Developing a Research Framework
RMI is collaborating with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to research barriers and solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions on college and university campuses. This RMI project aims to develop a web-based framework that campuses can consult for guidance in the planning and implementation of a successful climate-change-mitigation initiative that is targeted to campus operations. In order to inform our research, we are conducting confidential interviews with key informants on campuses around the United States. We aim to make this project a fun and invigorating experience for participating campuses — carried out in the spirit of collaboration and “learning by doing.”
If you would like to contribute to our research by setting up a brief phone interview with our research team, please contact Sally DeLeon by emailing her at sdeleon@rmi.org.
Campus Visits and Collaborative Workshop
In August, RMI invited U.S. colleges and universities to submit proposal applications to host RMI researchers on their campuses this fall and take part in a collaborative RMI workshop to find solutions to common greenhouse gas mitigation challenges. With input from RMI and AASHE, our funder selected the following campuses for visits and workshop participation.
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina
Harford Community College, Bel Air, Maryland
Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, Wisconsin
Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
Richland College, Dallas, Texas
Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
Unity College, Unity, Maine
University of Minnesota at Morris, Morris, Minnesota
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Through visits to these campuses, RMI researchers aim to:
- More fully understand each campus experience,
- Offer campus officials informal feedback on their climate-change initiatives,
- Set the stage for the later workshop.
With a team of RMI experts, a visiting expert from AASHE, and three participants from each of the ten selected campuses, the workshop aims to:
- Provide a non-public, intimate problem-solving environment and retreat for campus leaders to develop solution strategies,
- Cultivate collaboration among campuses, interested funders, and technical experts,
- Address participants’ key challenges and solutions,
- Collaboratively assess the needs of campus climate-change mitigation and energy-efficiency programs, related to campus operations,
- Offer campus leaders informal feedback on their climate work,
- Inform funders’ grant programs, and
- Provide material for the web-based RMI framework for campus climate-change initiatives.
Relevant Documents for More Information
Download the Press Release (coming soon)
Read the article on campuses in our Solutions Journal (coming soon)
Download the Request for Proposals (PDF 260K) (submission deadline has passed)
