University of Massachusetts Lowell
IN-25: Innovation B

In October 2015, UMass Lowell entered into an Memorandum of Understanding with University College Cork (UCC) with a specific focus on sustainability. Both campuses, although separated by the Atlantic Ocean, are remarkably similar given their urban setting and close ties to their respective host cities; Lowell, Massachusetts and the People's Republic of Cork.

Both institutions have participated in fruitful visits and exchanges that have delivered impressive results. In 2016, UMass Lowell and University College Cork co-hosted a workshop at UMass Lowell with attendance from each of the five campuses in the UMass system, along with UCC's partner universities in Ireland. The workshop offered $20,000 in SEED funding that led to the following sustainability initiatives between both institutions:

Summer Sustainability School: A partnership between UCC and UMass Lowell held in Cork, Ireland in 2018. The week long summer school took an interdisciplinary approach to exploring themes of sustainability at local, national and international level. The school focused on the Sustainable Development Goals and how society can “make sustainability work” through incorporating people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnership. The summer school built on the existing partnerships between the institutions and enable knowledge-sharing around each institution’s strengths and specific contexts. The program included lectures, keynotes, group works and site visits.

AASHE STARS Support and Direction: Through conversations with UMass Lowell's Director of Sustainability, Ruairi O'Mahony, a UCC alum, University College Cork saw the value in engaging with the the STARS reporting process. With continued support and engagement from UMass Lowell's Office of Sustainability, UCC became the first organization outside of North America to achieve a STARS rating in July of 2018.

UNESCO City of Learning: During the 2016 sustainability conference held at UMass Lowell, UCC Vice-President, Prof. John O'Halloran outlined how they have collaborated with the City of Cork to better support lifelong and life-wide learning. The concept was further strengthened by working with educational institutions in Cork, from pre-school up to, and including community colleges. Prof. O'Halloran challenged the Lowell delegation to replicate this model and establish a City of Learning program in Lowell. With ongoing support from our colleagues at UCC, Lowell hosted its first Learning Cities festival in 2018, with a follow-up festival already in place for Earth Month of 2019. The UN Sustainable Development Goals underpin our collective understanding of the sustainable city and inform our continued approach to shared learning and resources focused on urban sustainability issues.

Oral History project (Landscapes of Memory: The Rivers--Insights from the River Lee and the Merrimack River for a Sustainable Future): UCC and UMass Lowell interviewed, created transcripts, and in the case of UMass Lowell, developed a short video.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/ucc-becomes-first-university-outside-the-us-to-win-top-green-award-871626.html

https://lowellcityoflearning.org/