Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.47
Liaison Sally DeLeon
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Maryland, College Park
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Sally DeLeon
Acting Manager
Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution, including how each program addresses the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability:
Through the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s student group Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the University’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond the campus and the region to global projects in developing nations. Founded in 2004 and led by faculty adviser Dr. David Lovell, the UMD chapter of this national organization sends groups of students overseas to help communities meet common engineering problems with sustainable solutions. Students and faculty work with local groups over several years to assess needs and options, and to implement multi-phase projects. EWB has current programs in Compone, Peru (Bridge building, irrigation system, and water purification); El Cacao, Nicaragua (water supply and purification); and Suma Ahenkro, Ghana (solar electricity, and water supply reliability). The Office of Leadership & Community Service Learning offers an Alternative Break program with 27 experiences a year, over Winter, Spring, and Summer Breaks. Each experience is run by two student leaders and one faculty/staff leader. Every experience focuses on a social issue, and requires students to partner with the local communities and reflect on their experience. One experience is focused on sustainable community development in Los Andes, Guatemala. Los Andes is a eco-friendly coffee farm that uses sustainable farming methods and provides their own hydroelectric power. The farm also provides free healthcare, free education, and affordable housing to workers who live on the property. Students have the opportunity to learn from community leaders about their programs to reduce rates of disease, improve literacy, and improve the quality of life for those in Los Andes. https://thestamp.umd.edu/leadership_community_service-learning/programs/alternative_breaks In addition to EWB and Alternative Breaks, the university offers study abroad trips, many of which focus on sustainability. More information is available at http://www.international.umd.edu/studyabroad/.

Optional Fields 

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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