COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIP HISTORY

• Aquinas College
• City of Grand Rapids
• Grand Rapids Community College
• Grand Rapids Public Schools
• Grand Valley State University

The leaders of Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Public Schools, and the City of Grand Rapids formed the partnership in August 2005, known as the “Community Sustainability Partnership (CSP).”

With support from Peter Wege and other foundations, the founding partners engaged in a three-year planning, development and implementation initiative to imbed sustainability best practices into the policies, procedures and cultures of their respective organizations. During this time, over 150 endorsing partners joined the CSP. These agencies and organizations indicated that they support the CSP model and volunteer to implement sustainability guiding principles on a best efforts basis in their future planning and operations. Multiple summits were hosted by the CSP in this three year period, featuring inspirational speakers, exceptional networking opportunities, and hands-on workshops.

To re-energize the organization and bring in fresh perspectives, a new leadership team was appointed by Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell in the beginning of 2011. Today over 270 endorsing partner organizations continue to develop and implement sustainable development best practices. Members of the Community Sustainability Partnership include private, public, service and academic organizations.