Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.26
Liaison Gioia Thompson
Submission Date March 1, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Vermont
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Susan Munkres
Director
Community University Partnerships
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

1st Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Vermont Mobile Home Park Research Collaborative

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus?:
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above:
This ongoing, transformative project out of the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics works collaboratively with mobile home park residents and multiple agencies that serve them to inventory needs, and engage in collaborative and participatory research. As a result of these processes, driven by and responsive to residents’ concerns, residents are supported to engage in community organizing and advocacy. In light of the challenges of Hurricane Irene, in 2011, this work is critical for obvious ecological and social reasons: floodplain locations lead to worse outcomes and lesser support from FEMA. For more information, please see: https://www.uvm.edu/~cdaemhp/

2nd Partnership

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Vermont Agricultural Resilience in a Changing Climate

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
The partnership simultaneously supports social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (2nd partnership) (Yes, No, or Not Sure):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (2nd partnership):
An initiative between farmers, extensionists, climate and policy scientists, economists, and agroecologists, working to limit the degree of risk that farmers face due to a changing climate. This long-term, trans-disciplinary initiative seeks to work with farmers, agricultural service providers, researchers and community organizations to address the impacts of climate change in Vermont. The project uses Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology to evaluate and implement on-farm climate change mitigation and adaptation practices. In partnership with farmers and farmworkers, it will identify the best strategies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and evaluate the impact of these strategies on the economic health of farms, their environmental quality, and their preservation. Project work will also involve and inform state and federal level policymakers. For more info, visit the following website: www.vtfarmresilience.org

3rd Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
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Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (3rd partnership):
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Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners in strategic planning, decision-making, implementation and review? (3rd partnership) (Yes, No, or Unknown):
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A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability, including website URL (if available) and information to support each affirmative response above (3rd partnership):
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Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
UVM Extension has many programs serving the state connected to sustainability in multiple dimensions: the Lake Champlain Basin Program which is working to reduce phosphorus run-off from farming practices that result in algae blooms; and the Northwest Crops & Soils project that supports Northern Grain Growers’ Cooperative, and is bringing heritage wheat back to Vermont in order to contribute to food capability.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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