University of Louisville
PAE-20: Inter-Campus Collaboration on Sustainability

UofL staff, faculty and students regularly collaborate to share sustainability experiences through the following presentations: 1. Bluegrass Bioneers Conference: UofL hosts this annual regional gathering as a satellite event associated with the national conference Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature. In 2009, UofL's Sustainability Council organized an environmental justice tour of Louisville and a Panel Discussion on University Sustainability: Examples and Conversation about Innovative Strides at UofL. In 2010, the Council organized a presentation and strategizing session about UofL's recently completed Climate Action Plan. In 2011, the Council hosted a Campus Sustainability Walking Tour to share our achievements and challenges. http://www.bluegrassbioneers.org/ 2. AASHE Conference: Since 2008, UofL has sent representatives to share ideas and resources at the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In 2011, two UofL staff and two UofL students co-presented three papers and a poster on: The Partnership for a Green City - public partners promoting sustainability; The Power and the Art of Weaving Sustainability into New Employee Orientation; Think Outside The Car! - Surveying Commuter Choices; and Creating Sustainable Urban Infrastructure One Seed at a Time. In 2010, two UofL staff and two UofL students co-presented the Panel: Growing GRASS and other sustainability initiatives at University of Louisville. 3. Kentucky Campus Community Partnerships for Sustainability Conference (CCPS): Each year the Sustainability Council sends UofL representatives to share ideas and resources with other regional campuses at CCPS. In 2011, three UofL faculty presented on green infrastructure, renewable energy, and sustainability education. In 2010, five UofL staff and one community partner co-presented "UofL: Shrinking the Foodshed." 4. UofL's Center for Environmental Education is involved with all of the other 8 public universities through a network called KUPEE (Kentucky University Partners for Environmental Education). The Center also partners each year with the KY School Garden Network, Sierra Club and Spalding University to produce the Healthy Foods/Local Farms Conference to Louisville (which it hosted in 2009). UofL, King's College of the UK, University of Hawaii, RMIT University - UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre (Australia), and Simon Frasier University in Vancouver, BC will participate in an Invited Symposium at the National Association of Research in Science Education 2011 Conference. UofL's Center and the University of Kentucky's Tracey Farmer Institute for Environment and Sustainability submitted a pre-proposal intent to NSF for funding of Kentucky GROing STEMS (Gardening Revolution Options through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math for Sustainability). Finally, in partnership with the University of Kentucky Tracey Farmer Institute, the CPE Teacher Quality Grant-funded Science and Literacy for Middle School Teachers Project incorporates sustainability and environmental education into each content topic chosen by the teachers. 5. Each year, UofL's Sustainability Council sends representatives to the Kentucky Campus Sustainability Leaders Workshop. On October 22, 2010 UofL hosted the second annual Workshop. UofL organized the event and presented on its sustainability initiatives to representatives from: Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Transylvania University, Murray State University, University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, and Jefferson Community and Technical College.

1. Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 2. Partnership for A Green City (Louisville) 3. Kentucky College & University Sustainability Leadership Workshop 4. Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, which serves as the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration. 5. American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment 6. Workers' Rights Consortium 7. Task Force on the Master Plan for Environmental Education in Kentucky (recommendations for the next five years to the legislature and stakeholders in the state) 8. Task Force on a plan for Environmental Education for the Kentucky Dept. of Education in preparation for No Child Left Inside federal funding 9. National Association for Biology Teachers Task Force for NRC framework for new science standards offering support for interdisciplinary, ecological, environmental, action oriented content laden orientation.

1. UofL participates in regular gatherings of Kentucky's university sustainability coordinators and hosted the June 4, 2010 meeting, including a UofL sustainability tour for other campus sustainability coordinators. 2. In June 2010, UofL's assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives, Justin Mog, spoke at Transylvania University’s first faculty workshop on sustainability across the curriculum. 3. UofL's Center for Environmental Education and the University of Kentucky's Tracey Farmer Institute are collaborated on the initial design for international climate change education which will involve Kentucky K-12 students and educators (both formal and informal) and students and educators in areas undergoing concrete climate change difficulties (Nepal, India, Arctic Circle Regions, Peru, etc.).