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.
Featured Resources
New Resources
STARS: A Student Reports for Duty
- Swarthmore College (PA)
Project Name: STARS Name: Jasmine Xie Project Mentors: Carr Everbach, Brenna Leary Project Board Members, Faculty Advisor, and Sustainability Sage: Jason Martin, Andy Feick, Pattie Kim-Keefer, Sibelan Forrester, Heather Hassel-Finnegan ...
- Posted May 18, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Palo Alto College Community Garden
- Palo Alto College (TX)
The Palo Alto Community Garden opened in October of 2019 as a space to grow food, cultivate community, and improve food security for the greater Palo Alto Community.
- Posted May 18, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
The Free Store: A centre for re-use & recycling at the University of Ottawa
- University of Ottawa (ON)
The University of Ottawa’s Residences had a problem with waste. Large dumpsters would fill with valuable and reusable items every spring and fall when students moved out. These items ...
- Posted May 18, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Building Trust and Community: The Transformative Experience of the Green Revolving Fund at Agnes Scott College
- Agnes Scott College (GA)
- Sustainable Endowments Institute (MA)
- Second Nature (MA)
- City of Decatur (GA)
Agnes Scott College initiated the college’s Green Revolving Fund (GRF) in 2011 as a practical solution to a common challenge shared by colleges and universities that have committed to ...
- Posted May 18, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
COVID-19 & Sustainability Discussion: Recap & Reflection
- Emory University (GA)
- Portland Community College (OR)
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- The New School (NY)
- University of Missouri (MO)
- AASHE (MA)
During the month of April, AASHE will be leading a discussion series for our community to engage with one another to talk through opportunities and challenges related to COVID-19 and ...
- Posted May 18, 2020
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Sustaining a Student-Led Environmental Movement at San Diego State University: Leveraging Collaboration to Create an Environmentally Sustainable Endowment
- San Diego State University (CA)
As the global economy grows, environmental activists increasingly work towards more environmentally sustainable investing practices, especially at higher education institutions. As Sustainability Commissioner (2019-2020) at San Diego State University (“SDSU ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Reducing Smith College’s Dining GHG emissions: An analysis of beef and milk substitutions
- Smith College (MA)
The life cycle of food is responsible for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through production, processing, distribution, and waste. The environmental impact of food varies by ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Solar Microgrid Investment in the US: Financial Modelling Challenges for a University Based Project
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
Unlike economies that are still experiencing growth, established markets like the United States have a difficult time generating returns with large upside potential for investors. If an exceptional return is ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Questionnaire survey on consciousness and behavior of students to achieve SDGs in Kyoto University
- Kyoto University
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets regarding the economic, social and environmental objectives to achieve global sustainable development by 2030, have received considerable attention not ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Pitt Hydroponics
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
Pitt Hydroponics is a student group that is dedicated to the education of Pitt students in hydroponic practices, the outreach to local communities, and the research and creation of small-scale ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
The James Madison University Student Assessment Initiative
- James Madison University (VA)
Between 2009 and 2020, JMU implemented a comprehensive collection of student assessments and used the results to significantly advance sustainability efforts. Three question sets were, and continue to be, administered ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
“#ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign: ACG Cares for a plastic-free future!”
- The American College of Greece (Aghia Paraskevi)
The #ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign is an ongoing project that was launched in July 2018 by the ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability (CES) which operates under the Office of Public Affairs ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
No Food Left Behind: A free text service to reduce food insecurity and food waste
- University of California, Merced (CA)
No Food Left Behind is a free text messaging service that connects students, staff and faculty at the University of California, Merced to events that might have food leftover. People ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Loyola University Chicago's Student-run Biodiesel Lab
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
The Searle Biodiesel Lab is a student-run initiative within Loyola University Chicago’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability (IES). Since 2007, the lab has produced biodiesel and BioSoap(Loyola’s all-natural ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
How to Start a Green Greeks Club on Any Campus
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus (AZ)
Historically, Greek Life and Sustainability Organizations have been disconnected from each other on college campuses. This is the odd reality despite the fact that the two groups share many of ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Sustainability Activation Program at the University of Dayton
- University of Dayton (OH)
The Sustainability Activation Program (SAP) is a peer-to-peer education program which takes a holistic and human rights oriented approach to sustainability education on campus and in the community. It began ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Vision 2020 Climate & Sustainability Action Plan (2017-2020)
- McGill University (QC)
Vision 2020: Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 2017-2020 (hereinafter ‘Vision 2020’ or the ‘Action Plan’)—McGill’s second sustainability strategy and the first to incorporate climate action—institutionalized concrete initiatives ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
UVA’s Equity & Environment Fund: Catalyzing student-driven, intersectional projects that connect and advance the work of community leaders
- University of Virginia (VA)
Historically, many UVA student-led projects focused on the environmental issues of sustainability, without much connection or thought to how these projects connect or address social or equity issues. To help ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
PSRF Final Project Report: Climate Community
- Swarthmore College (PA)
Mission
The Climate Community President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship (PSRF) project is dedicated to generating an engaged and purposeful climate community at Swarthmore College. This means breaking the mold of ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Infusing Sustainability into the Curriculum at Swarthmore College
- Swarthmore College (PA)
Note that the full final report for this project is attached as a file at the end of this report. Please view for full in depth explanation of the project ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Building campus capacity for the SDGs: a case study of the SDG Summit conference
- University of Calgary (AB)
The SDG Summit is an annual training conference at the University of Calgary that is focused on engaging youth with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through immersive opportunities for learning ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Swarthmore College Sustainability Research: Equitable Zero Waste
- Swarthmore College (PA)
A year long research project developed by students to help and develop an equitable zero waste mindset and framework of thinking.
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Emory University’s Virtual Earth Month Outreach Campaign
- Emory University (GA)
Traditionally, Emory University’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI) kicks off Earth Month by bringing together both on and off-campus organizations that are dedicated to sustainability for a one-day Earth ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
TAMU Urban Farm United (TUFU) Campus Food Forest Serves Aggies in Need
- Texas A&M University (TX)
The TAMU Urban Farm, TUFU for short, is a new concept organization on the campus of Texas A&M University (TAMU), whose mission is “Grow to Serve”. The project was made ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Campaign on Creating Sustainable Futures: Bring Your Own Container
- De La Salle Lipa (BATANGAS)
In Academic Year 2016-2017, DE LA SALLE LIPA (DLSL) re-aligned its institutional thrusts to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In pursuit of its third Strategic Direction, Creating ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Grand Valley State University - Water Sustainability
- Grand Valley State University (MI)
Abstract - Grand Valley State University - Water Sustainability
Having success in reducing energy consumption and costs, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) located in the state of Michigan, looked at other areas ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Kent State University Textile Reuse and Recycling Programs Divert 441,610 pounds (221 tons) From Landfill to Benefit Community and Campus Over Past 5 Years
- Kent State University (OH)
Kent State University has reduced the amount of materials sent to landfills while providing benefits to the local community, campus, and our students. For the past 5 academic years, 2014-2015 ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Gold Tree Solar Farm - Innovatively Advancing the Academic Mission
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
Cal Poly's 4.5 MW Gold Tree Solar Farm demonstrates how collaboration between Facilities and academics can transform campus buildings and infrastructure into more impactful academic assets. In addition ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Addressing Food Insecurity on Campus
- Colorado State University (CO)
Approximately 10% of students at Colorado State University experience food insecurity. In the past five years, CSU has been aggressively tackling food insecurity through the creation of innovative programs under ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Energy Waste Reduction Program
- Suffolk County Community College (NY)
Since its inception in August of 2014, Suffolk County Community College’s Energy Waste Reduction Program has saved over 4.9 million dollars in unnecessary utility expenditure. We would like ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Case Studies
- View more
Assessing the green behaviour of academics: The role of green human resource management and environmental knowledge
- Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (Terengganu)
Purpose Studies have highlighted concerns about the role of knowledge creation between human resource management practices and employee behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of ...
- Posted May 15, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Staff Engagement: Embedding Sustainability into Campus Culture and Operations
- University of Calgary (AB)
- AASHE (MA)
Empowering staff to become campus sustainability leaders can be challenging. Concerns about time commitment, competing workplace priorities, and support from senior leaders can make working with staff different from engaging ...
- Posted May 14, 2020
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Mangrove forest ecotourism: Participatory ecological learning and sustainability of students’ behavior through self-efficacy and self-concept
- Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Self-efficacy and self-concept were deduced to be able to develop sustainable behavior in students. One potential approach is participatory ecological learning in mangrove forest ecotourism. This study aims to determine ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Investigation of the Relationships between Individual Innovation and Sustainable Education Beliefs
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi
The concept of sustainable education has seven main features: being holistic and interdisciplinary, focusing on values, directing to critical thinking and problem solving, requiring the use of multiple teaching methods ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Construction and validation of a knowledge, attitudes and practices scale related to sustainability in university students
- Universidad de Antioquia
- Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
Purpose The objective of this study was to build and validate a scale to analyze the knowledge, attitudes and practices on the sustainability of university students.
Design/methodology/approach Psychometric ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
The relationship between moral competences and sustainable consumption among higher education students
- NEOMA Business School (Rouen)
- Comillas Universidad Pontificia (Madrid)
Despite claims of the importance of students developing moral competences in the context of Education for Sustainable Consumption, the literature lacks a systematic perspective that empirically assesses the association between ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Website communications for campus sustainability: an analysis of Canadian universities
- Brock University (ON)
Purpose This study aims to better understand the communication of sustainability by Canadian universities, specifically the use of websites, interactive features and sustainability plans.
Design/methodology/approach A total of ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Students’ green information technology behavior: Beliefs and personality traits
- Universiti Putra Malaysia
- Higher Education Institute of Al-Mahdi Mehr Isfahan
- Ton Duc Thang University (Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh)
- Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University
- Ragheb Isfahani Institute of Higher Education
Adoption of green information technology (Green IT) as an initiative of pro-environmental behavior is quite sparse among Malaysian students. Due to the need to integrate personality traits in environmental behavioral ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Knowledge, Practice and Involvement of University Community in Environmental Activities Connected to Polystyrene
- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Selangor)
This study can contribute to enhancing knowledge of the impact on polystyrene use and environmental care in the National University of Malaysia efforts to become a sustainable campus by 2020 ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
UVM's Roadmap to Zero Waste
- University of Vermont (VT)
This senior thesis seeks to provide effective strategies for enhancing Zero Waste management goals at the University of Vermont by incorporating the needs of campus stakeholders. As the global garbage ...
- Posted May 13, 2020
- Publications
- View more
The real meal deal: assessing student preferences for “real food” at Fort Lewis College
- Fort Lewis College (CO)
Fort Lewis College committed to purchasing 20% real food by 2020 as part of a national campaign called the Real Food Challenge, an initiative on college campuses that aims to ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Links between sustainability-related awareness and behavior: The moderating role of engagement
- University of Michigan (MI)
Purpose Sustainability literature has cited the influential role of both awareness and engagement in facilitating increases in pro-environmental behaviors. The purpose of this study is to compare these links across ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Student-led environmental management system in Chiba University
- Chiba University
Purpose This paper aims to explain the student-led environmental management system (EMS) based on ISO14001 which Chiba University has continued for 15 years. It describes its structure “Chiba University Method ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
How mindfulness training cultivates introspection and competence development for sustainable consumption
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between introspection and key competencies for sustainable consumption (KCSCs). It investigates whether mindfulness training can cultivate the ability to introspect and stimulate ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
The assessment of graduate sustainability attributes in the workplace: Potential advantages of using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB)
- RMIT University
Sustainability in higher education aims to educate learners, as both citizens and future professionals, to build capacity to bring about a more sustainable future. As such, sustainability education can be ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Campus conservation initiatives: factors influencing student engagement, attitudes and behaviours
- Davis & Elkins College (WV)
- Marshall University (WV)
College campuses play a primary role in promoting and facilitating sustainability and pro-environmental behaviour. While many studies have focused on campus sustainability efforts, few have specifically focused on how students ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Factors Affecting Environmental Activism, Nonactivist Behaviors, and the Private Sphere Green Behaviors of Thai University Students
- King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
University students are expected by the general public to be active in pro-environmental behaviors due to their environmental knowledge and relevant education. However, it is still unclear whether students only ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
The importance of university, students and students’ union partnerships in student-led projects: A case study
- Blekinge Institute of Technology
- Keele University
Purpose This paper aims to explore a single-institution case study of partnership working between students, the University and Students’ Union, through four student-led sustainability projects. The paper analyses the role ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Perspectives of scholars on the nature of sustainability: a survey study
- Michigan State University (MI)
Purpose This paper aims to investigate different ways in which faculty members of sustainability-related departments in universities across the world perceive, understand and define sustainability and how these definitions are ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
Campus-Based Ecotourism: A Case Study on the Power of Local Ecotourism
- University of Nebraska at Omaha (NE)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (NE)
Academic campuses across the Great Plains can serve as landscapes for teaching and learning about native flora of cultural importance with regard to food, medicine, and lifeways. Campus visitors (tourists ...
- Posted May 11, 2020
- Publications
- View more
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.