IU South Bend Center for a Sustainable Future

Greetings, Sustainability Board members!

By popular request, here is your first monthly update on the top events and plans going on at the Center for a Sustainable Future at IU South Bend.

• As part of communicating with and educating our community on sustainability, I am continuing my work with WNIT. This Thursday on WNIT’s Experience Michiana show there will be a new monthly feature “Experience Sustainable Michiana” will air (Thursdays @ 7pm (34.1), Saturdays @ 5:30pm (34.1), Fridays @ 8:00pm (34.2), and be online after air dates. If you have ideas, please share! I am excited to let people know the “sustainable” things they can do in our area.
• In anticipation of hosting a Smithsonian exhibit on water, I will be helping kick off the Niles Library Sustainability Series this Thursday, August 30, from 6:30-7:30p, at the Niles District Library (620 East Main, Niles, MI 49120). The presentation is titled “Sustaining Resources and Communities for a Prosperous Future” Please share and attend if you can. See their site HERE for more information.
• We continue our work with the IU South Bend Carnegie Engaged Campus Task Force, helping to develop our application as a campus recognized for its community engaged work.
• Next week, the Bike South Bend committee meets to create an active transportation priority list for the city and county. Past achievements include IUSB becoming the first campus in town to have bike share bikes (Lime) available to students. They have been wildly popular, and we have not found tremendous issues with them being left in doorways, in the middle of walkways, or other strange places – rather, they are being ridden by students, faculty, and staff on a regular basis. This work has also enabled us to become one of three Bicycle Friendly Universities in the state of Indiana.
• Friday, September 14 at 9:30am is a community hike at Lydick Bog. This is the first property acquired and managed by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust (SHLT), and a crown achievement of former Sustainability Fellow and SHLT Executive Director Kris Krouse. I serve on the Community Advisory Council, with a few of you, and hope you get a chance to see this gem in our county if you haven’t already.
• Although summer is over, I am still enjoying meeting one on one with each of you. If you haven’t yet been able to find the time, I would love to hear about your experience and perspective on the board, and what we can do well and better together.

 

Those are the highlights for the month ahead! A final note is that over the past two weeks I have been 1) meeting with our new Dean, and 2) interviewing and hiring on up to 9 students who will be working on a range of sustainability projects on campus. Looks like a great group – hope to introduce you to many of them when we meet November 16.

 

If you have questions, need clarifications, or want to check in – be in touch!

 

Krista Bailey

Director, Center for a Sustainable Future

IU South Bend

Wiekamp Hall 2248

kob @ iusb.edu

Advisory Board Members – Thank you!

What a delightful and inspiring conversation we had last week, Friday, November 16, at our fall meeting. This post is the first in our effort to provide you with information and updates to ensure a successful partnership and continual improvement in our communication.

Thank you for your interest in and hospitality towards the students working at the Center. They really enjoyed sharing their projects and were impressed by your curiosity about and support of the work they are doing. Day to day efforts can seem small, so your positive feedback was much appreciated!

Thank you for listening to Center updates and the experiences and perspectives on how and what the Center could and should be as it continues to grow up and into what it can and should be for our campus and community.

In review:

• Save the Dates:
  • Friday, March 22, 2019, 11:30-1:00pm. Spring Advisory Board Meeting. Strategic Plan work & Earth Day Award nominations.
  • Thursday, April 18 5:30-7:30pm. Earth Day Award Reception & Award Ceremony. University Grill.
• Sustainability & Innovation Series: Wednesdays, January 30 – March 20, 7:00-8:30pm
• Held first Peace, Justice, and Sustainability reading & discussion series at/with Civil Rights Heritage Center and a dozen community members.
  • Next Series Mondays, Jan 28-March 4, 7:00-8:30pm
• Indiana Sustainable Development Program
  • Seeking partners to host a (free to sponsor) full time, paid intern to focus on sustainability projects. Supported by McKinney Foundation. Business, non-profit, municipal government all eligible. More information HERE.
• Workshops Presented
  • Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
  • IU FALCON Conference (Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers Conference)
  • Sustainable Operations Workshop. Sponsored by City of South Bend, South Shore Clean Cities, & MACOG
• Civic Engagement: In last month, active with the following:
  • Green Ribbon Commission
  • Bike South Bend
  • Shirley Heinze Land Trust CAC
  • County Food Access Council
  • Carnegie Engaged Campus Task Force
  • Facilities Committee
  • Sustainability Committee
• Sustainability Fellowship Programs
  • One application; to begin January 2019

Attached are the documents we reviewed during the meeting and items of note about each:

• Current strategic plan – a bit unwieldy, and beyond the realistic scope of what the Center can and should do given the growth and evolving role of Sustainability Studies
• Earth Day Reception Brainstorming – ideas received from attendees at the April, 2018 Earth Day Reception. Highlights key themes for what people want to see and experience. Includes notes made by you during our discussion regarding what could and should happen through the Center.

What evolved was a re-imagining of the Center for a Sustainable Future as a “Lab” to initiate and foster sustainability ideas, practices, and projects. This creates space between academics, run by the Sustainability Studies program that now houses the Center, and the campus-community initiatives.

Here is a graphic interpretation, adapted as well as I am able from Chuck Lehman’s delightful drawing.

• College of Liberal Arts & Science (CLAS): IU South Bend unit that houses sustainability program and center.
• Sustain IU: IU-wide Sustainability led by state sustainability director in Bloomington. Monthly conference calls around best practices and information sharing. Annual summit held with representatives from all campuses. Provides IU support for initiatives that include academics and campus/community projects.
• Sustainability Studies Program: Houses academic program (Major, Minor, and Graduate Certificate). Director = Dr. Deb Marr
• Center for a Sustainable Future (CSF): “The Community Lab” focused on 1) Applied Research, 2) Engaged Service 3) Community Education. Create a model of what “Sustain IU” can use and apply at other campuses and communities. A resource of ongoing demonstrations focused on Innovation & Advocacy.
  • Need to define metrics and impacts CSF has had on students, community, partners, etc. (funding potential)
• Community Engagement: A High Impact Practice in education, a centerpiece of IU South Bend’s work to for recognition as a Carnegie Engaged Campus, and central to the work of the CSF.

The notes on the feedback from Earth Day, 2018 ideas are HERE. Please review and come ready to outline new goals, strategies, and objectives in March.

Thanks, as always, for your ongoing support. Be in touch if you have questions, ideas, or concerns about these notes or other thoughts on the work of the Center.

~ Krista

kob @ iusb . edu

Center for a Sustainable Future

2016-2019 Strategic Plan

 

MISSION: The Center for a Sustainable Future works with the campus and community to find innovative and engaging ways to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We focus on the discovery and dissemination of practices and strategies that are ecologically friendly, economically sound, and socially responsible.

 

VISION:  The Center for a Sustainable Future provides resources and support systems and is self-sustainable through a network of relationships and opportunities that connect the academic, economic, social, and cultural communities of Michiana.

 

 

 

Through effective and innovative teaching, research, and service, the Center for a Sustainable Future works to create a more resilient population and infrastructure by educating about and promoting triple bottom line accountability in our lives, workplaces, and communities. The Center promotes change through action by serving as the primary resource for campus and community members interested in growing a more sustainable future. This is accomplished by providing coursework and curriculum development, service-learning opportunities and civic engagement, research, community impact projects, and by facilitating job creation, healthy communities, and environmental stewardship. The Center serves to provide resources and support systems that enable individuals and organizations to live, work, and play in Michiana as active participants in its sustainable future.

 

 

The Center for a Sustainable Future’s Plan aligns with the following goals of the IU South Bend Strategic Plan 2014-2020:

• Improve student success via increased recruitment, retention, and graduation rates for all populations, increased merit- and need-based financial aid, and strengthened and more proactive advising
• Become truly student-centered by enhancing and expanding student support and career services, particularly among underrepresented populations, increasing the flexibility of curricula and transferability, and expanding campus activities like athletics and clubs
• Encourage vision, effectiveness, and innovation in programs and curricula
• Increase high-impact educational practices including student research, learning communities, internships, service learning, international experiences, and other experiential learning opportunities
• Build a culture of assessment, transparency, and continuous improvement across campus
• Advance diversity and open mindedness and create a civil, welcoming and caring culture for all
• Foster engagement of all campus constituents with our community, increase the use and visibility of resources we provide, and strengthen our reputation by improving our advancement efforts and through superior strategic marketing

 

WHERE WE ARE

Academic Program

31 minors              26 majors        16 Graduate students (8 completed SP16)

 

Center for a Sustainable Future

7 Student staff (work study)         21 Affiliated Faculty

 

Center Budget

$16,000.00 – IU South Bend         $8,815.00 – Fund Donations

$43,439.00 IU Foundation

2017-18 Scholarships: 3 scholarships ranging from $10,000-25,000

 

WHERE WE WANT TO BE

In order to have a transformational impact on the region, the city of South Bend, and the campus, we must continue to educate about and promote triple bottom line accountability in our lives, workplaces, and communities. By providing students, faculty, staff, and community members with a sense of understanding and fulfillment, as well as employment opportunities, the Center will be considered the priority resource in the region for innovative and sustainable partnerships and solutions. By 2019:

 

Academic Program

50 minors              50 majors        30 Graduate students

 

Center for a Sustainable Future

12 Student staff (work study)       30 Affiliated Faculty

 

Center Budget

$16,000.00 – IU South Bend         $15,000.00 – Fund Donations

$40,000.00 IU Foundation

5 Annual Scholarships: ranging from $10,000-25,000

The Challenges

Despite a limited university budget and contributions from the community, the Center has been able to exist and develop a foundation from which to grow. Interest is strong in the academic programs, and the field of sustainability has a good reputation in the region and throughout the IU system.

 

To support more sustainable development:

 

• More education is needed across the K-12 and higher education curriculums.

 

• Financial support is needed to ensure that students with the interest and desire are able to study sustainability. Internship opportunities are on the rise, but more prepared students are needed to fill these positions as well as the following professional positions which will grow from them.

 

• A limited staff results in a small group of projects receiving significant attention to move forward, even as opportunities to grow continue to present themselves. Where there were once ongoing sustainability workshops in years past, they have not taken place in the last two years. Whether or not there is a need for them or a need for a new format must be considered.

 

• Research in sustainability among the faculty and affiliated faculty is on the rise, yet there remains a need to showcase this work in public and peer-reviewed formats.

 

• Service to the community is strong, although it has been primarily centered on serving on boards and alliances addressing sustainability, transportation, and community health.

 

• While these have created and strengthened networks, opportunities for direct outreach and impact have been undermined by economic and social factors.

 

 

The Opportunities & Goals Ahead

After reviewing feedback from the Center’s Advisory Board and conducting an assessment of ongoing impactful projects, six areas of focus were identified as opportunities to pursue. The topic areas include teaching, research, and service, which address IU South Bend goals as a campus.

 

Specific to the Center, the other three areas are Job Creation, Healthy Communities, and Environmental Stewardship. Each area contains specific goals, objectives, tasks, timelines, and metrics to evaluate accomplishments.

 

 

 

Teaching

Goal: Expand on-line education

 

Objective: Work with IU-wide Bachelor of Arts in Sciences program to expand offerings of sustainability courses to more campuses

Timeline: Monthly coordinating meetings

 

Objective: Apply for funds to support the development of more online courses at graduate and undergraduate level

Timeline: one application per year (March)

 

Objective: Promote availability of online degrees through IUOCC system

Timeline: Fall, 2019

 

Goal: Promote change through action

 

Objective: Host annual Sustainability and Innovation Lecture series

Timeline: 12 talks/year

 

Objective: Promote and support on and off campus internships

Ongoing

 

Objective: Incorporate real world outreach, education, and service in curriculum

Timeline: Offer at least one SUST course per semester with service component

 

Objective: Utilize services and support from Indiana Campus Compact (ICC)

Timeline: Apply annually for grant money to support student engagement projects

 

Objective: Support and align efforts with Carnegie Engaged Campus program

Timeline: Monthly meetings. Application due late 2018.

 

Objective: Highlight accomplishments of changes made through individual and collective actions

 

Goal: Bring programs to minorities

 

Objective: Partner with other IUSB Centers (Civil Rights Heritage Center, American Democracy Project) to reach and engage diverse audiences

Ongoing

 

Objective: Recruit and retain diverse student body to program

Timeline: Scholarships first become available in 2017-18 academic year

Tasks:

1. Develop scholarship recruitment materials
2. Distribute materials to financial aid office, area high schools, affiliated faculty, advisory board, and career centers
3. Promote scholarships through electronic platforms (newsletter, social media, website, Daily Titan, IUSB newspaper, South Bend Tribune, radio spots)
4. Develop scholarship review panel from Advisory Board, Faculty, and Alumni

 

Goal: Strengthen Campus and Community Connectivity through Sustainability Showcase

 

Objective: Hold planning charrettes with campus and community

Timeline: Dates for Charrettes: November 9, 18.

Ongoing thru 12/31/06: Online survey, website, newsletter, and social media promotion

 

Objective: Work with Chancellor, Dean, Development Office, Advisory Board, Purdue faculty, Community Partners to raise funds

Timeline: January, 2017 – ?

 

Objective: Host four Community Events per year (talks, films, presentations, collaborative creative design, etc.) as each step of plan progresses

Timeline: Monthly to Quarterly (at minimum)

 

Goal: Develop Strong Alumni Cohort

Objective: Provide connectivity opportunities for students to foster lifelong meaning to the sustainability program and IUSB

 

Objective: Feature and/or host Alumni in classes

Timeline: Once per semester, per SUST class

 

 

Research

Goal: Support and promote faculty sustainability research

 

Objective: Feature published work by faculty

Timeline: Quarterly

 

Objective: Communicate resources that support research funding and publication to affiliated faculty

Timeline: Quarterly

 

Goal: Research on implications of changing behaviors

 

Objective: Collect and compile data from affiliated faculty (Zach Schrank, Sociology; Terri Hebert, Education; P.N. Saksena, Business; Josh Wells, Social Informatics; Krista Bailey, Sustainability)

Timeline: Annually (1^st Q of calendar year)

 

Objective: Sustainability Showcase research and lab space

Timeline: By 2019-2020 academic year, have research and/or lab space utilized at Showcase with two or more projects designed for each semester.

 

 

Service

Goal: Provide public tours of Showcase to increase awareness and value of sustainability innovations

 

Objective: Provide virtual tour of structures before, during, and after construction

 

Objective: Report on ROI/economics of all installations before and after installation

 

Objective: Create interactive informational displays for natural features to highlight performance features

 

Goal: Transportation infrastructure advocacy

Objective: Coordinate re-submission of Bicycle Friendly Campus application

Timeline: Turn in application August, 2017

 

Objective: Participate on South Bend Bike Committee

Timeline: Quarterly meetings

 

Objective: Network and collaborate with local and regional transportation initiatives

Ongoing

 

Goal: Promote change through action

 

Objective: Take active role in at least three local commissions and boards that offer opportunities to educate and engage on range of sustainability issues (i.e. – Green Ribbon Commission, Health Alliance, Let’s Move City, Bicycle Committee)

Timeline: Monthly/Quarterly meetings

 

Goal: Incubate sustainability programs in the community

 

Objective: Recruit and support 3-5 Fellows projects per year

 

Objective: Work with ADP & CRHC partners to develop at least one collaborative event per academic year that includes a sustainability perspective or component

 

 

Job Creation 

Goal: Foster job creation through sustainability initiatives

 

Objective: Prepare business workshops to deliver with/for North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC).

Timeline: Launch workshop Fall, 2017

Tasks:

1. Finalize workshop outline; May, 2017
2. Review workshop with Alan Steele at ISBDC; June, 2017

 

Objective: Present Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development to eight organizations/150 people per year.

Timeline: Promote quarterly and deliver upon request.

Tasks:

1. Promote workshop availability through networks (quarterly)
2. Train students in materials and to recruit audiences (Fall)
3. Deliver and assess workshops (December)

 

 

Healthy Communities

Goal: Foster Health improvements in the IUSB Campus and South Bend Community

 

Objective: Conduct and support educational programs and initiatives on campus and through curriculum

Timeline: One event/initiative per academic year

 

Objective: Collaborate to develop and promote health programs

Timeline: Collaborate annually with St. Joseph County Health Improvement Alliance, IU South Bend Health Sciences, and others

 

 

Environmental Stewardship

Goal: Foster stewardship efforts on and off campus

 

Objective: Receive designation as Bee Friendly campus

Timeline: 2020

 

Objective: Receive recognition as a Tree Campus

Timeline: 2019

 

Objective: Partner with Parks Department to identify opportunities

Timeline: one event per semester

 

Objective: Recruit students, faculty, and staff to seek and participate in stewardship events

Timeline: one event per semester

 

Objective: Coordinate development of Showcase gardens with area Parks staff, landscape architects, and landscape companies to ensure installations are designed with a triple bottom line approach

Timeline: Have garden designs complete by end of 2017. (installation funding dependent)

 

Objective: Support and expand gardens on campus

Timeline: annually

            Tasks:

1. Record amount of space gardened each season
2. Record what is grown and how much
3. Record amount of food donated

 

Objective: Partner to reduce food waste on campus

Timeline: at least 10 weeks/semester

Tasks:

1. Communicate with Dining Services to coordinate collection
2. Communicate with Facilities about compost bins and their care and maintenance
3. Collect, weigh, and compost food scraps four days a week
4. Report Results annually

 

Proposed Goal/Concept: The Sustainability Lab at IUSB/Living Building Showcase

Key Goals and Objectives – draft

• Green Transportation
  • Electric Bikes and Scooters
• Grow a carbon neutral community
  • increase tree canopy/more trees on campus
  • Enhancement of natural resources (riverfront, trees, etc.)
  • Requirements for green infrastructure building
  • Net zero homes
  • more recycling options for rural areas
  • more walking paths downtown
  • distributed network of parks
  • Produce more energy than waste
    • Food compost programs
  • Promote Science based policy
  • Green Jobs
  • Foster and Support an Engaged Sustainability Community
    • Work with high school students as well as jr. high students
    • low income community funding pool sustainability
    • urban horticulture food forest
    • teaching people to stop using pesticides
    • Annual Pickup day at Bowman Creek