Bothell, WA – The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced Cascadia College as a finalist for a 2021 AASHE Campus Sustainability Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding progress in higher education sustainability.
The AASHE Sustainability Awards provide global recognition to individuals and organizations leading the higher education sustainability movement. With the help of volunteer judges, this program raises the visibility of high-impact projects, pioneering research, and student leadership that helps to disseminate innovations and inspire continued progress toward environmental, social, and economic health.
The outstanding individuals and institutions recognized as finalists were selected based on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity, and other criteria specific to each award category. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, December 9 at noon Eastern time.
“We’re thrilled to be nominated for this award, as it recognizes our sustainability efforts as part of our mission on campus,” says Stephan Classen, Assistant Director of Sustainable Practices. “Our Food Forest is open to the public and allows students, staff, and our community to experience growing fruit and berries, including some which people may not be as familiar with!”
The Cascadia Cornucopia Food Forest was planted in 2015 at the Cascadia College/University of Washington Bothell Campus. Cascadia College pushed to have a welcoming edible space for the community to connect in. The food forest has over 30 fruit trees and numerous edible berry shrubs. It allows the Northshore community to visit campus and explore an urban edible growing space. It connects how food can be more local, accessible, and sustainable, while offering teaching opportunities.
“The higher education sustainability community continues to show themselves as leaders in the global sustainability movement. This is never more evident than through the many entries received for the AASHE Sustainability Awards,” said Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “I am proud to recognize the innovation and leadership demonstrated by this year’s finalists.”
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To learn more about AASHE’s Sustainability Awards programs, please visit http://www.aashe.org/get-involved/awards/.
You can learn more about Cascadia’s Sustainability Efforts and Food Forest at https://www.cascadia.edu/bassp and their blog, Integrate It! at https://cascadiaupdates.wordpress.com/
About Cascadia College: Cascadia College is a comprehensive community college that specializes in university transfer education. It is nationally recognized for its high transfer rate and for its emphasis on collaborative and active learning across disciplines. It was established by the legislature to serve the higher education needs of Northeast King and South Snohomish counties.
About AASHE: AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org. Follow AASHE on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information, please contact Stephan Classen, Assistant Director of Sustainable Practices at Cascadia College at sclassen@cascadia.edu.
