| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.40 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Bodine |
| Submission Date | April 25, 2022 |
Weber State University
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Jennifer
Bodine Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
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:
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://utahclimateactionnetwork.com/ UCAN understands that the impacts of climate change will be disproportionately felt by vulnerable populations and consequently works to bring organizations, governments, and communities together to develop climate mitigation and resilience plans. When listening sessions, working groups, network groups, or program planning groups are convened, UCAN staff identify and invite impacted and underrepresented people and groups to the table to ensure that their voices and needs are incorporated. A Clean Energy Access and Equity Associate position was added as a staff position last year to ensure that underrepresented groups are engaged as equal partners in all of the work that UCAN conducts.
With regard to support, WSU has hosted webinars, tours, and workshops for the network. WSU also hosts the Intermountain Sustainability Summit as a part of the network. All of the staff time needed to plan and implement these events is funded by WSU.
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):
For the past three years, WSU has partnered with the City of Ogden, the Futures Through Training HEAT program, Utah Clean Energy and the Weber County Library to host the annual Empower Northern Utah Community Program. This program promotes and supports residential energy efficiency through the distribution of free LED bulbs and significantly discounted smart thermostats. Free smart thermostats are also distributed to income-qualified residents through the HEAT program which is a program that provides utility bill support for low income households.
In fall, 2021, 300 smart thermostats and 1,104 LEDs were distributed. During the fall, 2020, 264 smart thermostats and over 5,000 LEDs were distributed and during the fall of 2019, over 5,482 LEDs were distributed. Information about the Empower Northern Utah Program can be found here - https://www.weber.edu/empower
This program is housed at WSU and over $13,000 worth of staff time is donated to run the program for the community each year. Staff with the HEAT program, which directly serves vulnerable populations, are equal partners in the planning and implementation of the program each year to ensure that their client needs are being addressed and met.
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 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.
The OgdenCAN Board of Directors is comprised of staff from the anchor institutions as well as representatives from the neighborhood being served, Latinos United Promoting Education & Civic Engagement (LUPEC), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
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 participates on the housing and health subcommittees where efforts are underway to address affordable housing, energy efficiency and/or net zero housing, affordable utilities, and food security.
WSU contributes $50,000 annually to this effort and several WSU employees are involved in OgdenCAN work on a part-time basis. The OCAN website can be found here - https://www.weber.edu/ogdencan
A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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.