Campus Engagement
Introduction
Engaging in sustainability issues through co-curricular activities allows students to deepen and apply their understandings of sustainability principles. Institution-sponsored co-curricular sustainability offerings, often coordinated by student affairs offices, help integrate sustainability into the campus culture and set a positive tone for the institution. Faculty and staff members’ daily decisions impact an institution’s sustainability performance. Equipping faculty and staff with the tools, knowledge, and motivation to adopt behavior changes that promote sustainability is an essential activity of a sustainable campus.
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Carbon footprint analysis of student behavior for a sustainable university campus in China
- Drexel University (PA)
Sustainable urban design, systems-level organizational planning, and human behavior have all been recognized for their potentially important roles in helping to reduce energy costs and associated environmental impacts, including greenhouse ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Hawaii Pacific University Loa Campus: Promoting Energy Efficiency and Conservation in the Office
- Hawaii Pacific University (HI)
In order to promote sustainability throughout campus and engage in a behavior change process that is both research intensive and action oriented, the Green Office Program of Hawaii Pacific University ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Union College's Presidential Green Grants: Empowering our community to make a more sustainable world
- Union College - NY (NY)
Our greatest resource as an institution is the creativity and energy of our community. Union College’s Presidential Green Grant (PGG) program leverages this creativity and energy by supporting novel ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Academic staff engagement in education for sustainable development
- University of Southampton
The research presented in this paper emerged from the need to identify the factors influencing academic staff members when engaging in Education for Sustainable Development in real practice. The aims ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Encouraging sustainability in the workplace: a survey on the pro-environmental behaviour of university employees
- Wageningen University
In order to enhance more sustainable behaviour in households, recent research focuses on the identification of factors that have an impact on sustainable or pro-environmental behaviour. The aim of this ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainable universities – a study of critical success factors for participatory approaches
Participatory approaches can be seen as a requirement, but also as a benefit to the overall paradigm change towards sustainable development and contribute towards the integration of sustainability concept into ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Changing Norms by Changing Behavior: The Princeton Drink Local Program
- Princeton University (NJ)
Unprecedented levels of global bottled water consumption present a major challenge for the environment and water conservation initiatives. Educational institutions are in a unique position to promote conservation behavior by ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Implementation of sustainability in universities as perceived by faculty and staff – a model from a Swedish university
Education for sustainable development creates new challenges for universities where faculty and staff are expected to prepare students to meet complexities in society and take responsibility for sustainability, which scientists ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Participatory Development of Key Sustainability Concepts for Dialogue and Curricula at The Ohio State University
- The Ohio State University (OH)
The Ohio State University (OSU) is one of the many universities committed to sustainability within its operations, traditions, and university framework. The university continues to evolve in relation to its ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Cedar Valley College a Center of Excellence of Sustainability in South Dallas, TX.
- Dallas College (TX)
The Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) consists of seven campuses enrolling 85,000 students from Dallas County and beyond. Cedar Valley College (CVC), one of the seven DCCCD campuses ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education: Interconnecting the Reporting Process and Organisational Change Management for Sustainability
- Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
- Utrecht University
- KU Leuven
Although there has been a considerable increase in the publication of sustainability reports in the corporate world in the last decade, sustainability reporting in higher education institutions is still in ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Learning about Sustainability—What Influences Students’ Self-Perceived Sustainability Actions after Undergraduate Education?
Changing societies’ minds about sustainability requires knowledge about the situation, awareness of what needs to be done and actions to change today’s unsustainable behaviors. Universities are challenged to develop ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Institutional Framework for Student-Led Sustainability Initiatives
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
The Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC) is a self-sustaining committee within the Association for Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN), otherwise known as UNL’s Student Government. The framework of ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Environment Week at UAlberta
- University of Alberta (AB)
From June 6–10, the University of Alberta hosted a series of free events to celebrate Environment Week and engage our community in sustainability. UAlberta partnered with local organizations such ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Photographs
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UBC Okanagan Whole Systems Infrastructure Plan - Aspiring toward Regenerative Sustainability
- University of British Columbia (BC)
This case study describes how UBC Okanagan created and leveraged an opportunity to develop an innovative, holistic campus sustainability plan that responds to UBC’s regenerative aspirations; what the Plan ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Learning Garden at Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
Virginia Commonwealth University's Office of Sustainability has created a new, urban, Learning Garden that produces fruits and vegetables exclusively for donation. The garden was created in response to a ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Virginia Tech Green RFP Program
- Virginia Tech (VA)
Student engagement is an important factor in advancing sustainability at Virginia Tech. The University created the “Request for Proposal for Sustainability Initiatives from Student Organizations Program (Green RFP Program)” to ...
- Posted June 9, 2016
- Case Studies
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CPS Café – Sustainable Food Service Operation
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
The CPS Café is an eatery operated mainly by students across campus and is a unique food service business open to the public. It is a program within the College ...
- Posted June 9, 2016
- Case Studies
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute Bike Share Program
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
In 2014 a student group researched transportation alternatives on campus and recommended a community bike share program. In 2015, another student group further developed the bike share option by conducting ...
- Posted June 9, 2016
- Case Studies
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Ohio University Move-Out Sustainability Project
- Ohio University (OH)
Each year during student Move Out week, Ohio University's Department of Recycling and Zero Waste partners with the City of Athens, Athens Hocking Recycling Center, local businesses, community non-profit ...
- Posted June 9, 2016
- Case Studies
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Permaculture in higher education: Opportunities and challenges
- University of Victoria (BC)
There is growing agreement that integrative “whole person” approaches promoting transformative learning are important aspects of sustainability education. Increasingly, universities are using permaculture in teaching sustainability. Permaculture is an ecological ...
- Posted June 8, 2016
- Publications
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The EcoRep Program at the University of South Carolina: How to Engage Students in On-Campus Environmental Activities
- University of South Carolina (SC)
This senior thesis focused on determining how much the undergraduate student population is aware about current environmental problems, their impression of them, and how they act accordingly. In addition, through ...
- Posted June 8, 2016
- Publications
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Living labs and co-production: university campuses as platforms for sustainability science
Living labs and co-production are increasingly popular strategies for universities to address sustainability challenges and yet the links between them remain largely implicit. This paper discusses the potential of living ...
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Publications
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Western's Water Management Program
- Western University (ON)
Western University has over 90 buildings and most of them didn’t have a water meter. Only those buildings with a direct feed from the City had a meter. In ...
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Case Studies
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Love Food, Hate Waste: Analyzing Food Waste and Reduction at Rice University
- Rice University (TX)
It is known that about 30% of food produced worldwide is ultimately wasted (Gunders 2012). Rice University is not immune to this phenomenon, and past research has shown that Rice ...
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Publications
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University of Minnesota, Morris student leads implementation of the Student Engagement Leadership Forum on Sustainability (SELFsustain) across the University of Minnesota-system
- University of Minnesota, Crookston (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Rochester (MN)
The University of Minnesota (U of M) is leading the way in cultivating student-driven sustainability leadership across Minnesota -- from the prairies to Lake Superior. For five years, U of M ...
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Case Studies
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University of La Verne Sustainability Challenge 2016
- University of La Verne (CA)
University of La Verne organized a Sustainability Challenge with the theme of electricity conservation in Spring of 2016 to promote sustainability for the campus community at large.
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Case Studies
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Encouraging a Culture of Laboratory Sustainability: A Case Study from the University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
Labs comprise about 20% of the floor area at the University of Texas at Austin but account for an estimated 30% of the campus energy consumption. Furthermore, they generate large ...
- Posted June 7, 2016
- Case Studies
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Raise Your Voice: Environmental Justice at Capilano
- Capilano University (BC)
The idea for this event was to have an open idea sharing and focusing event regarding sustainability and environmental justice on campus. It was a chance to bring students together ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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A Model for Creating a Campus Sustainability Plan
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
There are ample excellent reasons why all workplaces should create a sustainability plan, including most importantly the health of the planet. Climate change threatens the biosphere, ocean, atmosphere, our water ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainable Carolina Farm and Garden Hydroponics
- University of South Carolina (SC)
Sustainable Carolina is a student run organization within the University of South Carolina, working to better our campus by making it more sustainable. We work with students, staff, professors, and ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Sustainability Peer Educator Program - Simon Fraser University
- Simon Fraser University (BC)
Program Vision: Students are confident, informed, and active sustainability leaders who have the skills and experience to advance sustainability at and beyond SFU.
The Sustainability Peer Education program empowers students ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Sustainable Fleet at Yale University
- Yale University (CT)
At Yale University, transportation is vital to the University's operation. Fleet Management is a department that has gone to tremendous lengths to provide exceptional transit services for the entire ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Promotion vs. Education in Choosing "Real Food"
- University of Utah (UT)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
- Real Food Challenge (MA)
The global agro-industrial system contributes to an abundance of human and ecological health problems from social injustices and public health issues to global warming and ecological degradation. In response to ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Publications
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SLU Energy Madness
- Saint Louis University (MO)
SLU Energy Madness was a multi-month event involving all residence halls on SLU’s campus. While all residence halls were included, in order to participate each residence hall needed at ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Developing and Validating the Just Sustainability Inventory
- University of Georgia (GA)
Assessment and evaluation of programs are core components of ethical professional practice for student affairs administrators in higher education. This paper reports on the author’s dissertation research designing and ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Publications
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From in-vessel campus composting to sustainable urban farming: connecting science with education and community service
- Kean University (NJ)
Kean University runs a food scrap composting program with a custom-designed in-vessel composter capable of composting up to 1000 pounds of food scraps per day. It diverts food scraps from ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Stash It, Don’t Trash It Move-Out Reuse Initiative
- College of Saint Benedict (MN)
As the semester nears its end, students from all over campus pitch their unwanted items to the curb. These items range from unopened soup cans to couches and mini fridges ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Greeks Go Green: Promoting Student Sustainability via Social Media
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
Greeks Go Green is an annual Instagram competition between our Greek houses where they post pictures of themselves performing sustainable actions throughout campus. The sustainable actions can be anything from ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Grizz's Garage: Dorm Item Resale
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
During Spring Move-Out, students donate their unwanted but still usable dorm items, such as shower caddies, rugs, and hangers, and then the items are re-sold to first-year students during Fall ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Sustainability Map
- Maastricht University
Maastricht is a small city, a transit city, a city in which many things happen and yet everything stays the same – and Maastricht is home to many students who come ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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UC Cool Campus Challenge
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
In the fall of 2015, the Cool Campus Challenge (CCC) engaged nearly 20,000 staff, students and faculty at the University of California (UC) in an online pledge campaign aimed ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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For the Planet Leadership Series: Building Sustainability Leadership in Higher Education
- University of North Texas (TX)
The “For the Planet Leadership Series” is a five-week professional development course planned, researched, and taught by Senior Alyssa Wolverton at the University of North Texas. Her goal was to ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Green Action Fund at Kansas State University
- Kansas State University (KS)
The Green Action Fund (GAF) at Kansas State University was initiated in 2013 as a joint project of the Office of Sustainability and the Student Governing Association (SGA). The GAF ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Student Design Fund
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
The Student Design/Research Project Fund is a new and innovative sustainability project from the University of Tennessee. It created a pool of money to where applicants can apply for ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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One-Class-One-Project: Using service learning to engage students in sustainability
- Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)
The University Colloquium is the sustainability capstone to the Florida Gulf Coast University experiences that utilizes service learning as a tool to engage students in experiential learning within the community ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Boston University Zero Waste Commencement
- Aramark (PA)
Boston University is a private research institution located in Boston, Massachusetts with approximately 33,000 undergradate and graduate students. During Commencement week, Boston University Dining Services/Aramark serves more than ...
- Posted June 6, 2016
- Case Studies
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Reusable water bottle for incoming freshmen
- University of Michigan (MI)
Reusable water bottles are being provided to all incoming freshmen at the University of Michigan as a Planet Blue Sustainability initiative. The project was piloted for 3 years and is ...
- Posted June 3, 2016
- Case Studies
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UC Irvine Styrofoam Recycling Pilot Program
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
As UC Irvine strives to become a Zero Waste campus by 2020, the Facilities Management Sustainability Team of student workers has become more innovative in the ways to divert materials ...
- Posted June 3, 2016
- Case Studies
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Smokey's Pantry: A FISH Hospitality Pantry
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
Erica Davis, a senior at the University of Tennessee, spearheaded a food recovery project called Smokey’s Pantry. This project provided groceries recovered from various sources and distributed them to ...
- Posted June 2, 2016
- Case Studies
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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.
EN 1: Student Educators Program
- Percent of students served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the student educators program (1st program)
- Description of the student educators program (2nd program)
- Brief description of the student educators program (3rd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained student sustainability educators per students served
- Website URL - Student sustainability educators programs
EN 2: Student Orientation
- Percent of entering students that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in student orientation
EN 3: Student Life
- Description of the active student groups focused on sustainability
- Description of student gardens, farms, CSAs, fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects
- Description of the student-run enterprises
- Description of student sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives
- Description of sustainability-focused conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events for students
- Description of sustainability-focused cultural arts events, installations, or performances
- Description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles
- Description of sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences
- Description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills
- Description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution
- Description of graduation pledge(s)
- Description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives
EN 4: Student Life
- Website URL - Central sustainability website
- Description of sustainability newsletter or social media platform(s)
- Description of the signage that highlights campus sustainability features
- Description of the sustainability walking map or tour
- Description of the guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience
- Description of other comprehensive sustainability outreach materials and publications
EN 5: Student Life
- Description of the first sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of the second sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns
EN 6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
- Description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (upload)
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability culture
EN 7: Employee Educators Program
- Percent of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the employee educators program (1st program)
- Description of the employee educators program (2nd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained employee sustainability educators per employees served
- Website URL - Employee sustainability educators programs
EN 8: Employee Orientation
- Percent of new employees that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new employee orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in employee orientation
EN 9: Staff Professional Development & Training
- Estimated percentage of regular, non-academic staff that participates annually in sustainability professional development and training
- Description of any internal sustainability professional development and training opportunities
- Description of any external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability that are supported by the institution
- Estimated percentage of staff for which sustainability is included in performance reviews
- Description of how sustainability is included in staff performance reviews
- Website URL - Information about staff professional development and training in sustainability
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.