Virginia Wesleyan University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

VWU has been working with the local non-profit, the Elizabeth River Project (ERP), to advance sustainability goals in the region. Here are some examples from the partnership from the last three years:
-VWU professor Maynard Schaus received a grant from the Second Nature Acceleration fund to financially support student internships with the Elizabeth River Project that support environmental justice and climate equity in local neighborhoods. The student interns (VWU undergraduates) work on projects including shoreline restoration in an urban watershed and community environmental education.
-Students in VWU's Oceanography class in 2022 planted over 5600 marsh grass plants in a local coastal wetland after invasive plants were removed by the city. The project was identified as a priority when ERP worked with Poplar Hall Civic League and others to plan ways to improve Broad Creek, which often exhibits the river's poorest health. Situated on the outskirts of a bustling naval city, the Poplar Hall community is adjacent to large amounts of developed land, commercial centers, and re-purposed wetland habitats, making it a prime example of a neighborhood susceptible to poor storm-water drainage, pollution, and flooding. Poplar Hall’s residents are in the 77th percentile of low income populations, the 82nd percentile of populations with less than a high school education, and the 78th percentile of populations over the age of 64 in the state of Virginia.

VWU is a partner in the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, a broad coalition of non-profits, community organizations, oyster growers, academic institutions, and business owners with the shared goal of adding 10 billion oysters in the Bay by the year 2025. The alliance seeks to raise awareness of the importance of Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay to our environment and economy as well as support restoration and aquaculture. VWU supports restoration by regularly hosting "oyster bagging" volunteer events. For example, at the November 2022 oyster bagging event students put together 95 bags of recycled oyster shells. These 26,125 shells will provide homes to 261,250 baby oysters at a local environmental center. The baby oysters will be placed back into the Chesapeake Bay and filter an estimated 13 million gallons of water a day.
http://www.chesapeakeoysteralliance.org/

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens (NGB) partnership with VWU began in 2017 and is ongoing. One major aspect was the creation of the position of a horticulturalist, whose primary duties include maintaining the VWU Greer Environmental Sciences Center Native Garden. This demonstration garden includes over 60 different native plant species, a rain garden, stormwater wetlands, a green roof, and a pollinator garden. The position is jointly funded by NBG and VWU. The horticulturalist also conducts educational activities on native plants and eco-friendly gardening techniques for elementary students, VWU students, and VWU staff. The horticulturalist oversees VWU interns and work study students who help maintain the garden and remove invasive species from the grounds of VWU. The Botanical Gardens also provide internship opportunities for our students.
https://www.vwu.edu/about/news-and-events/features/story/partnership-with-norfolk-botanical-gardens-announced