Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 75.15
Liaison Lori Collins-Hall
Submission Date March 5, 2021
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Sterling College (VT)
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Julian Sharp
Directory of Community Outreach
Advancement
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus?:
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above:

Sterling College is a member of the Vermont Business for Social Responsibility (VBSR). VBSR is a statewide, nonprofit business association with a mission to foster a business ethic in Vermont that recognizes the opportunity and responsibility of the business community to set a high standard for protecting the natural, human, and economic environments of our citizens.

https://vbsr.org/


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE)

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (2nd partnership) (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Not Sure

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (2nd partnership):

We have a partnership with the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) in Hardwick, a local organization working to transform our food system for social, economic and ecological vitality. The mission of the CAE is to engage the public in building a regenerative, locally based, healthy food system through collaboration opportunities, food access and hunger relief, educational outreach and providing infrastructure. We have hosted a number of events with the CAE, including Pies for People, and explored a number of joint projects/collaborations. Additionally, Sterling students travel to the CAE's food production hub and CAE staffers present to classes. Sterling College faculty give presentations to the larger community about value-added food products and labeling & marketing through the CAE.

http://www.hardwickagriculture.org


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Post-Landfill Action Network

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (3rd partnership):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (3rd partnership) (Yes, No, or Unknown):
---

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (3rd partnership):

The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) cultivates, educates, and inspires the student-led zero waste movement. We inform students about the waste crisis and equip them with the necessary skills and resources to implement solutions to waste in their campus communities. PLAN empowers our generation to be changemakers. Through this work, we strive to create a model for holistic, systemic change that goes beyond waste.

By amplifying the voices of young people, college students, recent grads and folx who have been and continue to be historically marginalized, we aim to cultivate and inspire both thought leadership and creative solutions that are rooted in environmental and social justice.

https://www.postlandfill.org/about-plan/


A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:

Since 2015, Sterling College has provided office space and administrative support for the Orleans County Forester. Vermont County Foresters provide forest management advice, technical assistance, as well as outreach to landowners and the general public. The County Forester is dedicated to the stewardship of Vermont’s forests and is a resource for private landowners, businesses, and nonprofits. On campus, the County Forester consults on the College's forest stewardship plan, advises forestry students, presented to classes on carbon sequestration, and provides assistance with ArcGIS.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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