Stanford University
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

Stanford engages and partners with the local community through a number of organizations and platforms. The best catalog of ongoing partnerships can be found in the archives of the Community Partnership Awards. Stanford's Office of Public Affairs initiated the Community Partnership Awards program in 2003 to honor the valuable partnerships that exist between Stanford and its neighbors, and to celebrate community efforts that successfully tackle real world problems and advance the public good. Award winners are selected based on their initiative, leadership, and involvement in projects that embody the spirit of genuine partnership and benefit the overall community. In each case, the projects have resulted in collaboration and better understanding between Stanford and communities of the Mid-Peninsula. Since 2003, a number of these awards have been related to one or more aspects of sustainability. For example, consider one of the 2011 winners, the Redwood Environmental Academy of Leadership (http://www.sequoiadistrict.org/20441091817520267/site/default.asp): The Redwood Environmental Academy of Leadership (REAL) grew out of a Stanford K-12 Initiative grant called "Ecology: Learning by Doing and Making a Difference." It has grown into a Sequoia Union High School District academy program for environmental science education and stewardship. Since 2007, Stanford participants have included Rodolfo Dirzo, Bing Professor in Environmental Science; Cindy Wilber, Jasper Ridge education coordinator; Alan Launer, conservation program manager; Laura Jones, director of heritage services and campus archaeologist; and students from Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability. REAL uses Cordilleras Creek, which runs through the campus of Redwood High School, to engage students in hands-on ecology-based learning, creek restoration and research. REAL also makes visits to research sites at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. To view all Community Partnership Awards, please visit: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/govcr/community-partnership-awards/ In addition, Stanford is a member of the Palo Alto Community Environmental Action Partnership (CEAP). This collaborative, citywide initiative, "engages the various segments of the Palo Alto community to identify opportunities and create and implement sustainable environmental solutions." To learn more about CEAP, including its history and the organizational goals, please visit: http://pa-ceap.pbworks.com/w/page/7462959/CEAP http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/environment/doing_your_part/ceap.asp