University of Missouri, Kansas City
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

In the Geosciences Department Dr. Jimmy Adegoke, Climatologist, has a weather monitoring station that monitors changes in the weather and collects data for research. Adegoke, Jimmy O & Steurer, Joan F & Green, Christopher M & Willoughby, M Tyler & Joerke, James. (n.d.). The Kansas City, Missouri, ground-level ozone (GLO) project: a community-based air pollution field experiment. Journal of environmental health, 73. Retreived from http://www.biomedsearch.com/nih/Kansas-City-Missouri-ground-level/20687326.html

UMKC is home to 4 LEED Builds and an Architectural and Urban Design Department that uses the buildings on campus to demonstrate the how green buildings save money and energy. https://www.umkc.edu/news/feature.asp?id=45 http://www.umkc.edu/degrees/Up.html

The UMKC Dining Services engages students at all levels of day to day operations. The UMKC Garden Collective raises varies fruits, vegetables and herb and partners with the Dining Services to use surplus produce. In addition, Dining Services engages with students in the learning process through projects such as local sourcing, food shed modeling, etc. http://www.umkc.edu/foodservice/sustainability.html

The UMKC Engineering Department teaches energy options via on campus solar arrays and desktop monitoring. Additionally, the department works with students and campus sustainability in the campus Voluntary Energy Management Program. http://info.umkc.edu/news/students-present-ideas-for-an-energy-efficient-kansas-city/

The UMKC Lawn, Landscaping and Gardens department engages students and student groups in the process of caring for campus grounds. There are student lead gardens, student internships and work-studies as well. The department utilizes more native grasses to reduce water usage on lawns, composting organics, assisting in securing funding for UMKC Garden Collective, planning plant exchange events and creating a farmer’s market on campus. Additionally, the they have reduced the amount of chemicals used by using compost instead of other mulch, fish emulsion instead of traditional fertilizers and environmentally friendly ice melts.

UMKC in collaboration with the Sustainability Leadership from all four campuses and UM Purchasing have put together a brochure to help individuals use the tool Show-Me Shop to make green purchases. The Sustainable Office Shopping in the UM System brochure highlights best practices, identifying logos that make sustainable purchasing easier, and some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). In addition UMKC is working with the following in vendor relations to: Engage vendors in take back recycling programs for major purchases. Identifying and using green cleaners by custodial staff Purchasing recycled content paper-100% post-consumer. Use of environmentally-friendly ice melt. Purchase of compostable products in partnership with Sodexo in UMKC http://info.umkc.edu/sustainability/green-campus/purchasing/

UMKC’s green transportation initiatives include integrating student, faculty and staff all-access bus passes, increasing the number of bike racks and amenities, and developing a multi-modal parking structure to support cycling, bus commuting, pedestrians, ride-share and alternative fuel vehicles. The university participates in a group of 17 partners that received a $15 million U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Initiative grant from the Recovery Act. The grant will support the installation of a variety of refueling stations and aid in the deployment of more than 300 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. There are internships working on multi-modal transportation plans, education and safety for students in the bike/ped program, how to ride the bus and safety classes, zip car education classes are offered ongoing. The UMKC urban campus has gone from a primarily commuter campus with mostly single vehicles in use in 2009 to a multi-modal campus where a car is no longer needed travel on campus and around the community.

The 335 Waste Management Class has participated in the Recycling and Waste Reduction program on campus by providing waste audits as part of the student projects for the past 8 years. Additionally, student interns and work-studies work on awareness and education by developing signage and bin placement based upon Community-Based Social Marketing research. Peer to peer education is also developed by students for students as part of the annual RecycleMania competition. UMKC won #1 Grand Champion in 2013 as a result of these efforts.

UMKC has many students who have completed water budgets for the campus which informed the creation of rain gardens, community gardens, roof gardens. Students also providing on-the-ground monitoring for the Brush Creek water shed. Student's responsibilities include flow monitoring, water quality monitoring, soil infiltration studies, lot and street assessments, and performance measures of the green solutions. These represent real implementations in a real neighborhood.

The Student Government Association at UMKC through their association, asked the university, by resolution, to strive for LEED accreditation on all new buildings. Anticipated to obtain LEED Silver certification, the facility features public transportation access, storm water control, natural lighting, skylights, high ceilings, a central stairway and a 6,300-square-foot multi-purpose area that is divisible into four rooms. Additionally, the students also voted overwhelmingly for a fee for an all access bus pass for all students. Additionally, students continue to coordinate and plan for the future through the student government. http://www.umkc.edu/union/sustainability.asp

UMKC’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion provides dynamic programming that enriches the educational experiences of students, staff, faculty and community members. In addition to awareness events, the Division has been awarded multiple grants to improve K-12 educational attainment and ready students for the challenges of higher education and career advancement. Through community engagement our students, faculty and staff exchange ideas, learn from local leaders and put theory to practice in real-life situations. Through these partnerships our communities grow, our institution is enriched and our students are empowered to meet the needs of a diverse nation. http://www.umkc.edu/diversity/

The MindBody Connection is a collaboration of the UMKC Counseling Center and Student Health and Wellness. The mission of the MindBody Connection is to provide a space where students can learn skills to manage academic and personal stressors. Furthermore, The MindBody Connection enhances student development and academic success by helping students: Identify and capitalize on their personal strengths Learn and implement new skills Access relevant campus and community resources http://www.umkc.edu/mindbody/

Henry W. Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation features is a “finance lab,” a mock stock trading floor. Each desk is equipped with dual screens, and a stock ticker runs above the room’s windows. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/15/4412648/putting-the-real-world-into-umkc.html#storylink=cpy

Civic Engagement is more than the sum of its parts. Just as a community is more than a simple sum of its citizens, civic engagement works at the intersection of passion, interest, and talent. UMKC's Civic Engagement Program is located at the UMKC Institute for Human Development which has a focus on developing partnerships for effective social change. The Civic Engagement Program began in 2012 with a three-part strategy. 1) Develop community leadership programs; 2) support student civic engagement; and 3) conduct focused research and community outreach. http://www.umkc.edu/civicengage/ http://www.umkc.edu/provost/awards/excellence-community-engagement.asp