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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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Earth Day Flyer

University of Memphis - Green Fee

  • University of Memphis (TN)

The Sustainability Fee, commonly known as the Green Fee, at the University of Memphis, was initiated by students and launched in 2007. The purpose of the fee is to support …

MEND

  • Princeton University (NJ)

This semester, Princeton's EcoReps launched “Mend Monday,” a bi-weekly clothing repair initiative in Frist Campus Center. Cecilia Shang '18 and Nico Viglucci '17, the group's organizers, believe that Mend Mondays …

#MakeSERCWerc Fundraising Campaign Photo Collage

Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) at UC Berkeley

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

SERC is a collaborative space to strengthen the collective effectiveness of the sustainability community, and provides resources for students to actualize their vision of a more equitable, socially just, and …

Sustainability Strategic Planning

  • University of California, Merced (CA)

The University of California Merced (UC Merced) within the next five years will undergo significant infrastructure expansion to accommodate student, faculty and staff growth. The acceleration of the university’s built …

Francis Feast and Learn: Sustainability Teach-In and Local Foods Dinner

  • Loyola University Maryland (MD)

The Francis Feast and Learn is a sustainability teach-in and locally sourced meal, inspired by the life’s work of St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si. The …

Ditch the Disposables

  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)

Ditch the Disposables is a WPI student-run campaign that was started in 2016 to reduce single-use plastic items at WPI. The project began with a reusable container program in the …

One of several puzzles in the building, created by a Hampshire professor; each puzzle references a different tenet of the Living Building Challenge.

R.W. Kern Center- A Living Building

  • Hampshire College (MA)

Located at the heart of Hampshire College campus, the R.W. Kern Center is a multi-purpose facility that embodies the highest threshold of forward-thinking sustainable design: generating its own energy, capturing …

A Joint Student/Staff Eco-Reps Program Led by Students: Swarthmore’s Green Advisors

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

The Green Advisors (GAs) are a growing student group that works to encourage sustainable lifestyles among all Swarthmore community members. The GAs facilitate environmentally-friendly behaviors in the residence halls, oversee …

Student Conducting Tree Survey

Campus Mapping Project

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

Florida Gulf Coast University is located on over 300 acres of wetland and upland preserves. Our unique location has led to the values of environmental stewardship, literacy, and service to …

Visitors consider the Plastic Entanglements exhibition on opening night.

Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

The exhibition, PLASTIC ENTANGLEMENTS: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials was on view at Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art from February 13, 2018 to June 17, 2018 with additional commissioned and NEA-funded …

UCI's Pump2Plug EV Showcase Dec. 2017

University of California Irvine's PUMP2PLUG Electric Vehicle Adoption Program

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)

The UCI Pump2Plug Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption Program is widely recognized as the first university incentive program for EV adoption through the replacement of gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles. With …

Carbon Neutrality Celebration with Office Staff

American University Achieved Carbon Neutrality Two Years Ahead of 2020 Target

  • American University (DC)

In 2018, American University became the first university, first research university, and first urban higher education campus to achieve carbon neutrality. This major goal was reached two years ahead of …

Searle Center for Sustainability Innovations Student Intern

Loyola University Chicago Biodiesel Program

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)

The Biodiesel Program, part of the Searle Center for Sustainability Innovations in Loyola’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability, saw its humble beginnings grow from an ingenious student idea to one that …

Paperbark editorial staff photo outside of the Earth Day Celebration and Preview Party.

Paperbark Literary Magazine

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

Paperbark Literary Magazine is an interdisciplinary journal of creativity and sustainability publishing art, writing, photography, poetry, science journalism, interviews, and other creative content both in print and online at paperbarkmag.org. …

PSU Urban Center with Max Train Running Between Two Halves of the Building

Portland State University: Driving Rigorous Sustainability through Top-Level Policies

  • Portland State University (OR)

Portland State University (PSU), situated in the University District of downtown Portland, Oregon, is the only public urban university in the state located in a major metropolitan city. A recognized …

Departmental Sustainability Mission & Vision Statement -University of Washington Housing & Food Services

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

In the academic year 2017-18, Housing & Food Services unveiled its Sustainability Mission & Vision statement. This articulation of the department’s greater commitment to sustainability was the culmination of a …

Transfer student leaves sustainability legacy at UCLA

Introduction to Sustainable Living

  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

My proposal for the 2018 Student Sustainability Leadership Award is for a course that I was able to develop at UCLA designed to help students learn knowledge and skills that …

The first delivery of Campus Farm produce to MDining

University of Michigan Campus Farm and MDining Lead Sustainable Food Movement

  • University of Michigan (MI)

With the first delivery of Campus Farm fresh produce to Mosher Jordan dining hall in the summer of 2017, the University of Michigan’s MDining’s sustainability goal of using more local …

Ariel Photo of Construction

University of California Merced 2020 Project

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

In 2012, UC Merced launched the “2020 Project”, an initiative to add a significant amount of new teaching, research, housing, recreation and support facilities to the campus that would accommodate …

Lead Waste Auditor, Martha MacGowan conducting a waste audit

The Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Waste Management Improvement Project

  • Nova Scotia Community College (NS)

The project began with waste audits to establish a baseline of NSCC’s waste management practices and to try and improve them. From there it progressed into education efforts at each …

Stanford R&DE Student Interns

Stanford R&DE's Student Living Laboratory

  • Stanford University (CA)

Stanford University’s Residential & Dining Enterprises in partnership with students and academic departments have transformed its facilities in to a living laboratory by performing cutting edge research on student behavior …

The WaterHub at Emory University – Engaging Campus & Community in Water Reclamation

  • Emory University (GA)

The WaterHub at Emory University is an on-site water recycling system, utilizing biomimicry, or engineered processes that emulate natural ecological systems, to reclaim wastewater for heating and cooling buildings and …

IEN Toolkit: How to Start and Run a Student-Managed SRI Fund

  • Intentional Endowments Network (MA)

The Intentional Endowment Network's (IEN) new resource, titled "IEN Toolkit: How to Start and Run a Student-Managed SRI Fund", was designed to aid in the creation of new student-managed funds, …

Sustainability in the University Student's Mind: Are University Endorsements, Financial Support, and Programs Making a Difference?

  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (WI)
  • Purdue University (IN)

Despite the increasing awareness that sustainability is an issue needing ongoing attention, and despite millions of dollars spent yearly at universities to promote sustainable behaviors, previous research has found college …

How Does Adding an Emphasis on Socioscientific Issues Influence Student Attitudes about Science, Its Relevance, and Their Interpretations of Sustainability?

  • North Carolina State University (NC)
  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

A general consensus exists among the leaders of both developed and developing nations that their citizens should be scientifically literate. Therefore, it is important for educational systems to provide students …

Food waste collected at Gallery dining hall; 2 hours, 160 pounds

Clean Plates at State: Michigan State University

  • Michigan State University (MI)

Michigan State University is continually striving to build a sustainable culture on campus and in the Spartan community. Clean Plates at State helps students and members of our community understand …

Every student receives a sticker at the end of each session to remind them of the pledge they made to live a more sustainable life.

Sustainability Activation Program at the University of Dayton

  • University of Dayton (OH)

The Sustainability Activation Program (SAP) is an innovative, large scale, and peer-to-peer education program that began in October of 2016 with the intent to better educate our student body about …

Chesapeake College - "A Living Lab."

  • Chesapeake College (MD)

Chesapeake College, founded in 1965 as Maryland’s first regional community college, serves five counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 20 percent of the state’s land, 3 percent of its population, and …

Students building garden

Mississippi State Community Garden

  • Mississippi State University (MS)

In the spring of 2017, the Student Association at Mississippi State University secured funding to further sustainability on campus. This funding was used in part to hold a proposal competition. …

A Behavior Based Energy Conservation Program at Suffolk County Community College

  • Suffolk County Community College (NY)

Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) is the largest community college in New York State, with over 26,000 students enrolled across three campuses and two extension sites. As a large institution …

RU Sustainable themed sticker design

RU Sustainable event series

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)

RU Sustainable events are designed with the purpose of bringing together faculty, students, and staff to engage with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). As described on the …

Presentation during Yale Sustainability Action Planning workshop

Sustainability Action Planning Program

  • Yale University (CT)

In 2017, the Yale Office of Sustainability launched a cohort-based sustainability action planning program that offered students, faculty, and staff members from 10 Professional Schools and three Officer Units the …

Sustainable Nation Podcast

  • Swarthmore College (PA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)

This podcast releases three new episodes every week, consisting of interviews with global sustainability leaders in higher education, business and government. This can be a great resource for any sustainability …

The Applied Student Research Toolkit

  • McGill University (QC)

This Applied Student Research (ASR) toolkit is designed to help students complete an impactful ASR project. ASR related to sustainability is an opportunity for students to address the needs of …

A Comms Plan for Running a Waste Reduction Engagement in your University

  • University of London

Over the last three years at Reduce the Juice we’ve learnt a lot about running successful behaviour change engagements and now want to share what we’ve learnt with the AASHE …

Using Technology to Motivate and Quantify Behavior Change: My Cardinal Green

  • Stanford University (CA)

In today’s increasingly technological and personalized world, sustainability professionals must provide opportunities to engage their community in a way that is relevant for them, while also quantifying the impacts of …

SOU Dish Loan Program Inventory Storage

Southern Oregon University Dish Loan Program

  • Southern Oregon University (OR)

Southern Oregon University's Ecology and Sustainability Resource Center launched a Dish Loan Program in fall 2017. The Dish Loan Program is a free alternative for campus clubs, organizations, and departments …

compost sign

Improving office recycling

  • Raritan Valley Community College (NJ)

Every semester, the Environmental Science and Sustainability (ENVI201) class studies recycling on campus and comes up with ideas for improvements. Student Deidre Supple had the idea of improving recycling in …

Cultivating the Globally Sustainable Self Summit Series - Advancing Education for Sustainable Development Through Research and Practice

  • James Madison University (VA)

The Cultivating the Globally Sustainable Self Summit Series is a multi-year, multi-institution initiative that promotes transformative teaching, training, and learning in research and practice (www.jmu.edu/summitseries). The innovative Summit Series addresses …

Undergraduate Team Wells Presents During the 1st Presentation Round

The U-Challenge at Texas A&M

  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • Johnson Controls, Inc (WI)
  • Siemens Industry, Inc. (IL)

The U-Challenge is a semester-long research competition for students that has evolved over the past two years to encompass both graduate and undergraduate teams from all majors. Student teams of …

Food Lab Compost Project

  • West Chester University of Pennsylvania (PA)

This project aims to reduce food waste produced by the West Chester University Food Lab. First, food scraps from the the Food Lab are collected in a sealed bin. Then, …

The Most Popular, Annual Sustainable Event at UC Merced - EARTH DAY!

UC Merced's 1st Annual Earth Month Celebration

  • University of California, Merced (CA)

Earth Month was an opportunity for UC Merced organizations and departments as well as Merced Community members to come together in an effort to increase student engagement with our campus …

Dismantling a local School to Prison Pipeline with Education for Sustainable Development

  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)

UTRGV’s collaboration with an alternative school and its subsequent integration of education for sustainable development has been transformative for the country’s most vulnerable and marginalized youth.

Armed guards stand at …

Mobilization Strategies for Environmental Policy Influence

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • AASHE (MA)

Those of us who research and teach about sustainability issues are often interested in the potential social impact of our own work, in order to help address environmental challenges of …

  • Posted May 15, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Introduction to the Leading Deep Change in Higher Education Workshop

  • Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)
  • AASHE (MA)

In response to member interest in higher level, leadership- and change-management focused programming AASHE has partnered with REFOCUS to offer a 1.5 day leadership development workshop in Summer 2018. REFOCUS …

  • Posted May 15, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Frontiers in Environmental Education: Philosophical Reflections on the Impact of Power Epistemology and Consumerist Pedagogy in Environmental Education

  • The University of Newcastle (NSW)
  • East China Normal University

In this paper we argue that an educational ideology, based on an epistemology of power and consumerism, has become embedded within the structural foundations of Western Education. The combination of …

University culture and sustainability: Designing and implementing an enabling framework

  • University of Worcester
  • Cranfield School of Management

Universities across the globe are giving increasing priority to the challenges of sustainability, encouraged by a variety of drivers including international and national policy, student and societal pressures. Many extant …

University ad Sustainable Urban Development Indicators for Analysis and Evaluation

  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
  • Carlos III University of Madrid

University is an institution with a high potential to promote changes that lead to better social outcomes in terms of sustainability and social responsibility. Therefore, it is seems highly necessary …

ProjectSustainability Team: Chetan, Josh, Farheen

Students' Perception of and Engagement with Sustainability at Humber College

  • Humber Polytechnic (ON)

ProjectSustainability aims to explore Humber College students’ perception of sustainability, and their engagement with the Office of Sustainability - including the effectiveness of current sustainability initiatives, as well as improvement …

U of A Students Working to Ensure Food isn't Wasted During Walmart Week

The Razorback Food Recovery

  • University of Arkansas (AR)

Food recovery – the practice of preventing surplus foodstuffs from being dumped in the trash – takes numerous forms and provides a variety of social, economic, and environmental benefits. According …

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

EN 2: Student Orientation

EN 3: Student Life

EN 4: Student Life

EN 5: Student Life

EN 6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

EN 7: Employee Educators Program

EN 8: Employee Orientation

EN 9: Staff Professional Development & Training

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Campus Engagement Partners

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