University of Nebraska - Lincoln
EN-9: Community Partnerships

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) program has helped both area college students and Nebraska businesses since 1997. P3 is an outreach assistance program operated by the University of Nebraska Extension and College of Engineering and funded by the USEPA Region VII, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, and a wide variety of industrial partners. Undergraduate student interns provide one-to-one Pollution Prevention assistance to Nebraska businesses by performing waste assessments or other waste reduction projects, and providing each client with a written report detailing waste minimization suggestions. Clients who have participated in this program over the years include dry cleaners and auto body shops, as well as large pharmaceutical and other large manufacturing plants. NaturePalooza The School of Natural Resources is sponsoring activities and games that will help visitors better understand Nebraska's rich natural resources and ways to help protect them through discovery and hands-on activities at stations staffed by the school's faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students. Featured exhibitors and presenters include, Dennis Ferraro with Snakes of Nebraska, Wildlife Encounters, Raptor Recovery, and the String Beans. Additional Public Info: The event is free and open to the public. Free parking will be available in the lots surrounding Hardin Hall School of Natural Resources Teams with Community Crops: The new training farm site is part of Community Crops' "Growing Farmers Training Program." The program was founded in 2007 to help beginning farmers develop successful small businesses. After outgrowing its former training site in 2012, it partnered with UNL to continue and expand the training program. “This cooperation will help us inform kids about where their food comes from,” said James Brandle, professor of forestry and director of Prairie Pines. “Prairie Pines offers SNR the opportunity to put into practice our goal of introducing children to the wonders of nature.” Prairie Pines is a large plot of land on the northeast side of Lincoln. Originally a Christmas tree farm, Walt and Virginia Bagley donated the site to UNL as a conservation and educational facility. The land features a wealth of ecosystems, including hardwood trees, conifers, native prairie, and grasslands, making it an excellent site for farming education and research. Initially, Community Crops will use about nine acres for its training program, though part of the benefit of Prairie Pines is the opportunity to increase the number of plots available to participant

The City of Lincoln and UNL have collaborated in a project to provide a Bike Share program to the city and campus community. Lincoln Bike Share will launch in Summer 2016 with 110 bikes at 15 locations on campus and in downtown Lincoln.

"Prosper Lincoln" is a collaborative effort between all sectors of the community to engage as many people as possible in a community-wide conversation to set priorities and drive positive change. An engagement team leads meetings, events, and the online survey to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate in discussion. Members of Prosper Lincoln come from all sectors of Lincoln including businesses, non-profit organizations, neighborhoods, government, faith communities, philanthropies, and individuals. Some of the members on the engagement team are from the Lincoln City Council, Community Learning Centers, El Centra de la Americas, Lincoln Faith Coalition, Lincoln Mayor's Office, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln Public Schools, and the Lancaster County Board. A Steering Committee will use the information gathered during the first phase of Prosper Lincoln to create a community agenda and develop working groups to build action plans. "Prosper Lincoln" uses findings from "Lincoln Vital Signs" as a starting point for discussion and planning. Lincoln Vital Signs is a report commissioned by philanthropic organizations, the business community, the City of Lincoln, and Lancaster County. The report shows areas in the community that are thriving and those that are of concern. The report helps the community better develop strategies to enhance the community for all its members. This partnership relies on community-wide discussion to help set priorities and establish a shared agenda for positive change. It is a process for community stakeholders to take charge and transform their environment. For more information, visit www.prosperlincoln.org

http://snr.unl.edu/communityengagement/; http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/todayatunl/2396/13341