| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.71 |
| Liaison | Gioia Thompson |
| Submission Date | Feb. 6, 2023 |
University of Vermont
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Gioia
Thompson Sustainability Strategist UVM Office of Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
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:
In September 2022 the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) named the University of Vermont the northeast regional winner of the 2022 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award in recognition of the extraordinary community engagement of the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative (ALC),
Watch video: https://youtu.be/dwJ75Lv6gI0
The ALC works to help transform current food systems to ones that are ecologically sound and socially just. Its team of international scholars spans a wide range of disciplines—agroecology, ecology, sociology, entomology, soil health, geography, and others. The team uses a participatory action research approach that centers on the co-creation of evidence and knowledge, in partnership with farmers and other actors, to seek solutions to the challenges facing global food systems. They work primarily with small- to medium-sized farmers and nonprofits around the globe, from local growers in Vermont to smallholder coffee farmers in Mexico and Nicaragua.
One such partnership centers on the Benefits and Challenges of Urban and Periurban Agroecology in Vermont and Cuba. Initiated in 2016 with interests in Vermont and Cuba, this participatory action research (PAR) project is partnering with Vermont organizations conducting agriculture in the urban or peri-urban fringe of Burlington, Vermont. These include Intervale Center, New Farms for New Americans, UVM Catamount Farm, and Vermont Community Garden Network. A seed grant from the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics allows the project to undertake learning exchanges with urban and peri-urban agroecology counterparts in Havana, Cuba. Broadly, this initiative focuses on conducting a transdisciplinary agroecological analysis on the opportunities, challenges and resilience of urban and peri-urban agriculture for farmers, the organizations that support them and the cities where they are located.
Vermont-based projects, including the partnership described:
https://www.uvm.edu/agroecology/research/current-projects/local/
Partner descriptions:
https://www.uvm.edu/agroecology/community/partners/
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (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):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health.
This ongoing, transformative project out of the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics works collaboratively with mobile home park residents and multiple agencies that serve them to inventory needs, and engage in collaborative and participatory research. As a result of these processes, driven by and responsive to residents’ concerns, residents are supported to engage in community organizing and advocacy.
For more information, please see: https://www.uvm.edu/~cdae
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (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 Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute develops and shares science-based knowledge to benefit the environment and economies of the Lake Champlain basin. The Institute is a cooperative effort of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Lake Champlain Research Institute at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. It operates through partnerships with UVM Extension, state and local government agencies, and numerous other local organizations.
The institute hosts and partners in programs that coordinate outreach and education efforts across the Lake Champlain basin including:
Green schools
Lake Education and Monitoring Program
Vermont Lay Monitoring Program
Watershed Alliance
Watershed Forestry Partnership
Outreach topics include
Aquaculture
Boating and marinas
Climate change
Cyanobacteria
Flood resiliency and shoreline protection
Forests and water quality
Green infrastructure and stormwater
Lawn care and stormwater runoff
Oil spill prevention and response
Road salt and water quality
A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
UVM Extension has many programs serving the state connected to sustainability in multiple dimensions: the Lake Champlain Basin Program which is working to reduce phosphorus run-off from farming practices that result in algae blooms; and the Northwest Crops & Soils project that supports Northern Grain Growers’ Cooperative, and is bringing heritage wheat back to Vermont in order to contribute to food capability.
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:
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.