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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Solar PV and Interactive Education
- North Central College (IL)
Solar PV technology is decreasing in cost and increasing in popularity worldwide. However, there are still many individuals who do not understand this technology, even on college campuses. Education plays …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Building Sustainable Food Systems Programming and Community-University Partnerships: A Case Study of the UNC Student Farm
- University of Northern Colorado (CO)
Institutions of higher education with programs focused on sustainability are increasingly integrating curriculum and experiential learning opportunities related to agriculture and food systems. The Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENST) program …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Implementation of Pre-Consumer Composting in University Student Union: Obstacles and Lessons learned
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
As an institution with over 25,000 students, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) produces an overwhelming amount of waste. UNL has successfully achieved a campus-wide diversion rate of nearly 50 percent, …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Developing a Green Fund
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
The Green Fund at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) is a pool of money that is available to all students to do projects on campus that relate to …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainability in the World of Print and Mail
- Messiah University (PA)
Dwayne Magee, President of IPMA, is also the Director for Print and Mail at Messiah College near Harrisburg, PA. Messiah College and other CCCU schools spend about $15 million every …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Campus EcoChallenge: Driving a Culture of Sustainability on Campus
- EcoChallenge.org (OR)
This 30 minute workshop is designed for faculty and staff looking for tangible tools that will help drive a culture of sustainability on campus. The workshop will highlight the new …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Unifying Campus Audiences in Co-Curricular Sustainability Programming to Create Action-Oriented Projects
- Dickinson College (PA)
Dickinson College has innovatively reformed its student and employee peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs to create co-curricular learning experiences aimed at building solidarity with campus stakeholders. This session will …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Infrastructure, Audits, and Education: A Three-Pronged Approach to Waste Reduction
- Luther College (IA)
This poster will demonstrate how Luther College is working to achieve its zero waste goals by investing in infrastructure, conducting waste audits and creatively educating the campus community. Under the …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Energy Monitoring as a Tool for Community Engagement
- Luther College (IA)
This poster will detail the process and results of electricity monitoring for behavior change in the Luther College Sustainability House, a residence focused on discovering what it means to live …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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The Climate Commitment: Getting the President to Move From 'no' to 'yes' -- and Then Maximizing the Impact of the Signature
- Concordia College (NY)
At many colleges and universities, the president is highly reluctant to sign the Climate Commitment (of Second Nature), with its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality and increase community resilience. At …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Building Bridges to Conservative Students to Build Support for Climate Action and Enrich Campus Conversations
- Concordia College (NY)
As the conference Call for Proposals noted, the broader political and cultural environment in the U.S. today makes it more difficult than ever to prevent sustainability efforts on campuses from …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Building a Public Institution Sustainability Program from the Ground Up: Ethics, Accolades and Advertising.
- Central Michigan University (MI)
This session will describe the challenges, successes and issues in developing a sustainability program for a large, public institution. The issues resolved in 8 years of successful program growth will …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Most Likely to Succeed: Tips for Students when Developing Sustainability Initiative Proposals
- Trinity University (TX)
This poster will share practical suggestions for students for furthering their initiatives on campus. The poster will cover areas often overlooked in student proposals: day-to-day operations, risk management, alignment with …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainable Food and Dining at Trinity University: Barriers and Success
- Trinity University (TX)
Beginning with food and dining is the most effective way for students to engage in sustainability movements because students engage with the dining hall as many as three times a …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sustainability Education for Public Two-Year Colleges
- Seminole State College of Florida (FL)
Even as an increasing number of employers seek personnel skilled in renewable energy technologies and sustainable design, companies overwhelmingly hire individuals for 'green jobs' who possess that knowledge within the …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Helping Students Gain Sustainability Project-Based Leadership Skills to be Competitive in the Job Market
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
EcoLeaders is National Wildlife Federation's sustainability career and leadership development program for college students and young professionals. This workshop will guide students through the plan, do, communicate and sustain process …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Student Affairs Networking Presentation
- The Ohio State University (OH)
This networking session is designed to give sustainability professionals that work in student affairs departments an opportunity to interact in a structured environment. The session will begin with introductions and …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Light Up With LED
- The Ohio State University (OH)
Light Up With LED was a semester long, student-led project at the Ohio State University to educate our off-campus student population about energy efficient behaviors. Sponsored by a Coca-cola Sustainability …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Multiple Ways of Knowing in Sustainability Education: Stretching the Boundaries of Transformative Sustainability Learning
- Goucher College (MD)
This session focuses on how teaching for multiple ways of knowing can contribute to sustainability education by highlighting work done at the University of Saskatchewan which is encapsulated within two …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Transforming a Campus for Zero Waste by Focusing on People
- Aquinas College (MI)
Change is difficult; changing people's habits and shifting organizational priorities is an even bigger challenge. Yet, we are all faced with a global imperative to take action to protect our …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Better Together: Using an S Designation to Create Visible, Coherent, Trans-disciplinary Curriculum Out of What You Already Have
- University of Hawaii System Office (HI)
How the University of Hawaii ten campus system is using AASHE STARS curriculum designation criteria to transform courses across the curriculum. This session will cover all aspects of creating sustainability …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Building an Intersectionality Coalition: Listen, Organize, Act.
- Gonzaga University (WA)
Come learn the three steps of listening, organizing, and acting that built a student-led Intersectionality Coalition at Gonzaga University. Inspired by sessions from AASHE 2016, students from Gonzaga University felt …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Canadian Networking Session
- University of Calgary (AB)
Initiated by the Canadian Alliance of College and University Sustainability Professionals (CUSP), this informal networking session presents an opportunity to meet, share lunch and ideas with others working in the …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainability in Sports: Paving the Way to Zero Waste
- University of Denver (CO)
Since 2012, the University of Denver has been creating a space for sustainability in Athletics. The Zero Waste Athletics program began with hockey in 2012, and now currently averages a …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Growing Fresh Air to Sustainably Support the Indoor Campus Environment
- New York University (NY)
Introducing plants into work and study spaces on campus can have numerous benefits for the wellness of those who occupy these places. Bringing people closer to plants can also reinforce …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Promoting Sustainable Practices Throughout Campus: NYU's Sustainability Advocate Program
- New York University (NY)
NYU is one of the largest employers in New York City, with over 19000 employees filling various office spaces throughout lower Manhattan. In this case study, we will demonstrate how …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Creative Campaigning: A 'Zero Waste Week' Case Study on Organizing and Executing a University-Wide Engagement Program
- New York University (NY)
When you launch a university-wide engagement program or initiative, how effective are you in reaching current and new audiences? How are you marketing and communicating the initiative? Through this case …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Know Your Impact: Guide to Environmentally Conscious Community Development
- New York University (NY)
Creating a norm of sustainability on campus is no easy task, but the NYU EcoReps have committed themselves to forming thoughtful community-based programming in the hopes of finding new ways …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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A Classroom of 'Cultural Creatives'?: A Values-Based Approach to Teaching About Sustainable Societies
- University of Connecticut (CT)
In their book The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World authors Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson present their research on the on-going values shift …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Residential and Academic Composting: Strategies for Success
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
Integrating composting into academic and residential settings on campus is no easy task at a large public institution. Managing contamination, potential for odors and mess, and student education - particularly …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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EcoReps Programs Nation-wide - Networking for every program type
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
This will be a purely networking meeting. Participants will self select into groups based on the type of EcoReps or Leadership Program they have at their institution - New Programs, …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Johnson County Community College Student Sustainability Committee
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
The Student Sustainability Committee is a leadership opportunity for students at Johnson County Community College that manages the institution's fee based Sustainable Initiatives Fund. This workshop will guide attendees through …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Understanding Food Waste at Johnson County Community College: A Multi-Method Approach
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
This proposal will document through observation and participant feedback how student awareness of issues surrounding food insecurity and waste may change following a student volunteer-run audit on post-consumer cafeteria waste.
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Community College Networking Meeting
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
This meeting encourages community college participants to share successes, vent frustrations, and to meet up with other sustainability practitioners.
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Gardening As Engagement: Utilizing Local Alternative Break Trips to foster student growth in food systems and urban gardening
- University of Central Oklahoma (OK)
Alternative Break programs have long been considered an effective transformative and experiential learning opportunity for students. One challenge of these trips, however, is the lack of application when students return …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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FreshU: A Sustainable Model for Reducing Food Insecurity on College Campuses
- University of Central Florida (FL)
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is located in the heart of a food desert; a region defined by the USDA as 'a low-income community that lacks ready access to …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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If You Build It, Will They Come? Creating a Biking Culture by Sharing
- Auburn University (AL)
Launching a bike share program requires a considerable investment of time and money with no guarantee of success, particularly in communities without a strong biking culture. So how can you …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Laudato si? Catholic College and Universities Networking Session
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Join your peers from Catholic colleges and universities to talk about the sustainability excitement happening on your campus. Following on Laudato si and the leadership of Pope Francis, we will …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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DON'T PUNT ON RECYCLING! What your recycling program can mean to your school's curriculum, eco-identity, & bottom-line!
- Loyola Marymount University (CA)
This presentation offers a macro-view lens of Sustainability Programs as one of the only truly new tools traditional fixed-sight Higher Education Administrators have to answer the dot-edu on-line degree program …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Western Kentucky University Student-Designed Campus Sustainability Survey 2017
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
For our 2017 AASHE conference presentation, we would like to share the story of our student-designed sustainability survey created in Fall 2016/ Spring 2017. It all began as a project …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Farmer Fridays: Connecting Students to Communities Through Stories
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
One goal for local institutions' different Offices of Sustainability is to bridge the gap between the campus and the community. This case study follows Western Kentucky University's path to connect …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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GreenTopics: How we Tackled Reaching Environmental Skeptics
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
Engaging students with an environmental interest is easy, but the question remains 'How can we reach the environmental skeptics?' How can we inform the students who will never step foot …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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From Sustainable Development Goals to Campus Sustainability Plan
- Villanova University (PA)
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were announced in 2015 as the standard for future development of all nations. As such, Villanova University decided to use the SDGs as the …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Motivating Students to Achieve 20% Electricity and Hot Water Savings in Campus Apartments
- Clarkson University (NY)
Through Clarkson University's Smart Housing Project, we've shown 20% savings in daily electricity and hot water use for students receiving utility use interventions compared to students not receiving the interventions. …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Examining the Efficacy of an Award-Winning Bicycle-Earning Program in Altering Student and Staff Transportation Modes
- University of Louisville (KY)
This study will involve the examination and reevaluation of the Earn-A-Bike Program at the University of Louisville. This is a program that rewards student who turn over their eligibility to …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Student Governments and the Power Purchase Agreement: A Tool for Financial Sustainability
- Southern Oregon University (OR)
Students at Southern Oregon University are exploring the potential for their student government to invest in solar panels and sell the resulting electricity back to the university, cutting the university's …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Catch the Wave: A Recycling Success Story from Concept to Today
- University of Kansas Medical Center (KS)
Starting up a recycling program at a medical/research educational facility has several challenges from 'How do we start?' to 'What can we recycle?'. This poster presentation will demonstrate the evolution …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainability without Boundaries: Leveraging Green Initiatives to Bridge Campus, Community, and City
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
We're all in this together! Sustainability initiatives provide an excellent opportunity to empower the full spectrum of campus stakeholders to get involved in the work of building a better future. …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Presidential Power: Examining the Language of Executive Campus Commitments
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
Over the course of the past decade, hundreds of college and university presidents have committed to an array of sustainability goals through platforms like Second Nature's Climate Commitment, the Sustainability …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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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.