Agnes Scott College
PAE-20: Inter-Campus Collaboration on Sustainability

From 2009-2011, Agnes Scott has sent a delegation to the annual AASHE conference. At the 2010 conference in Denver, Agnes Scott presented the data collected during the college's water audit, as well as the trials and tribulations of conducting the water audit itself. At the 2011 conference in Pittsburgh, there were two presentations, one about developing the college's arboretum and one about the college's sustainability relationship with the City of Decatur. In addition to presenting at AASHE, members of the sustainability office have attended and presented at regional college and university sustainability meetings, hosted by the National Wildlife Federation. Agnes Scott is fortunate to have a close partnership with Emory University, one of the leaders in this field. We share information and often speak together on panels. The college has also met several times with area universities to share information and experiences. For example, we have met with LaGrange College, Brenau College, the University of Georgia, Spelman College, and most recently, Life University to discuss sustainable landscape plans and possible opportunities for collaboration.

- Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE) - Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) - American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) - Campus Ecology Program (NWF) - Georgia Network

Agnes Scott has also sought collaborative opportunities with other campuses, particularly within the greater Atlanta area. When faced with some issues related to organic food waste composting and recycling, Agnes Scott met with sustainability coordinators Emory University and it's two-year counterpart, Oxford at Emory. The institutions discussed options for compost removal, cooperative opportunities and generally agreed to keep an open dialogue on possible solutions. We've also had the very fortunate chance to work with University of Georgia's College of Environment and Design. The College of Environment and Design sought clients for their Master's students' major design projects. Agnes Scott was able to meet several times with students and faculty from UGA to create a process of information sharing about our landscape practices, successes and failures, and overall future goals. The collaboration produced sustainable landscape guidelines, and ultimately solidified a relationship between Agnes Scott and UGA.