| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.82 |
| Liaison | Ryan Ihrke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Green Mountain College
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Ryan
Ihrke Director of Sustainability Sustainability |
Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
1) Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - http://www.aashe.org
2) The Climate Leadership Network
http://secondnature.org/who-we-are/climate-leadership-network/
3) Intentional Endowments Network
www.intentionalendowments.org/
4)Eco-League
http://ecoleague.org/
Is the institution an active member of a regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
1) Vermont Campus Sustainability Network
http://vermonthec.org/vcsn-about.html
2)Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium
https://sustain.princeton.edu/necsc
3) Vermont Higher Education Food Systems Consortium
http://www.vermontfoodeducation.org/
Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
From October 15-17, three members of Green Mountain College community attended the annual Conference of Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in San Antonio. This is the largest annual gathering of higher education sustainability professionals, with over 1,800 faculty, staff, students and administrators attending.
Prof. Bill Throop (philosophy and environmental studies) and GMC junior, Katelyn Mann ’19 partnered to present Building Our Capacity for Collective Action, sharing information and lessons learned through last year’s "Envisioning a Sustainable and Resilient North Country". In addition, Ryan Ihrke (director of sustainability) joined Bill Throop and Katelyn Mann to display the information artworks created as part of the North Country bock course throughout the conference. The artworks displayed an example on how art can humanize abstract sustainability concepts and communicate to diverse audiences.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to a sustainability awards program that is inclusive of multiple campuses? :
A list or brief description of the awards program(s) and submission(s):
In March 2017, Green Mountain Colleges submitted a case study for Net Impact's Food Solutions Challenge. Green Mountain College submitted a solution to address food waste by through a food recovery program in the College dining hall that repackages food for donation or low cost sales in the community.
Green Mountain College submitted a case study in 2016 for Second Nature's Climate Leadership Awards. The case study highlighted Green Mountain College leveraging the educational opportunity to engage classes in identifying potential carbon offset providers and designing a campus wide participatory process for recommending the College's offset purchase.
Has the institution had staff, students or faculty serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years? :
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
Advisory Council Member, Jacob Park, Professor of Business Strategy and Sustainability
North Country Climate Reality Conference
Planning Committee Member, Bill Throop, Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies
University of Vermont Food Systems
Steering Committee Member, Philip Ackerman-Leist, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
Vermont Flora Advisory Group
Vice Chair, Jim Graves, Professor, Professor of Botany and Environmental Studies
Botanists who advise the state endangered species committee and New England Plant Conservation Program.
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Has the institution had staff, faculty, or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data (e.g. GHG emissions or course inventory) and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
Has the institution participated in other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year, e.g. joint planning or resource sharing with other institutions? :
A brief description of other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year:
In October, 2017, faculty from Plymouth State University (NY) brought two classes of students to Green Mountain College for a day long session on Green Mountain College's sustainability mission, strategic plan, and how these are implemented in classes, campus operations, and greater community engagement. The faculty and students were exploring how Plymouth State University might transition to integrating sustainability in a more comprehensive way with their institution.
Green Mountain College's Sustainability Office regularly answers inquiries from higher education institutions and other groups interested in sustainability. During the 2016-2017 academic year, these institution inquiries included Bard College, University of Vermont, Iowa State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Texas Christian University, George Washington University, Northland College, Skidmore College, Paul Smiths College, Boise State University, Wildener University, Worchester Polytechnic Institute, Saint Anslem College, College of the Holly Cross, Marboro College, and Gonzaga University. The sustainability office also provided tours to individuals and groups including Colby-Sawyer College, Senator Bernie Sanders Senate Office, Poultney Elementary School, The University of Vermont, Project Harmony International, Stafford Technical High School , and Mercy Ecology, Inc.
Green Mountain College is a member of the EcoLeague, a consortium of six liberal arts colleges dedicated to ecologically focused education, and to modeling sustainability through their operations and facilities. Member colleges span the United States and offer students exchange opportunities to learn in diverse ecosystems and communities with faculty who have a wide range of disciplinary and regional expertise. As a member of the consortium, Green Mountain College representatives communicate regularly with consortium schools to coordinate the program and strategically plan ways to maximize student learning in sustainability utilizing the strengths of each institution.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.