Partnerships
Only through the power of partnership will we collectively create sustainable places to live, learn, work, and play.
The Office for Sustainability’s local, regional and national strategic partnerships include:
Resilient Together is a County, City, and UVA collaborative planning and implementation process focused on climate adaptation designed to ensure our community is strong, safe, and healthy in the face of a changing climate.
In 2019, the presidents of University of Virginia and William & Mary - James E. Ryan and Dr. Katherine Rowe - formed a partnership to advance each institution’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Staff, faculty, and students from each institution identify common opportunities and challenges that benefit the universities’ progress and connect experts to explore and implement action. The partnership is focused on the operational aspects of the carbon neutrality goal with strong connections to engagement, curriculum, and research opportunities.
Virginia Association of Sustainability in Higher Education
VASHE is a network of sustainability professionals working in institutions of higher education across Virginia. The mission of VASHE is to provide these professionals with opportunities to share best practices, resources, and lessons learned, and to collaborate across a wide range of sustainability initiatives in higher education.
Southeast Campus Sustainability Network
The network brings together the primary sustainability directors and managers from colleges and universities in the Southeast, from Maryland to Texas. The group operates under a democratic governance model and hosts monthly conference calls and an annual regional gathering to advance sustainability leadership via facilitated discussions, best practice sharing, collaboration, and networking.
ACC Sports Sustainability Network
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a leader in collegiate athletics, academics, and sustainability programs. The mission is to lead and cultivate the collective strengths and expertise of ACC member institutions to create impact for people, planet and future through innovative sports sustainability practice.
Collegiate Sports Sustainability Network
The mission of the Collegiate Sports Sustainability Network is to establish a national framework for collaboration and leadership that advances sustainability in collegiate athletics. Through knowledge-sharing, best practices and strategic initiatives, CSSN provides a foundation for integrating sustainability across sports programs in higher education.
International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL)
UVA is a member of the National Capital Chapter of the I2SL, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories. They provide essential resources, networking and best practice sharing in service of their mission to advance sustainable laboratories globally.
AASHE Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education UVA is a member of AASHE, a national organization whose mission is to inspire and catalyze higher education to lead the global sustainability transformation. They empower higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. We take advantage of their plentiful resources, information-sharing bulletin, professional development, and other benefits.
Ivy Plus Sustainability Collaborative
UVA is a member of the Ivy+ Sustainability Collaborative, which exists to strengthen the impact of higher‑education sustainability efforts through shared learning, data transparency, and coordinated action. As a network of 30 leading research institutions, the purpose is to create a collective platform where universities can accelerate climate solutions more effectively together than any one institution could alone. The Collaborative is a forum for identifying emerging sustainability trends, anticipating challenges, and supporting evidence‑based decision‑making across campuses.
UVA has joined over 400 higher education institutions as an Affiliate member of Second Nature - a nonprofit focused on accelerating climate action in and through higher education. As part of this membership, UVA is also a member of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) cohort, which connects 23 of the world’s leading research universities committed to accelerating climate action on campus, in communities, and at a global scale. The Second Nature membership is an institutional membership, so current UVA staff and faculty are welcome to participate.
Other partnerships
UVA Office for Sustainability also connects with numerous local nonprofit sustainability organizations on outreach and specific projects to advance sustainability in the region.