Bryant University
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

Sponsored by the state of Rhode Island, Bryant partnered with BRITE Energy Solutions to establish the BRITE Team, which includes approximately 30 members from the local community. Representatives include members from the manufacturing and business community to Higher Education and K-12 schools in Rhode Island, all of whom share an interest in reducing energy costs and making their buildings more efficient. The BRITE team interviewed partners and explored energy efficiency best practices from around the world to produce a set of practical recommendations that could be adopted in Rhode Island to achieve the energy efficiency goals set by the state. This type of involvement follows a long tradition at Bryant for connection with surrounding communities to address sustainable practices. Bryant University regularly places student interns with Rhode Island NGOs such as Save the Bay, Apeiron Institute, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Nature Conservancy, and Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, and with governmental agencies within the state (e.g., Department of Environmental Management – RIDEM). For example, Conor Makepeace is presently working with ASRI on an extended project of many months. A past student, Brendan Sweeny, who pursued a project with RIDEM went on to obtain a Master’s degree in sustainability and presently heads up a fisheries program in the mid-Atlantic region. Another student, Katilyn Goldsmith worked with the Nature Conservancy, and went on to carry out an Honors project focused on policies for preserving woodlands in Rhode Island, and she is now completing a Master’s degree in environmental policy studies. These are only a few examples of this type of partnership. Faculty members and staff from Bryant have served on Town Councils, Conservation Commissions, Planning Boards, Zoning Boards, School Committees, and in the State Legislature; many of these appointments (or elections) have fostered the development of sustainable practices, protection of open space, pollution avoidance, drainage management, or applications of renewable energy, and have involved the towns of South Kingstown, Warwick, Foster, and East Greenwich, to name a few. In addition, faculty members have also served on the Executive Boards of ASRI, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, and the Wood-Pawcatuck River Watershed Commission. http://www.blackstonevalleycorridor.org/explore/bikeway/ https://www.savebay.org/ http://www.asri.org/