University of Louisville
EN-9: Community Partnerships

UofL maintains numerous partnerships with local and statewide entities to promote sustainability through a variety of campus units, offices, and centers. Examples of these partnerships include: - UofL is a member of the Louisville Sustainability Council - a public-private partnership that works to engage and collaborate with the community, and facilitate the achievement of Louisville’s sustainability goals. - UofL is a member of the Kentucky chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and hosts tours, service opportunities, and workshops organized by USGBC. - UofL was a charter member in the Kentucky College & University Carbon Consortium. This new consortium, which was being organized throughout 2014 in partnership with the Midwest Clean Energy Enterprise and the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), is focused on mitigating climate impacts through regional forest management. With other Kentucky schools, UofL is collaboratively designing and launching the Consortium which is envisioned to: 1. Serve as a regularly scheduled gathering of institutional and regional stakeholders to allow its participants to discuss sustainability challenges and opportunities and share best practices; and 2. Act as a climate clearing house for university-organized resource exchanges, campus tours, speakers, and the purchase of local carbon offsets and services through MACED.

UofL's Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) works in partnership on the following collaborations: Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community Representatives from Kentucky government, public school districts and Kentucky colleges and universities. KPPC worked in coordination with the Partnership to “green” the Alltech FEI World Equestrian games in September 2010 at the Kentucky Horse Park. KEEPS – Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools KPPC helps manage KEEPS with the National Energy Education Development Project – Kentucky Chapter, Kentucky Green & Healthy Schools, the Kentucky School Boards Association, and the Kentucky School Plant Management Association. Kentucky Energy Efficiency Workgroup KPPC participates in the workgroup along with 20 organizations from across Kentucky. KY EXCEL – Kentucky Excellence in Environmental Leadership KPPC collaborates with the Kentucky Division of Compliance Assistance. KRIG – Kentucky Recycling Interest Group KPPC works with more than 100 citizens, city and county representatives, government agencies, universities and manufacturing and recycling companies in the KRIG. KREC – Kentucky Renewable Energy Consortium KPPC helps manage KREC with help from the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence, University of Kentucky Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research, and 63 other organizations from across Kentucky. KY SEN – Kentucky Save Energy Now KPPC participates in KY SEN along with Big Rivers Electric Corporation, Duke Energy, East Kentucky Power Cooperative, E.ON U.S., Fellon-McCord & Associates, Kentucky Solar Partnership, Sierra Club – Cumberland Chapter, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. KPPC’s Executive Director, also serves as: an appointed Board member of the Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship (CRERES) by Governor Beshear; an appointed member of the Kentucky Climate Action Plan Council (KCAPC) Agriculture, Forestry, & Waste Technical Work Group; and an appointed member of the Drought Mitigation and Response Advisory Council by Governor Beshear.

UofL has been a leader in community sustainability partnerships, formally joining forces back in 2004 with Louisville Metro government and Jefferson County Public Schools to establish the Partnership for a Green City (http://www.partnershipforagreencity.org/). In 2011, the Partnership expanded to include Jefferson Community & Technical College. The partnership’s goals are to foster conservation, pollution prevention and restoration of ecosystems with both public policy and personal behavior, promote a common agenda for Louisville as a green city, preserve and enhance the quality of life for our citizens and future generations, and widen recognition of the importance of good stewardship of the community’s natural resources.

- UofL is a founding member of the Kentucky Green Schools Coalition (established January 2016), a new strategic alliance leading educational, environmental and health organizations to advance the vision that all children will attend a green school within a generation. The mission of the coalition is to bring together the Commonwealth’s strongest supporters of creating a statewide infrastructure of green schools that are healthy, high performance educational institutions (pre-K through postsecondary). - From 2010-2014, UofL was a dues-paying member of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), University Affiliate Program and the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD). - In 2014, UofL joined the Universities Council of Water Resources, an association of institutions and individuals representing various fields of natural and social sciences who are at the forefront of education, research, and public service around water resources. Membership provides reduced registration fees to UCOWR conferences for all UofL employees and students, as well as electronic subscriptions to the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, participation in UCOWR governance, networking with other water scholars, and increased visibility as among the leading universities in water-related research across disciplines. Law Professor Tony Arnold (502-852-6388) serves as UofL's lead delegate to UCOWR. - UofL is a member of the Worker Rights Consortium and its Designated Suppliers Program help to ensure that UofL trademark apparel is not produced under abusive, dangerous sweatshop conditions. (Previously, UofL was also affiliated with the Fair Labor Association to advocate for an end to abusive practices and injustices in the supply chain). - UofL is a member of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) which serves as the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration, including the University of Louisville. - UofL is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).