Stonehill College
EN-10: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Below is a list of several presentations given by Stonehill community members in the past 3 years. On January 22, 2013, a Stonehill professor of communications, who is also a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, gave a "Climate Reality" presentation, which aimed to educate people about climate change and build local networks of climate activists who work in their own communities and countries demanding solutions. In November of 2013, students in the Science & Ethics of Climate Change Learning Community held "Climate Change in our Community” presentations at eight public venues throughout the community. Their presentations provided an overview, impacts on local community, a question & answer session, and suggestions on taking action. On November 11, 2013, students in the Food Politics Learning Community presented photo essays concerning the systems that support the production, purchasing, preparation, marketing, distribution, landfilling, recycling and composting of food at Stonehill College. On April 14, 2014, Stonehill students presented their research on the many ways to enhance The Farm at Stonehill. This research included using a Walipini underground greenhouse to extend the season, adding bees and chickens to provide better pollination and natural fertilization, participating in a seed library, using water barrels to collect rain water from gutters in puddle prone areas and use it to water landscaping, and adding solar panels in an effort to reduce The Farm’s carbon footprint. On October 20, 2014, a Stonehill staff member and an alumnus served on a "Models of Sustainability in Higher Ed." panel at Bridgewater State University as part of their campus’s Sustainability Day. They gave a presentation highlighting Stonehill’s green initiatives. On November 13, 2014, students in the Sustainable Agriculture course presented research they had conducted on topics such as Biochar, Tower Gardens, Cover Crops, Crop Rotation, Edible Forest Gardens, Soil Fertility, and Season Extension with Cold Frames. On April 28, 2015, students in the Water Learning Community gave presentations on various topics they had researched including storm water management, water conservation, bottled water, irrigation/landscaping, and food systems & culture water impacts. Over the past few years, the College's Energy Manager has attended several meetings of the Easton's Green Communities Committee and given presentations on Stonehill's current and future sustainability related endeavors. On November 15, 2014, a Stonehill student participated in a panel discussion regarding Stonehill’s composting program at the Eco-Rep Symposium and Workshop at Tufts University.

Stonehill College is a member of AASHE, St. Francis Pledge signatory, and Real Food Challenge signatory. Members of the Stonehill community also serve on Easton's Green Communities Committee and are board members of Green Schools. Stonehill participates in many sustainability focused conferences and workshops including the Eco-Rep Symposium and Workshop, Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium, Real Food. Stonehill College offers an Engineering Program in collaboration with The University of Notre Dame. Students in this 3+2 Engineering Program with the University of Notre Dame receive a B.S. in Environmental Science from Stonehill College and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. Stonehill participated in Campus Conservation Nationals 2015: the largest electricity and water reduction competition for colleges and universities in the world. Stonehill also participates in Recyclemania annually.

In summer of 2014 a team of students and faculty actively performed research to create permaculture gardens for the Stonehill College and Massasoit Community College Campuses through funding provided by the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. In the late spring of 2014, a Stonehill faculty member and a Massasoit Community College faculty member met with the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations to discuss the potential to work together and with students of Massasoit, to create on-campus permaculture gardens at each of the respective colleges. Stonehill's Energy Manager has met with several local colleges including Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Eastern Nazarene College to collaborate on ways to improve energy efficiency programs.