University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

Public service and engagement have long been a core mission at Carolina. By tapping academic and administrative expertise, applying research, and creating vital partnerships, the University serves as a resource for communities both near and far. Select community partnerships include: • UNC Chapel Hill works with community leaders, government agencies, and non-profits through the School of Government, which also houses the Environmental Finance Center. The Center assists communities to address the finance and policy challenges related to the provision of environmental services and programs. • Active Living by Design promotes physical activity and healthy eating through community design. Local projects include safe walking routes to school, mixed-use neighborhoods, and walking maps of downtown. • The Environmental Resource Program in the Institute for the Environment enhances public understanding of current environmental science and health research and its relevance to daily life, and empowers North Carolinians to make informed decisions that protect the environment and public health. Workshops involve K-12 teachers, high school students, African-American communities, and local and state government agencies. • The North Carolina Botanical Garden, an international leader in conservation biology, promotes a sustainable relationship between people and nature through public events and educational opportunities for teachers, students, and the community. • The Carolina Center for Public Service promotes opportunities for students and faculty to engage in public service that is responsive to the needs of North Carolina communities. The top five service focus areas for students are children and youth, health, education, social justice, and hunger and homelessness/poverty. • APPLES, Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service, a program of the Carolina Center for Public Service, is the oldest student-led service-learning program in the country. It brings students, faculty, and the community together. In 2009-20010, APPLES supported 102 service-learning courses in 43 departments. More than 2,400 students enrolled in these courses and volunteered more than 82,000 hours with more than 100 community organizations. • A combustion facility is being built by UNC to capture and burn methane gas at Chapel Hill’s municipal landfill. During construction, the gas will be flared to keep it out of the atmosphere. By 2011, electricity generated by the methane will power a complex of support buildings located two miles north of main campus. More buildings will be served by methane-produced electricity as Carolina North is developed.