Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 74.20
Liaison Juanita Van Norman
Submission Date Aug. 5, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Manitoba
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Christie Nairn
Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Rainbow Gardens

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?:
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:

Rainbow Gardens is a co-op project with up to 300 newcomer families and is managed by the Refugee Immigrant Farming & Integration in Manitoba Inc. and financially supported by the University of Manitoba. These gardens help community members to grow their own food, share in their native culinary traditions, and establish a meaningful social network among other immigrant and local community members.

The University of Manitoba provides the site for Rainbow Gardens located at Fort Garry campus. In addition, water, maintenance, and volunteer support throughout the growing season is provided through administrative and academic departments. This partnership aims to foster community around environment, ecological and food security issues, increase biodiversity in our community, and provide UM students, and staff as well as newcomers to Winnipeg with opportunities to learn and apply knowledge related to sustainable agriculture.

https://knoxwinnipeg.ca/community-rainbow-gardens/
https://umanitoba.ca/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives/land-and-food
https://news.umanitoba.ca/rainbow-gardens-supports-immigrant-families/
https://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/architecture/cast/RainbowGardens.html
https://www.wpgfdn.org/health/growing-community/


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Karnataka Health Promotion Trust

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):
Sustainability-related

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):

Kartaka Health Promote trust aims to improve the health and wellbeing of communities in India through improving neonatal and child health, adolescent health and comprehensive primary healthcare. The organization works with communities to strengthen institutions to support healthcare, and empower marginalized groups.

UM provides financial support for this project, details of which can be found here https://www.khpt.org/partners/


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Smart Vertical Farming: Opaskwayak Cree Nation

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? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-related

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):

The University of Manitoba has partnered with Opaskwayak Cree Nation on developing a smart vertical farm for the community. The partnership is part of the Federal Government’s new initiative to create a training platform that addresses shortcomings in understanding how to make cities healthier, with better and more secure food resources. The partnership involves Onogomiizwin – UM Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceutical and St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre. This project will also facilitate opportunities for experiential learning, involving Paskwayak Business Development Corporation Ltd. and the Pas Community Development Corporation. Trainees will develop business models for fresh functional food production, packing, and delivery throughout the region. An offshoot of this includes a new initiative to deliver fresh vegetables for school lunch and snack programs, and the monitoring of children’s growth and health outcomes. This work will be a model that can potentially be transferred to other First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba and other Indigenous communities across Canada.

https://news.umanitoba.ca/smart-vertical-farming-to-expand-in-northern-manitoba/


A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.