University at Buffalo
EN-9: Community Partnerships

Our vision for sustainability extends beyond our campus borders. We bring our sustainability solutions and thinking to partners in our own region, state, nation and globe and particularly those in need. Our students and researchers turn their microscopes and pens towards the community, working in places like the West Side of Buffalo to assist communities struggling with legacies of toxic pollution, or those that are looking to create a more sustainable tomorrow. We played a leadership role in the creation of and continue to be engaged with the Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA), an organization that brings together over 100 environmental organizations in the region. We are connecting our students and researchers with these organizations to create greater synergy within our community on sustainability and climate issues.

The Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable is a “business-driven” organization that relies on its member businesses to drive its mission and organize its events. Members are businesses that have employees in the Western New York region and have signed a pledge to create and implement a sustainability plan. The Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable was kicked off with 35 founding member businesses on Earth Day 2014 after months of behind-the-scenes planning. Exactly 6 months later, on October 22, 2014, US Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 publicly announced the award of a grant to Empire State Development and Erie County that will be used to fund a staff person for two years to assist the steering committee. UB's Chief Sustainability Officer is on the board of directors and the University at Buffalo has been given voting rights due to the critical role they have played in establishing the WNYSBR and that their continued participation is essential for the success of the organization. http://www.wnysustainablebusiness.org/

PULL projects – multiyear Pop-Up Living Laboratories – whose aim is to promote economic stabilization, neighborhood revitalization, crime reduction and a prosperous business district in the University Heights neighborhood surrounding the University at Buffalo's South Campus. PULL projects are designed and implemented by students enrolled in UB’s Undergraduate Academies, working in close collaboration with the proactive University Heights Collaborative, led by its president, the University Heights Tool Library, founded and directed by UB alum Darren Cotton; and UB alum Aaron Krolikowski, who helps lead the PULL initiative. http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/04/002.html http://www.thetoollibrary.org/

Organized through the Office of Student Engagement, alternative break programs engage students in experiential learning through community service and volunteerism during their fall (Thanksgiving), winter or spring break. The objective of the Alternative Breaks program is to involve students in service projects to learn about the problems of a community they would typically not know about. The goal is for students to take the intensity of the program/experience and transfer the lessons learned to their own community upon their return. We help students learn how they can become agents of change, make a difference in their community and lead a life of active citizenship. Two specific alternative winter breaks: the Louisiana Bayou and Monteverde, Costa Rica focus exclusively on sustainability themes.

http://www.buffalo.edu/sustainability/about/news-and-events/latest-news.host.html/content/shared/www/sustainability/articles/news-articles/ub-receives-environmental-champion-award-from-epa.detail.html http://www.buffalo.edu/sustainability/about/news-and-events/latest-news.host.html/content/shared/www/sustainability/articles/news-articles/ub-receives-_best-of-green-schools-honor.detail.html