| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.67 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2024 |
University of Pittsburgh
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Samantha
Chan Assistant Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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 University of Pittsburgh’s Student Office of Sustainability (SOOS) was founded in 2014. One of SOOS’s core tenants is community engagement and outreach via sustainability-focused programs. Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) is a nonprofit community development organization serving Pittsburgh's vibrant cultural, educational and medical hub since 1980.
In Summer 2018, OPDC and SOOS joined forces to address a considerable amount of waste being generated in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhoods (which surround the University) by holding a small donation event (modeled after the University’s on-campus Clutter for a Cause program) for off-campus student renters and long-term neighborhood residents. Based on the success of that first off-campus event, Pitt and OPDC have partnered in all successive years to host multi-day collection events. These efforts are now facilitated by Pitt’s Office of Engagement & Community Affairs (ECA) in collaboration with Student Affairs, OPDC, Pitt Surplus, and local community organizations.
During Off -Campus Clutter for a Cause, Pitt students and Oakland residents donate clothing, textiles, small appliances, textbooks, non-perishable food items, and more. Donated items are either utilized by the University of Thriftsburgh (on-campus thrift store), Pitt Surplus, or are donated to nonprofit community partners.
Off-campus Clutter for a Cause materials diversion data:
• 2023 - 1,780 pounds of materials
• 2022 - No data available.
• 2021 - 4,036 pounds of materials
• 2019 & 2020 – Between 8 and 10 tons of material.
>> Pitt's Clutter for a Cause webpage: https://www.bhas.pitt.edu/clutter-cause
>> Learn more in OPDC’s Annual Reports: https://www.opdc.org/annualreports
>> Pitt’s Office of Engagement & Community Affairs: https://www.community.pitt.edu/
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):
The University of Pittsburgh has offered a sustainability-related Alternative Spring Break since 2016, either in partnership with United Planet or Cumberland Trails.
UNITED PLANET – Pitt’s United Planet community partnership has allowed students to travel to Ecuador to volunteer on organic agricultural projects, help eliminate invasive plant species, help restore native habitats, and assist the local community by providing technical assistance or maintenance for their outdoor market facility.
In March 2023, students went to the Galapagos in part to help plant native tree species to assist in reforestation efforts, help maintain community school gardens, provide technical support updating school computer software, and to participate in a beach clean-up to help with an ongoing research project around plastic pollution.
>> Sustainability related Alternative Spring Break experiences https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/progress-report/global-outreach-2018-22/
>>United Planet’s commitment to work with low-income communities designing volunteer projects - https://www.unitedplanet.org/volunteer-abroad/short-term/ecuador
CUMBERLAND TRAILS – Pitt’s community partnership with Cumberland Trails in Dayton, Tennessee, has allowed Pitt students to volunteer at the Cumberland Plateau, which is in the top 12 most endangered natural areas in the Western Hemisphere. Students assist with trail maintenance and construction which includes clearing the corridor, raking, digging the tread out, and building rock steps. Students work on trails 4 days during the work week and attend educational programs about local history, geology, culture and environment.
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 Oasis Farm and Fishery produces fresh, local produce for residents and businesses in the historically redlined Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood, which is considered a food desert.
In 2015, University of Pittsburgh student organization Pitt Hydroponics began partnering with the Oasis Project to produce locally grown, fresh produce for the community and provide instruction in urban farming. The urban micro-farm has produced food for Homewood neighbors as well as the Pitt Pantry.
Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) continues to lead the University’s partnerships with Oasis Farm & Fishery, helping increase education and awareness of urban agriculture and its community impacts.
Through this partnership, Pitt’s students have gained hands-on experience in urban agriculture, aquaponics, and hydroponics. Through collaborative workshops, Pitt students have learned plant care skills and Oasis has gained support for their production via Pitt volunteers.
Oasis has also partnered with Pitt over several semesters on student-led projects in the Sustainability Capstone course. More recently, MCSI student interns have worked alongside Oasis staff to coordinate projects and help find solutions for general farm complications. In Fall 2023, Pitt students from various sustainability courses joined Oasis staff to participate in the first Urban Farm Tour to learn about other local urban farms in the area and their histories. In 2024, MCSI will continue to collaborate with Oasis to develop additional educational workshops around hydroponics and to assist in redesigning the bioshelter growing space.
>> Oasis Farm & Fishery website - https://www.oasisfarmandfishery.org/
>> Pitt Sustainability Community Partnerships webpage, including Oasis feature - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/community-partnerships/
A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS
The University of Pittsburgh has three Community Engagement Centers(CECs) in Pittsburgh’s Homewood, Hazelwood, and Hill District neighborhoods whose missions directly supports sustainability development goals. Pitt’s CECs work to support underrepresented community members by providing programs that build capacity, improve resident's quality of life, advance beneficial research, and enhance education through STEM opportunities. With the goal to build strong communities, Pitt has entered this long-term place-based partnership with a minimum 15-year commitments of investment, infrastructure, programming, and staffing to both neighborhoods.
>>More about Pitt’s CECs: https://cec.pitt.edu/
HIGHER EDUCATION CLIMATE CONSORTIUM
Pittsburgh’s colleges and universities play a vital role in the City’s success, from developing the next generation of leaders to generating breakthrough discoveries. Similarly, Pittsburgh’s institutions of higher education have accepted responsibility for leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, banding together to form Pittsburgh’s Higher Education Climate Consortium (HECC) to cooperatively implement recommendations. HECC meets quarterly to collaboratively advance how colleges, universities and their students can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, while striving for regional carbon neutrality. HECC and the City of Pittsburgh also regularly collaborate to accelerate regional climate and resilience efforts.
Other HECC members include Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon University, the Community College of Allegheny County, Duquesne University, Penn State University’s Pittsburgh Center, and Robert Morris University.
>> More about HECC: https://www.heccpgh.org/
OTHER NOTABLE PITT SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The University of Pittsburgh fosters a number of community partnerships, including, but not limited to, the following focused on sustainability:
1) Tree Pittsburgh – Member of Campus Tree Advisory Committee, https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/team-member/campus-tree-advisory-committee/
2) Bike Pittsburgh – Convenes Pittsburgh’s University Bike & Pedestrian Committee, of which Pitt is an active member and collaborator, https://bikepgh.org/our-work/advocacy/neighborhood-bicycle-and-pedestrian-committees/
3) 412 Food Rescue – Partnered both on food recovery (Pitt student group Food Rescue Heroes and Pitt Eats by Compass) and drop-off (Pitt Pantry)
4) Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT) – Convened and facilitated by Pitt through mid-2023, bringing together the City of Pittsburgh and 44 surrounding municipalities to identify common public policy challenges and solutions for collective change on behalf of Allegheny County’s urban core. Now its own nonprofit, Pitt faculty and students remain CONNECT partners and collaborators - https://connectgovs.org/
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.