| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.90 |
| Liaison | Paul Mathisen |
| Submission Date | April 16, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
EN-9: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Liz
Tomaszewski Facilities Systems Manager/Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Department |
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “supportive”?:
A brief description of the institution’s supportive sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
WPI is a partner in Green2Growth, a National Grid community outreach program that grew out of the Green Today Growth Tomorrow Community Summit of 2011. The program provides consumer education and outreach around energy efficiency and smart grid technology. http://www.green2growth.com/
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “collaborative”?:
A brief description of the institution's collaborative sustainability partnership(s):
WPI is a founding partner of the Institute for Energy and Sustainability, the mission of which is to attract clean energy technology and renewable energy companies to the region. More specifically, IES is working to transform the industrial corridors of Central Massachusetts into a green energy zone. Since the founding of IES in 2009, WPI has served on the organization's Steering Committee. http://energyandsustainability.com/
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “transformative”?:
A brief description of the institution's transformative sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
The Worcester Community Project Center (WCPC), an off-campus center funded by WPI, was founded in 2000 in an effort to integrate undergraduate engineering and science education with community needs. The Center connects community organizations with student and faculty teams that work full time for over two months to create professional reports that propose feasible and appropriate solutions to an issue or problem faced by the organization. WCPC projects are developed around three themes: Environmental Justice, Environmental Policy, and Social Justice. Importantly, the WCPC does not define the scope or focus of the projects it undertakes. Ensuring a truly community-based approach, the sponsoring community organizations, local politicians and their constituencies define the problems to which the WCPC responds. To date, over 65 projects have been completed through the WCPC. Project sponsors have included municipal governments, the Mayor's Office, the Broad Meadow Brook Audubon Sanctuary, the Regional Environmental Council, the Greater Worcester Land Trust, the Worcester Art Museum, Centro Las Americas, AIDS Project Worcester, Friendly House, Arts Worcester and various community development corporations. http://wp.wpi.edu/wcpc/
A brief description of the institution’s sustainability partnerships with distant (i.e. non-local) communities:
Through the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division, students can complete their Interactive Qualifying Projects in one of 30+ project centers around the world, including U.S sites like Bar Harbor Maine, to Cape Town, South Africa, Copenhagen, Denmark, Melbourne, Australia, San Jose, Costa Rica, Windhoek, Namibia, and more. Recent projects include: Innovating Water Sanitation and Hygiene Upgrading in Jangrug; A Feasibility Study of a Biodiesel Plant in Cartago, Costa Rica; and Supporting Early Childhood Development in Monwabisi Park, Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, WPI's Engineers Without Borders groups interact with communities for extended periods of time through multiple student group projects. One project builds upon the previous projects, for the purpose of creating systemic positive change. Municipal and institutional stakeholders and faculty and students engage in project development, implementation, and review. Most recently, this group has been working to improve the water supply in a Guatemalan village, Guachthu'ug. http://www.wpi.edu/academics/igsd/gpp.html
The website URL where information about sustainability partnerships is available:
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.