Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.65
Liaison Jennifer Bodine
Submission Date Feb. 19, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Weber State University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Jennifer Bodine
Sustainability Specialist
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Utah Climate Action Network

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:

The Utah Climate Action Network is a partnership between government, research institutions, non-profits/foundations, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and individuals working to address climate change in Utah.

The Network supports:
Cross-sector relationships and connections
Shared understanding of local climate change issues and solutions
Collaborative regional climate action and long-term resilience
Leadership in climate change impact sectors

The UCAN website can be found at - https://www.utahclimateactionnetwork.com/

Information about how the network is supporting social equity, economic prosperity, and ecological health can be found here - https://www.utahclimateactionnetwork.com/about-the-network.html

With regard to support, WSU has hosted webinars, tours, and workshops for the network.


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Cut Pollution - Mow Electric Program

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):

Weber State University is currently partnering with the Utah Department of Air Quality, the Davis County Health Department, Weber-Morgan Health Department, Salt Lake County Health Department, and Utah County Health Department to provide electric mowers (and this year, trimmers) to the public in exchange for their gas powered equipment and $99 ($49 for trimmers). This program will last for five years and will commence every spring with the opening of the lottery in March.

WSU is including underrepresented groups in the implementation of this program. Also, statewide, 10% of the mowers and trimmers are being set aside for free for low income individuals and families.

WSU provides staff time to plan and implement this program. $5,000 each year is also contributed by WSU to purchase trimmers and mowers. The Davis County and Weber-Morgan Health Departments also provide a $5,000 match and the state Department of Environmental Quality is providing over $200,000 each year for equipment purchases.

This program is intended to address poor air quality along the Wasatch Front. Per the DEQ, one gas-powered mower, for example, creates annual pollution that is equivalent to 4,235 vehicle miles traveled.


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Ogden Civic Action Network

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):

The Ogden Civic Action Network (OgdenCAN) is a consortium of seven anchor institutions, six partners, 22 allies, and 15,037 residents that is determined to create comprehensive neighborhood revitalization in the East Central Neighborhood of Ogden, Utah. The 30% poverty in this area must be addressed while respecting the significant diversity that exists, e.g., 45% are Hispanic-Latino from 15 countries.

OgdenCAN is making a 40 year commitment to address inter-generational poverty in this neighborhood by addressing the nine social determinants of health that are summarized into three categories: health, education, and housing. The WSU Sustainability Manager co-chairs the OgdenCAN Housing subcommittee which has four goals: 1. Address housing gaps through the creation of a housing advocacy agency; 2. Address and improve substandard housing conditions; 3. Create pride of place; and 4. Collaborate to get new housing projects built that enhance the vibrancy and sustainability of the neighborhood.

WSU contributes $50,000 annually to this effort and several WSU employees are involved in OgdenCAN work on a part-time basis.


A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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