the event. Faculty member Dr. Cade Bursell was also a member of the Agenda Working Group. At least six SIU students participated in the Convergence working in the Building and Supporting Youth Movements track.
-Touch of Nature team members Bryn Blackburn and Rockette Jaros are both on the board of directors for the Environmental Education Association of Illinois.
-Steve Gariepy, Environmental Education Program Coordinator at Touch of Nature, is the state of Illinois advocate for Leave No Trace.
-Brian Croft, Assistant Director for Touch of Nature, is a member of the board of the Association for Experiential Education.
https://ton.siu.edu/
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?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Director of Sustainability, Geory Kurtzhals, served as a mentor to South Dakota State University Sustainability Specialist Jennifer McLaughlin as a part of the formal AASHE mentorship program. Even though the formal portion of the program ended, Geory still supports Jennifer's ongoing efforts as support is requested.
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?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
Has the institution participated in other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year, e.g. joint planning or resource sharing with other institutions? :
A brief description of other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year:
-Touch of Nature is actively involved regionally with sharing information and expertise with other colleges, specifically related to trail building and/or invasive species removal. They have worked with Loyola University and Boston University.
-Touch of Nature supports the planning of the American Hiking Society spring break, which includes a mix of college student organizers.
-Committee members from the Saluki Food Pantry initiative, including the Director of Sustainability Geory Kurtzhals have hosted representatives from other institutions who are opening their own food pantries and SIU has supplied planning information, resources, tours of the pantry, and more to those other institutions.
https://ton.siu.edu/
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.