Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.15
Liaison Ashley Woolman
Submission Date April 8, 2022

STARS v2.2

Western Colorado University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Ashley Woolman
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
City of Gunnison

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?:
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:

Western has student representation on the city council and has on-going communication with the Council as well as the City manager's office and community development office. Stainability is included in Western's strategic planning which the Mayor and City Manager participated in campus work sessions devoted to strategic planning. The city also hired two Western master's students to develop Gunnison’s Climate Action, Resiliency, and Environmental Sustainability Plan which contains 2030 goals. The Mayor of Gunnison, Diego Plata is a Western Master's in Environmental Management alumni.


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
The Center for Public Lands

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):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):

Western Colorado University’s Center for Public Lands (CPL) is a hub for cross-boundary land management and study. This training and resource center brings together students, land managers, and communities with a goal to develop creative responses to contemporary land management challenges. To do this, the CPL connects students to land management agencies and nongovernmental entities. Students’ progress towards their professional goals, groups accomplish needed work, and together they learn how to navigate land management. The CPL values diversity and inclusion and aims to engage students from marginalized and underserved communities in high quality and affordable educational experiences.
The multi-year partnership with CPL focuses on sustainalbe land use in the county and region. Current projects in the Gunnison Valley include the Taylor Park Vegetation Management Project, in partnership with the US Forest Service, the Marble Lead King Loop Working Group, with Gunnison County and the Forest Service, and recreation planning in Crested Butte with the Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee (STOR). Throughout the year, CPL invites the public to attend workshops, symposia, and other events designed to promote conservation. The purpose of these events is to equip participants with tools and resources to learn, develop, and apply best practices for collaborative land management and stewardship in their communities.


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Sodexo

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? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):

Sodexo is the food service provider on Campus and has been very active in the development and implementation of sustainability practices on campus. They purchased and installed a "pulper" which provides the product that is mixed with wood chips in the composter to produce compost used in garden on campus.


A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:

Mountain Roots, a local Non-Profit provides a stand at the annual summer Farmer's Market downtown Gunnison to distribute educational materials and discuss sustainability practices in the home and business.


Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability 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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