Conducting work that is relevant to communities, and that works in collaboration with existing expertise from many sources, is an important part of our philosophy. Much of our research involves collaboration with non-academic partners. We aim to collaborate at multiple stages of the research process, as we feel that this leads to research that is both more rigorous and more relevant.

Current and past partners outside of academia include:

• Comisariado de Bienes Comunales de Capulalpam de Mendez
• Cocina CoLaboratorio
• Cold Hollow to Canada
• Franklin/Grand Isle Community Action Program
• Intervale Center
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs
• Shelburne Farms
• St. Albans Area Watershed Association
• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
• Vermont Folklife Center

Sharing research results is a big part of this work. Two examples:
At the culmination of a project on how values connect to territorial decision-making in the Oaxacan Indigenous community of Capulalpam de Mendez, our team organized a "share-back event" that involved multiple interactive activities, including a scavenger hunt, a "values museum", and a co-created values mural--all based on research results.

After Rachelle's work on cultural ecosystem services and forest restoration in Hawaiʻi , she partnered with Kanani Enos, Shane Akoni Nelson, and Hālau o ka Haliko (a hula school with Kanani Enos as the Instructor, or Kumu Hulu) to share results with the community in Kona.  

We also have many partners within academia. These include:

• Agroecology & Livelihoods Collaborative (UVM)
• CHANS lab (UBC)
• Gund Institute for the Environment (UVM)​

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PhD student Josh Morse presenting about the Coyote Stories project to partners.

Hula show, Pono me ka ʻāina, nau ke koho. See link [pending] for details.