Diversity & Affordability
Introduction
Higher education opens doors to opportunities that can help create a more equitable world, and those doors must be open through affordable programs accessible to all regardless of race, gender, religion, socio-economic status and other differences. In addition, a diverse student body, faculty, and staff provide rich resources for learning and collaboration.
Featured Resources
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
Ngā Mokopuna - a living building based on indigenous wisdom
- Victoria University of Wellington
In late 2024, Victoria University of Wellington opened Ngā Mokopuna as the University's newest green building and hub for Māori knowledge. Aspiring to gain Living Building Challenge certification, it exemplifies …
- Posted Aug. 12, 2026
- Photographs
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Sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- Victoria University of Wellington
A Sustainability clothing swap for students and staff at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus in Wellington, New Zealand
- Posted Aug. 5, 2026
- Photographs
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Student-Led School Renovation & Community Outreach
- University of Sharjah
A dedicated team of student volunteers actively participating in a national community service campaign to renovate and repaint local school classrooms. The initiative highlights youth leadership, hands-on social responsibility, and …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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External Community Engagement & Accessibility Initiatives
- University of Sharjah
The event showcases institutional outreach, social responsibility, and strategic leadership aimed at empowering People of Determination through inclusive vision initiatives and accessible education.
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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Accessible & Inclusive Forum
- University of Sharjah
A group of university students collaborating around a shared table within a brightly lit, plant-filled study lounge. The space is fully accessible, accommodating wheelchair users seamlessly alongside their peers, demonstrating …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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Inclusive Communication & Campus Accessibility
- University of Sharjah
An employee engaging in sign language communication with a peer in an academic setting. This highlights social sustainability by promoting equal opportunities, inclusive interactions, and accessible communication practices across the …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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Harmonious Campus Biodiversity
- University of Sharjah
A tall, slender palm tree stands prominently in front of traditional dome architectural features. Small birds (pigeons) rest along the roofline, showcasing the coexistence of urban architecture and local ecosystem …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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The Art of Ability: Inclusive Panel Discussion
- University of Sharjah
A panel discussion titled "The Art of Ability: Inclusion Through Expression" hosted on a main stage. Diverse panelists, including individuals advocating for accessibility and inclusion, share their perspectives to promote …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
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California State University, Fullerton engineering students conduct hands-on renewable/clean energy research
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
California State University, Fullerton engineering students conduct hands-on renewable/clean energy research. Through inclusive academic opportunities and practical lab experience, CSUF drives clean tech innovation while advancing workforce development for tomorrow’s …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
- Photographs
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UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center and Bear Pantry_ SCI_2026
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Students are sorting and packing donated food.
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
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The Housing & Dining Sustainability team plays an important role in greening procurement practices and offering accessible, healthy food
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
The Housing & Dining Sustainability team plays an important role in greening procurement practices and offering accessible, healthy food. Photo credit: Shannen Casey.
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
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Students gather in a field during the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resiliency.
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Students gather in a field during the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resiliency. Photo credit: Bine Buencamino Phung
- Posted Aug. 3, 2026
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Exploring Graduate Study and Research Opportunities
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev welcomes international agriculture students to explore graduate study and research opportunities through academic outreach activities. Participants are introduced to the university's research excellence and sustainability …
- Posted July 29, 2026
- Photographs
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International Community Beach Cleanup
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
International students, faculty, staff, and community volunteers participate in a beach cleanup organized through Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's Green Campus program. Bringing together people from diverse cultural backgrounds, the …
- Posted July 28, 2026
- Photographs
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SmithCycle
- Smith College (MA)
Two students hold items found in the end of year campus move-out.
- Posted July 23, 2026
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Cultivating Community Connections at the Northdale Community Garden
- Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)
When you ask a student where Laurier’s community garden resides in Waterloo, many students are surprised to hear that we have one on campus. Nestled behind the Northdale Campus building, …
- Posted July 8, 2026
- Photographs
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Earth Fest 2026 Celebration at Amherst College
- Amherst College (MA)
Earth Fest 2026 - a day of celebrating our planet and exploring ways to make a positive impact on Amherst's campus featured a Free Clothing Pop Up, tree planting on …
- Posted April 22, 2026
- Photographs
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AASHE Strategic Plan (2024)
- AASHE (MA)
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, and dedication to the development of this strategic plan. Your insights and efforts have been invaluable in shaping …
- Posted April 14, 2026
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New2U Thrift Store: A Model for Student-Led Circularity and Campus Resilience
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
The New2U Thrift Store is a permanent, student-powered circular economy initiative at the University of Massachusetts Amherst that advances sustainability through year-round reuse, affordability, education, and community development. Launched in …
- Posted Feb. 2, 2026
- Case Studies
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CSUN Move-In & Move-Out Reuse Program: Reducing Waste Through Student-Centered Circularity
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
California State University, Northridge (CSUN) developed the Move-In & Move-Out Reuse Program to reduce landfill waste generated during peak student transition periods while promoting reuse, affordability, and sustainability awareness. The …
- Posted Feb. 2, 2026
- Case Studies
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Lab Swap Shop at the University of Michigan
- University of Michigan (MI)
In June 2024, the Lab Swap Shop opened in a former geology space no longer fit for active research. This reimagined space is a partnership between the Office of Campus …
- Posted Feb. 2, 2026
- Case Studies
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Maize and Blue Cupboard - Fighting Food Insecurity Among Students and the Larger Campus Community
- University of Michigan (MI)
The Maize and Blue Cupboard (MBC) is a student-established, student-run campus pantry at the University of Michigan that offers access to food and other campus resources for students facing food …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2026
- Case Studies
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Pitt Eats by Chartwells: A Campus‑Driven Approach to Ending Food Insecurity
- 412 Food Rescue (PA)
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The University of Pittsburgh’s Food Security Lockers innovatively recover surplus food from campus dining and distribute it to food insecure students. Launched in Fall 2023, the University of Pittsburgh’s Food …
- Posted Jan. 23, 2026
- Case Studies
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Seed Library in the Georgia Southern Campus Community Garden
- Georgia Southern University (GA)
Placing the Seed Library in the campus Community Garden at Georgia Southern has diverse benefits for economic, social, and environmental sustainability. With a budget of around $700, the project is …
- Posted Jan. 23, 2026
- Case Studies
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Redbird Fresh Market Developed to Address Food Insecurity at Illinois State University
- Illinois State University (IL)
The Redbird Fresh Market provides eight weeks of fresh produce bags each fall and spring semester to campus employees and students. Participants pay $8/bag, making the program very accessible. Additionally, …
- Posted Jan. 23, 2026
- Case Studies
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IE Sustainability Townhall: A Participatory Funding Model for Campus Sustainability and Community Impact
- Instituto de Empresa SL
The IE Sustainability Townhall is a participatory governance and funding initiative at IE University designed to promote initiatives that strengthen community engagement around sustainability, environmental stewardship, human connection, and the …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2026
- Case Studies
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Design Justice in Online Courses: Principles and Applications for Higher Education
- University of Central Florida (FL)
Design justice is an emerging framework that centers marginalized communities in the design of systems and technologies. Originating from the intersection of design, technology, and social justice movements, design justice …
- Posted Nov. 19, 2025
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Reducing achievement gaps: Exploring how learning by doing can support diverse student success.
- University of Central Florida (FL)
- VitalSource Technologies LLC (NC)
Formative practice applied for a learning-by-doing approach is widely known to be an effective learning method for all students, but for disadvantaged students in particular. Different student populations—ethnic minorities, first …
- Posted Nov. 19, 2025
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From Digital Natives to Smart Citizens: Empowering Tech-Savvy Students through Instructional Innovation
- University of Central Florida (FL)
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) recognized the growing emphasis on integrating sustainability education across diverse academic disciplines in higher education. …
- Posted Sept. 15, 2025
- Publications
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Environmental Literacy Differences Based on Gender Identity and Race: A Social Justice Concern
- Indiana State University (IN)
- University of North Carolina, Wilmington (NC)
Environmental literacy can empower students to make positive changes in their environment. Understanding the rates of environmental literacy in college students of color is particularly important because African American, Asian, …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
- Publications
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Students of colour views on racial equity in environmental sustainability
- Dartmouth College (NH)
- DePaul University (IL)
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Racial and ethnic diversity in environmental sustainability advances social equity and innovation, solving social-ecological crises. Yet, Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) remain underrepresented in sustainability fields despite high …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Shifting the approach: greening abolitionist teaching for inclusive sustainability
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
- Goddard College (VT)
In recent years, there has been growing criticism within environmental studies and sciences (ESS) regarding the environmental racism embedded in the institutions that train future environmental professionals and leaders. The …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Citation as representation: gendered academic citation politics persist in environmental studies publications
- Illinois Wesleyan University (IL)
- University of South Florida (FL)
Publication citation impact can be an essential metric in deciding tenure and promotion, but studies have shown that historically women are cited less than men, despite equal or greater output …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Building more epistemically inclusive and environmentally equitable universities
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
Higher educational institutions tend to draw from mainstream approaches to environmentalism that reinforce race, class, and gender hierarchies around who constitutes “an environmentalist” and what activities constitute “environmentalism.” As a …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Racially inclusive climates within degree programs and increasing student of color enrollment: An examination of environmental/sustainability programs.
- University of Virginia (VA)
- Vincent Evaluation Consulting (OK)
Students of color remain severely underrepresented in many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, including environmental fields. Although there is a growing body of research on predictors of selecting …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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A pedagogy for the end of the world: teaching environmental health and justice in a sacrifice zone
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
This article describes pedagogical changes that I have made to my Environmental Justice class at the University of the Pacific in response to increasingly crisis conditions with regard to both …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in environmental studies and sciences by practicing compassionate pedagogies
- Fort Lewis College (CO)
- Franklin & Marshall College (PA)
- McDaniel College (MD)
- University of Nottingham
The imperative to (re)center diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) touches nearly every aspect of higher education today. The multidisciplinary fields of environmental studies and sciences (ESS) are no exception; …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
- Publications
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Campus sustainability office representations of the DEIJ-sustainability nexus
- Central Michigan University (MI)
- University of Vermont (VT)
The number of campus sustainability offices in the USA has grown over the past two decades. These offices evolve from myriad origins such as an outgrowth of a facilities department, …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
- Publications
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Environmental justice teaching in an undergraduate context: examining the intersection of community-engaged, inclusive, and anti-racist pedagogy
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
Since the early 1980s, the environmental justice (EJ) movement was critical in drawing much needed attention on how Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and low-income groups have experienced a …
- Posted Aug. 13, 2025
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Representation & Access (formerly Social Equity)·
- Cornell University (NY)
Yusef Salaam speaks to students during a roundtable discussion on social justice in the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives
- Posted Aug. 12, 2025
- Photographs
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Dining Services Sustainability Initiatives
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
Dining Services at the University of Maryland offers plant-based and local foods in all of the Dining Halls. Much of the produce is grown at Terp Farm, a two acre …
- Posted Aug. 4, 2025
- Photographs
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Graduates celebrate Cultural Heritage at Commencement Ceremony
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
Graduates at the University of Maryland's Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony
- Posted Aug. 4, 2025
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Amherst College - Free Clothing Extravaganza
- Amherst College (MA)
A student holds up a bundle of secondhand clothes they picked out at the Free Clothing Extravaganza, a campus event held just after move-in. The event recirculates over several tons …
- Posted July 14, 2025
- Photographs
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Amherst College - Free Clothing Pop Up
- Amherst College (MA)
Students enjoy a free clothing pop-up outside the Office of Sustainability, featuring gently used items collected from residence halls. The event promotes textile reuse and helps students find what they …
- Posted July 14, 2025
- Photographs
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Free Thrift Store
- Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)
The Student Government Association (SGA) teamed up with the Office of Sustainability to host a FREE Thrift Store on campus. THis was a pop-up event, lasting for two days. Students …
- Posted May 5, 2025
- Photographs
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Biodiversity
- Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Biodiversity
- Posted April 3, 2025
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LGBTQIA+ Meet-Up
- University at Buffalo (NY)
This session is for any individual from the LGBTQIA+ community that wants to connect with others in the AASHE network. It will be a safe space to build relationships and …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
- Conference Presentations
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Exploring the Intersection of EDIA and Sustainability in HEIs
- University of Toronto (ON)
Environmental issues have a disproportionately negative effect on marginalized communities. Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) is a prevalent topic in environmental studies, and there is a growing interest in …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
- Conference Presentations
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Building the Pipeline (Not the Fossil Fuel One!)
- Tufts University (MA)
This session is about accelerating and diversifying climate leadership. The sustainability sector often reflects a lack of diversity, with a predominance of white employees, especially in higher-level positions such as …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
- Conference Presentations
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Community Colleges and Just Transition: The Tribal Stewards Program and Leading With Equity
- Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (WA)
The Tribal Stewards program in Washington Community and Technical Colleges seeks to reconstruct workforce education to support Tribal student success, leadership, and economic mobility. We will explore how we have …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
- Conference Presentations
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
PA 5: Diversity & Equity Coordination
- Description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities
- Description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer
- Website URL - Diversity & equity coordination
PA 6: Assessing Diversity & Equity
- Description of the diversity and equity assessment process
- Description of recent diversity and equity assessment findings
- Diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload)
- Website URL - diversity and equity assessment report or summary
- Website URL - Diversity & equity assessment
PA 7: Support for Underrepresented Groups
- Non-discrimination statement
- Discrimination response policy or protocol
- Programs to recruit students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups
- Programs to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups
- Programs to prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members
- Website URL - Support for underrepresented groups
PA 8: Affordability & Access
- Percent of need met, on average, for students who were awarded need-based aid
- Percent of students graduating without student loan debt
- Percent of entering students that are low-income
- Graduation/success-rate for low-income students
- Website URL - Affordability and access programs
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.