University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
IN-1: Innovation 1

Regional Sustainable Development Partners of the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is one of the largest public research universities in the country with five campus locations, eighteen regional extension offices, and a dozen research and outreach centers. Its large breadth presents a unique opportunity to spread sustainable practices across multiple regions while still operating under the same University.

The Regional Sustainable Development Partners of the University of Minnesota engages citizens in partnership with the University. It aims to support sustainable development in Minnesota by using the resources of the University to address community-identified issues. The extent of the University of Minnesota allows for numerous local issues to be addressed on multiple campus or extension locations all at once, giving the institution a large capacity for sustainable research, education, and outreach. Programs are launched throughout the state and then developed and innovated locally to match the needs of the region. The Partnership encompasses five regions in the state of Minnesota, with the Twin Cities assisting with research, outreach, and development across the state. The Twin Cities campus participates in the Partnership through faculty involvement on boards and also faculty/student involvement on specific community projects. The UMTC’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences is also a partner of the program, providing valuable research and support on projects.

The Partnership sponsors unique initiatives and projects to demonstrate and advance sustainability. One of the premier projects is the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), which help identify and implement clean, efficient, and renewable energy projects around the state. The Clean Energy Resource Teams, or CERTs, is a collaborative effort of the University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Minnesota Office of Energy Security’s State Energy Office, two non-profits, and a regional unit of government. CERTs connects individuals and communities to the resources they need to identify and implement clean energy projects. CERTs is a non-partisan, non-advocacy program that works with citizens across the state to strengthen their communities by supporting money-saving conservation and energy efficiency projects and building entrepreneurship around growing renewable energy industries. Within the Metro Region which includes the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, CERTs has partnered with local groups to conduct:

-the Neighborhood Energy Service, which installs energy savings devices into residential homes,
-the Recycle Your Holidays program to collect broken or unused holiday lights, and
-Minnesota Schools Cutting carbon projects including a new recycling program and the purchase of vending machine misers at Osseo Senior High in Osseo, MN
(For more Metro projects, visit http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/regions/metro)

The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships also earned the Champions of Sustainability Award through the Sustainable Endowments Institute in 2009. The award recognized the innovation and collaboration involved in the RSDP program and the outstanding work of CERTs. Outside accreditation for this credit supports its work as original and innovative. (http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/awards/champions-of-sustainability)

The Regional Sustainable Development Partnership is an innovative partnership to connect communities, Universities, and governments, allowing for flexibility to further sustainability statewide.

Additional resources:
-http://www.regionalpartnerships.umn.edu/index.pl?id=1874&isa=Category&op=show
-http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/about.php