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
Are Beliefs in the Importance of Pro-Environmental Behaviors Correlated with Pro-Environmental Behaviors at a College Campus?
- Elon University (NC)
One method sustainability professionals at institutions of higher education utilize to address institutional sustainability goals is implementing outreach programs aimed at facilitating the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) by the ...
- Posted March 22, 2018
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Impact of a Participatory Analysis of a Campus Sustainability Social Network: A Case Study of Emory University
- Emory University (GA)
Social network analysis makes visible the invisible connections and flows that underlie complex social relationships. Applied organizational researchers have used social network analysis to assess and improve organizational and leadership ...
- Posted March 22, 2018
- Publications
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Campus Sustainability Month 2015 - Opportunities to Engage
- AASHE (PA)
- Yale University (CT)
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
- University of Alberta (AB)
- EcoChallenge.org (OR)
- Boston University (MA)
October is Campus Sustainability Month! Join this webinar to learn more about this event which will provide unparalleled opportunities to engage and inspire incoming students and other campus stakeholders to ...
- Posted March 22, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Educating for Sustainability Webinar Series - The Why and How of Transformative Learning
- AASHE (PA)
- EcoChallenge.org (OR)
This webinar will provide the context around why transformative learning and deeper engagement in sustainability issues are important. The ways we learn and engage are critical to fostering the skills ...
- Posted March 20, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Putting “Reduce” to Work: Getting Rid of Plastic Bags on Michigan State University’s Campus
- Michigan State University (MI)
In order to mitigate the effects of plastic bags on the environment and to fulfill Michigan State University's commitment to sustainability, we pioneered a two part initiative to reduce ...
- Posted March 19, 2018
- Case Studies
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Towards Green Campus Operations: Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development Initiatives at Universities
Matters related to sustainable development, albeit global in nature, are best handled at the local level. This line of thinking is particularly true to the higher education context, where the ...
- Posted March 13, 2018
- Publications
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AASHE Award Winner Series - Composting, Recycling and Turning Trash Into Cash
- Austin Community College (TX)
- University of San Diego (CA)
- AASHE (PA)
Andy Kim, Director, Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability and Darien Clary, Sustainability Coordinator, Austin Community College District (Winner of AASHE 2014 Best Case Study from an Associate College with 5,000 ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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AASHE Award Winner Webinar Series: The Form and Function of the Sustainability Agenda in Higher Education Institutions - Hawaii Approach to Sustainable Living On and Off-campus
- University at Albany (NY)
- University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)
- AASHE (PA)
Colleges adapt to new circumstances based on differing motivations: some are seeking new growth strategies while others are trying to avoid decline. Sustainability initiatives provide an opportunity to analyze how ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Inquiry into sustainability issues by preservice teachers: A pedagogy to enhance sustainability consciousness
- Lahore College for Women University
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is transformative education aiming at developing participants’ understanding of sustainability issues and transforming their attitudes and behaviours regarding environment, society and economy. Sustainability consciousness, an ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
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If Living Labs are the Answer – What's the Question? A Review of the Literature
- Curtin University
The world's economy is becoming increasingly knowledge intensive. This will drive further technological, societal and organisational change. A knowledge intensive economy gives the producers of knowledge – universities – a potentially ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
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Key Performance Indicators to optimize the environmental performance of Higher Education Institutions with environmental management system – A case study of Universitat Politècnica de València
- Universitat Politècnica de València (Valencia)
Key Performance Indicators are typically a component of economic and financial decision-making. Defining Key Performance Indicators for relevant environmental aspects of an institution can be seen as a step toward ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
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Higher Education Institutions in the United States: Commitment and coherency to sustainability vis-à-vis dimensions of the institutional environment
- Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
This work proposes a cohesive approach to assess the degree of commitment and institutional coherence of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States to address the challenges posed by ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
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Higher education in the sustainable development goals framework
- UNESCO
Agenda 2030 for sustainable development focuses attention on lifelong learning opportunities for all. The new targets expand on their predecessors, the Millennial Development Goals, by both widening and deepening the ...
- Posted March 12, 2018
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Universities and Conflict The Role of Higher Education in Peacebuilding and Resistance
This book uses a series of case studies to examine the roles played by universities during situations of conflict, peacebuilding and resistance.
While a body of work dealing with the ...
- Posted March 9, 2018
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Hidden curriculum in student organizations: Learning, practice, socialization and responsible management in a business school
- University of São Paulo
For many students, education does not simply mean obtaining a university degree and, consequently, a good job; rather, there is also a need to attain personal satisfaction and a sense ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
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How old is our Campus? – measure the environmental benefit of adaptive reuse of existing building
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
This project will generate three renovation and adaptive-reuse strategies for one worst performed building, environmental impact reduction benefit of adaptive reuse will be quantified and the used as a benchmark ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
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University of Vermont Eco-Reps Composting Campaign
- University of Vermont (VT)
At the University of Vermont (UVM), the Recycling and Waste Management program and the UVM Eco-Reps have identified a lack of understanding of composting within on-campus residential halls. Although composting ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
- Case Studies
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University of Vermont Eco-Reps "EcoWare, Everywhere!" Campaign
- University of Vermont (VT)
The University of Vermont (UVM) implemented reusable EcoWare to-go containers in retail locations 2011. Data collected from the past 4 years has shown that EcoWare uses became concentrated in residential ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
- Case Studies
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Engaging Chemeketa Community College through Collaborative Community Art with an International Focus
- Chemeketa Community College (OR)
For the 2017 Earth Day event, Chemeketa created a collaborative Earth Day Art Installation based on the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1,000 paper cranes. Sustainability, the Associated ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
- Case Studies
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Recovery and Reuse; On-Campus and Off
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
Many of the challenges sustainability seeks to address can be challenging to visualize. Moreover, the scale of these challenges can stifle the motivation to act before one even begins. These ...
- Posted March 5, 2018
- Case Studies
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Biking at Dickinson
- Dickinson College (PA)
Learn what The Handlebar Bike Cooperative offers to the campus community and how Dickinson makes biking accessible to everybody.
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Chatham University: Leading the Way to a More Sustainable Future
- Chatham University (PA)
- The Conservation Fund (GA)
Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus is pioneering a vision for a new kind of campus--one that strives to create more energy than it uses, and immerses students in sustainable ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Healthier Campus Initiative and Bicycle Friendly University Webinar
- League of American Bicyclists (DC)
Learn how to become a certified Bicycle Friendly University through The League of American Bicyclists. The information provided is practical for employees at colleges hoping to switch to an alternative ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Gendered citizenship and the individualization of environmental responsibility: evaluating a campus common reading program
- Washington State University, Pullman (WA)
Campus common reading programs are intended to stimulate critical thinking and dialogue across disciplines yet scarce evidence exists to evaluate the success of such programs. We assess the extent to ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Publications
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Faculty Development for Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Directions
- University of San Francisco (CA)
This research involved the conduct of a conceptual review of 28 refereed journal articles and a survey of campus centers for community engagement staff to identify salient features and trends ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Evaluation of an informational and behavior change program to increase students' self-reported energy conservation
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
- State University of New York at Brockport (NY)
A systematic evaluation of a program, consisting of sustainability education, self-management strategies, and feedback, to decrease college students' energy use was conducted. During treatment, the experimental group showed increased self-reported ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Environmental sustainability practices in South Asian university campuses: an exploratory study on Bangladeshi universities
- University of Waterloo (ON)
- University of Chittagong
Environmental sustainability practices in universities can play an important role in helping society form a sustainable future. In this study, the roles that Bangladeshi universities play in terms of sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Environmental sustainability of universities: critical analysis of a green ranking
- University of Trento (Trentino)
Today, the principles of sustainability and sustainable development represent key points in policy development and activities of the Higher Education Institutions, both for their impact on the environment and the ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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University of Regina's Print Optimization Program
- University of Regina (SK)
The Print Optimization Program originally started as the University's attempt to manage the number of print devices that we had on campus. Almost every faculty and staff member had ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Case Studies
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Creating a Healthy, Environmentally Responsible and Socially Just Campus Food System
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
Description In 2016, a year-long study release by the California State University (CSU) found that 24 percent of our system's 460,000 students were food insecure. To address this ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Case Studies
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Environmental justice frameworks in student affairs assessment practice
- 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 reviews three environmental frameworks and applies the Just sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 20, 2018
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Enhancing environmental management in universities through participation: the case of the University of Córdoba
- Universidad de Córdoba
This article illustrates the methodology for a participatory process that encourages the campus community to help improve the environmental management of their institution, as an example of the effective integration ...
- Posted Feb. 20, 2018
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Education for Sustainable Development: Business modelling for flourishing
- OCAD University (ON)
- Halmstad University
As companies and other organizations increasingly recognize society’s demand for greater social and environmental sustainability, university and college business schools have responded with new pedagogic approaches. Business schools have ...
- Posted Feb. 20, 2018
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Conceptualization of sustainable higher education institutions, roles, barriers, and challenges for sustainability: An exploratory study in Portugal
- Universidade Aberta
- Polytechnic Institute of Santarém
- University of Aveiro
Higher Education Institutions play an important role in the promotion of sustainability and an increasing number of stakeholders expect them to be sustainable organizations. However, this can only be achieved ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
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Comparative analyses of sustainable campuses as living laboratories for managing environmental quality
- Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey
Despite an emerging trend in the higher education sector toward sustainable campuses, comparative analyses that span multiple themes across multiple campuses are still limited. The purpose of this paper is ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
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Campus Alternative Food Projects and Food Service Realities: Alternative Strategies
- Emory University (GA)
As United States colleges and universities have developed campus projects to contribute to alternative food networks, strategies have matured from event-based, on-ramp activities to purchasing commitments, statistical tracking, and new ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
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Barriers to innovation and sustainability at universities around the world
- University of Passo Fundo
- University of São Paulo
- James Cook University (Queensland)
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- University of Nottingham
- University of Michigan (MI)
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS
This paper explores the link between innovation and sustainability in the context of higher education, with the purpose of investigating the fundamental barriers for innovation and sustainable development in universities ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
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Analysis of Green Campus Initiatives Led by Voluntary Participants of University Students
- Korean Association for Green Campus Initiative (Seoul)
Purpose: Since 2010, many universities in Korea have been implementing Green Leader Training Programs which are usually run by students themselves. In the last five years of 2015, the Green ...
- Posted Feb. 8, 2018
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An Investigation of University Students' Attitudes Toward Environmental Sustainability
The adoption of pro-environmental behavior is critical to reduce negative environmental impacts and move toward a more sustainable future. The role of higher education in training professionals to protect the ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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A proposal of a Balanced Scorecard for an environmental education program at universities
- Université de l'État de Santa Catarina
By developing and implementing environmental concerns in its principles and infrastructure, universities are becoming increasingly active in promoting societal changes towards sustainable development. These environmental concerns are translated into comprehensive ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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A Strategic Communication Model for Sustainable Initiatives in Higher Education Institutions
- MacEwan University (AB)
Communicating sustainable initiatives in higher education institutions presents a challenge, given that few to no universities possess or maintain a strategic communication plan that addresses the need to share this ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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University Sustainability: Assessing College Sustainability Rating Systems
- Yale University (CT)
This paper seeks to assess the three major university sustainability rating systems in the United States on their ability to drive positive sustainability outcomes. Since the mid-2000s the Association for ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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‘The learning sticks’: reflections on a case study of role-playing for sustainability
- RMIT University
Use of role-plays to develop deep student-learning has many advocates. Role-play is a powerful approach for learning that develops relevant skills in a range of disciplines and situations. In Higher ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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Sustainable Development: Educating With Purpose
- International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) (MA)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY “Sustainable Development: Educating with Purpose” is the focus of this year’s ISCNGULF report. In an increasingly fractured world, the Sustainable Development Goals are an instrument for solidarity ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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Connecting Cities and Campuses through Climate Leadership Initiatives
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
- Second Nature (MA)
Climate change presents one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. Opportunities for inter-sectoral collaboration to drive climate solutions are beginning to emerge and mature with the higher education sector ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
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Don’t Get Left Out: Navigating New Processes for Sharing STARS Data with Sierra and Princeton Review
- AASHE (PA)
- Sierra Club (DC)
- The Princeton Review (MA)
Since 2012, AASHE has collaborated with Sierra magazine and The Princeton Review to allow colleges and universities to use the STARS Reporting Tool to share their sustainability data for potential ...
- Posted Jan. 25, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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SCORE! A free-cycling event at the University of Alberta – Augustana Campus
- University of Alberta (AB)
SCORE! is… A pop-up swap. A store where everything is free. A community marketplace of reciprocity. A redistribution of goods. Alternative economics. A party!! SCORE! is all of the above ...
- Posted Jan. 25, 2018
- Case Studies
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Sustainable Living and Learning: A Learning Community for First-Year Students
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
First-year students have the opportunity to participate in a special, two-semester long Learning Community that will investigate the intersection of sustainability and consumption with a particular emphasis on the relationship ...
- Posted Jan. 23, 2018
- Academic Programs
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Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Talking Truth was initiated in fall 2015 to support and build on understanding of climate disruption. Our experiential events employ storytelling, film screenings, art making, author talks, and reflective writing ...
- Posted Jan. 3, 2018
- Case Studies
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Implementing a Sustainability Internship Program at Siena Heights University
- Siena Heights University (MI)
Michigan is experiencing numerous environmental health threats, and the SHU Sustainability Internship Program was created to engage students to address environmental challenges. Using the AASHE Guide to Creating & Managing ...
- Posted Jan. 3, 2018
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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.