University of Montana
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Tayli
Hillyard Sustainability Engagement Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
1st Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
Climate Smart Missoula, formerly called ADAPT, was initiated in 2014 by a core group of community sustainability leaders including representatives from the Audubon Society, St. Patrick's Hospital, the Clark Fork Coalition, the University of Montana, the US Forest Service Region 1 office, the City of Missoula, and others. The first publicly visible step in the partnership's work was to host a "Community Conversation" on climate change that brought to the forefront issues, resources, and strategies that exist in Missoula related to climate resilience and adaption. At that time, all of the leadership and programmatic work done by the group was volunteer and piecemeal, but still robust and responsive. With time, it became clear that there was a need for a paid staff member to head the efforts and keep things moving forward. Climate Smart Missoula was born and continues to thrive as its very own 501(c)3 NGO in Missoula today.
Most, if not all, of the original partners continue to stay engaged and represent their organizations at meetings and Climate Smart events. As a partner, the University of Montana has provided abundant in-kind staff support as well as financial support for specific events over the years. Our graduates and students have interned and are employed with Climate Smart and individual UM staff are charitable donors to the organization. UM and Climate Smart partner on Climate Week every fall to host events on campus and in the community.
Climate Smart Missoula takes a forward-looking, solutions-oriented approach to climate adaption and resilience. Building on the existing resources and strong partnerships in our community, we seek to build bridges and act as a 'hub' for the efforts currently underway to build a more resilient Missoula. We work closely with organizations that provide resources and services to disadvantaged populations in our community and select adaptive strategies that resonate with people across our diverse city, regardless of cultural background, socioeconomic status, or gender. Some recent initiatives that CSM has been focusing on are 1. An extreme Heat Plan + Toolkit available for community members, 2. Climate Solutions Week with multiple events and a Climate & Clean Energy Expo, hosted in late Sept, 3. And many free, online resources on specific climate topics are available for the Missoula Community.
The UM Office of Sustainability supports Climate Smart Missoula financially by being a sponsor of the Climate & Energy Expo (in 2022 and 2023) and by collaborating to offer events during Climate Solutions week that highlight UM climate efforts. In 2023, we coordinated an event highlighting sustainability and climate-focused research that was hosted off-campus in order to better serve community members interested in learning about UM work. In 2024, we are supporting a panel on climate grief that is facilitated by a UM professor and is held in our student union building.
2nd Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
UM's Environmental Studies Program works closely with two Missoula non-profits, The Missoula Food Bank and Garden City Harvest, and operates a 10-acre farm two miles from campus. The farm is known locally as the PEAS Farm. "PEAS" refers to the Environmental Studies Department's Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society, which has combined traditional academics with hands-on work at an urban organic farm that produces tens of thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables each season for low-income Missoulians. Students can work for credit on the farm, but their work earns them much more than credit hours. Students are involved in all phases of food production, from greenhouse work in February to selling pumpkins in October. Most students report that the summer season at the PEAS Farm is the most enriching experience they have ever had. In addition to providing hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture for UM students, the farm also operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program open to any and all community members and a Youth Farm program that employs teenagers in a therapeutic, service-oriented work program. The students operate the Mobile Market as one of their primary tasks, a mobile farmers market that serves those living in Missoula's subsidized housing complexes.
The University of Montana Environmental Studies program supports the PEAS farm materially by financially supporting several instructor positions that work on the farm to supervise students and lead the curricular components of the farm. Additionally, students who earn internship credit working and learning at the PEAS farm do so through UM's EVST program.
3rd Partnership
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
The goal of Free Cycles is to help Western Montana transition to a sustainable transportation system while simultaneously setting a strong example for other places. Free Cycles provides bicycles, parts, tools, work space, and help for a healthy community. Our programs focus on re-purposing unused bicycles to reduce pollution and increase freedom, empowerment and social change.
ASUM Transportation contributes funds each year towards Free Cycles, as many students on campus go to Free Cycles to build and take home a free bike. ASUM Transportation also partners up on local bike tune-up events, where ASUM T & Free Cycles Mechanics set up pop-up shops for anyone who may need help with their bike. Free Cycles and ASUM Transportation are constantly sharing each others' resources to the general public and the campus community.
Optional Fields
Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Climate Smart Missoula (partnership #1): http://www.missoulaclimate.org/
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.