| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 84.41 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | March 26, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Connecticut
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Richard
Miller Director Office of Envirnmental Policy |
Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
- AASHE: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Second Nature and President’s Climate/Carbon Commitment (formerly ACUPCC)
- Colleges United for Climate Action: COP Higher Ed Networking Coalition
- Tree Campus USA
- We Are Still In - US Multi-Sector Climate Action Coalition
- Bee Campus USA
- UN's Annual Climate Summit & Conference of the Parties (COP21,22 & 23)
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):
- CT DEEP's GreenCircle
- CT Regional Climate and Stormwater Corps - SustainableCT
- Joshua's Trust (Eastern CT land trust)
- CT Chapter, Sierra Club
- CT Audubon Society
- CT Campus Sustainability Coalition
- NECSC: Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium
- Town of Mansfield Sustainability Committee
- New England Council Environment Committee
Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
- AASHE Conference & Expo - COP Networking session, "Breaking the Green Ceiling" Panel
- Colleges United for Climate Action at COP22 & 23
- CT Conference on Natural Resources - LID and Green Stormwater Infrastructure
- CT DEEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee - Recycling, Waste Diversion and Sustainability at UConn
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):
The University of Connecticut annually submits a case study that is representative of its multiple campuses to the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking system. Data on a variety of topics, such as setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation and education is submitted and scored against more than 700 other universities worldwide. For this case study, evidence of renewable energy production, green building implementation, organic and inorganic waste treatment, environment/sustainability focused courses offered, and more was gathered to show a comprehensive look at UConn’s efforts towards sustainability. After submission of the case study, UConn was globally ranked as #7.
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):
- NECSC: Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium; OEP Director Rich Miller is on the Steering Committee
- AASHE: OEP Director Rich Miller is on the Board of Directors (Vice Chair, 2017; Chair, 2018)
- Jim O'Donnell, Prof. of Marine Sciences, is an appointed member of the CT Governor's Committee on Climate Change
- UConn EPAC: Environmental Policy Advisory Council is chaired by OEP Director Miller
- OEP Sustainability Intern, Wanjiku Gatheru, was appointed chair of the USG Student Services Committee and recently was elected Vice President of USG
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:
AASHE Board of Director Meeting at UConn: The UConn Office of Environmental Policy Director, Rich Miller, hosted the AASHE Board of Directors retreat and meeting at UConn’s Storrs Campus. This three day retreat included Directors from Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, the University of California, Princeton, Georgia Tech, Arizona, Michigan State, UIC, and senior staff from AASHE. Attendees toured the various aspects of sustainability at UConn’s Campus, including Green Buildings, LID features, the ag composting facility and student residential organic farm. Guest speakers included the Dining Services Director on sustainable dining, the Director of the CT Water Resources Institute on LID, and the EVPA & CFO on supporting sustainability during difficult budget times. A purpose of this retreat was to provide inspiration and advice about achieving more sustainable campuses. Mr. Miller also worked with AASHE's ED Faye-Zahniser, and another Director (Mr. Champion) to lead a vigorous discussion and brainstorming session about bold action, communications and engagement strategies needed to lead the campus sustainability movement through the most politically tumultuous and challenging period in AASHE's history.
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:
UConn’s Office of Environmental Policy employs student interns that conduct gap analyses for various surveys the university participates in annually. The gap analysis process includes reviewing data, initiatives, and programs from top-performing schools and determining how those fields compare with UConn’s efforts towards sustainability. If there are questions about data, initiatives or programs, student interns may contact the sustainability offices of the respective schools for more information and tips on how to implement them at UConn. This dialogue has resulted in good information exchanges and UConn interns have served as mentors for their peers at other institutions about some of UConn's best practices and exemplary programs. For example, this past year, OEP interns have advised student peers from Penn State about how to implement an EcoCoin program in the student bookstore; and from U. of Cincinnati about how to implement an EcoMadness energy and water competition in the dorms.
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:
UConn has been the lead organizer of the Colleges United for Climate Action: COP Higher Ed Networking events
For three years, UConn has been sending a cohort of exceptional students to the UNFCCC COP events around the world. For COP23, UConn, Second Nature, Tufts University, and AASHE co-hosted the Colleges United for Climate Action networking event in Bonn, Germany. The students met with like-minded students and discussed ideas and opinions about current events surrounding climate and sustainability, as well as ways our universities have been working to address those issues, especially through research, education, outreach, advocacy, and leading by example to reduce carbon footprints and advance green technologies.
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.