University of Virginia
EN-10: Inter-Campus Collaboration

UVA faculty, staff, and students participate in numerous inter-campus forums to advance sustainability, including presentations at conferences, participation in educational programs, and hosting events at the University. In August 2014, UVA organized a summit for VASHE (the Virginia Association for Sustainability in Higher Education), to strengthen collaborative efforts in campus sustainability among institutions in Virginia. Thirteen colleges and universities, both public and private, participated in the one-day summit at UVA's Morven Farm. Additionally, U.Va.'s Sustainability Director is currently the Chair of this organization. In November 2014, UVA researchers organized and hosted a two-day workshop for 5 colleges and universities as part of a larger EPA-supported effort to expand UVA's nitrogen footprint reduction program to higher education institutions, secondary schools, and other organizations. UVA students, faculty and staff regularly attend the AASHE conference, the Smart and Sustainable Campuses conference, and other campus sustainability conferences. The majority of those attending have presented at the conferences, with some giving multiple presentations. Topics have included sustainable course development, student sustainability organization, intra-campus collaboration for sustainability, campus nitrogen footprint inventories, transportation demand management, and other topics.

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Virginia Association for Sustainability in Higher Education. American Council on Renewable Energy. United States Green Building Council. Virginia Sustainable Building Network. APPA. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Society for College and University Planning. Association of University Architects.

The University also participates in multiple inter-campus collaborations to promote research in sustainability. For instance, the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research program works to develop a predictive understanding of the response of coastal barrier systems to long-term environmental changes in climate, sea level and land use, and to relate these to the ecological services the coastal barrier systems provide. The program includes 6 campus partner institutions from Virginia, North Carolina, and Massachusetts.