| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.35 |
| Liaison | Suchi Daniels |
| Submission Date | Feb. 19, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of South Florida (Tampa)
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Kebreab
Ghebremichael Director of Water Sustainability Concentration Patel College of Global Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
1st Partnership
International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus?:
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above:
United Nations World Tourism Organization Approves USF’s Patel College of Global Sustainability (PCGS) to Lead First Global
Sustainable Tourism Observatory in North America. PCGS Joins the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).
The INSTO was established in 2004 as a way for UNWTO to further its commitment to sustainable tourism. This organization was founded
on the idea of creating international indicators of sustainability applicable to the tourism sector. Since the establishment of INSTO, 15
observatories have been recognized for their commitment to regular monitoring of the management of tourism. These observatories are
located in China, Greece, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Croatia, and now the United States of America.
PCGS’s Sustainable Tourism Observatory will measure traditional INSTO metrics and seek to create new ones that will assist in protecting
coastal habitat and marine environments. These new metrics have been developed through collaboration with PCGS and the Walt Disney
Company on their proven sustainable tourism strategies. This new designation will offer new opportunities to students for study, research,
experiential learning, and internships for all PCGS concentrations: http://www.usf.edu/pcgs/partners/unwto.aspx. As a member of the
UNWTO, the PCGS observatory hosts annual conferences here in Tampa, FL. UNWTO organizations worldwide attend, with the goal of
meeting the UN’s agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (http://sdt.unwto.org/event/unwto-network-observatories-insto-advancingmeasurement-
sustainable-tourism-development-open-c).
2nd Partnership
Blue Community Observatory
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (2nd partnership) (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (2nd partnership):
Through the USF PCGS/Blue Community Observatory, the PCGS is leading an on-going collaborative effort, along with 10
communities and over 20 organizations in Manatee and Pinellas counties, in researching, teaching and identifying best practices in
promoting sustainable coastal planning and resilience http://www.bluecommunity.info/topics/view/55a922bd0cf20feb892c987e/. PCGS
established on-going communication with the offices of the mayors in the USF PCGS Blue Community Observatory to raise the quality of
communicating the fundamental elements of sustainability � economic prosperity, environmental/ecological health and social equity
their communities. PCGS will be hosting a Summit for the 10 Mayors in the Observatory area, to discuss lessons learned from the recent
Hurricane events and share response experiences.
3rd Partnership
WHALE Center
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (3rd partnership):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (3rd partnership) (Yes, No, or Unknown):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (3rd partnership):
Administers Blue Community Consortium, provides internship and U.N. educational experiences, coordination and
sponsorship of conferences, co-sponsorship of Tour de Turtles, and experiential learning to enhance PCGS courses. The WHALE Center
also administers the International Ocean Institute Waves of Change program and the URI Global Healing Initiative that offer education
and educational opportunities See: http://www.bluecommunity.info/topics/view/55f0439c0cf20feb892ccfbc/
5. In partnership with several communities and schools around the Tampa Bay area, PCGS has established several pilot projects of
sustainable living practices that are being used as demonstration and educational sites and for conducting research in collaboration with
students and community partners. Many of the pilot plants include different designs of bio-digesters for energy and nutrient recovery
combined with vegetables gardens and renewable energy generations based on solar power. The bio-digesters are being used to generate
methane used for cooking and the nutrient rich effluent from the bio digesters is used as fertilizer for the gardens. Some of the project sites
include the Rosebud Continuum Science Education Center in Land O Lakes
(https://sites.google.com/a/mail.usf.edu/sustainabilitynews/articles/rosebudcontinuumscienceeducationcenter), Solar Cities Bio-digester
Project ( http://www.usf.edu/pcgs/research-and-initiatives/th-biodigester-story.aspx) , Blake High school bio digester project
(https://www.gofundme.com/blake-apes-community-garden)w�w}&�Py���[
Optional Fields
The Patel College of Global Sustainability (PCGS) is the newest degree-granting college at the University of South Florida and is unique in its mission and its approach. Endowed through a generous gift from Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel, the College was established in 2009 to foster sustainable urban development and help society live in harmony with the environment. It accomplishes this by nurturing collaborative research and education across disciplines and supporting meaningful engagement with communities locally and globally.
PCGS continued in its current partnership, through student internships, with the City of St. Petersburg to review the City's Comprehensive
Land Use Plan - with a view to strengthening the City's sustainability goals of economic prosperity and environmental/ecological health.m
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
http://www.usf.edu/engagement/cspp/
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.