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
Establishing a Green Labs Certification Program
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
The Green Labs Program is a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Health & Safety with the goal to minimize the environmental impact of laboratories on NAU campus ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Visualizing sustainability: building a robust online sustainability dashboard
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
The University of Washington's recently redesigned its sustainability dashboard. Starting with a group of static graph images presented largely without context, we moved all of our data into Tableau ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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A Case Study and Guide to Outreach and Engagement from UC Davis Facilities Energy & Engineering
- University of California, Davis (CA)
Communications and campus engagement around energy conservation projects at UC Davis is led by the Energy Feedback Team. Student interns are key members of the communications team; they run our ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Enhancing Sustainable Approaches to Food Security and Community Engagement through Design of Space
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky (CKUK) is a student-led service organization that is a partner agency of God's Pantry Food Bank within the Feeding America's ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Institutional Implications on Promoting Education in Sustainability: Student Learning Outcome
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (herein referred to Cal Poly), was awarded the silver STARS rating in 2017. In all evaluated categories, Cal Poly received lower scores ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Green Advisors, Sustainability Advocates, and More: Building Engaged Community
- Swarthmore College (PA)
This session will focus on innovative, action-oriented engagement opportunities in sustainability for a diverse range of stakeholders at the college and university level. At Swarthmore College, more than 80 faculty ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Using Hand-crafts to Engage a Campus on the Climate Crisis: 50 Years of Tempestries & a Sketch-crawl
- University of California, Davis (CA)
For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in April 2020, the UC Davis Office of Sustainability coordinated a master list and website (https://earthday.ucdavis.edu/) of more than 60 ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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WWF-Canada's Living Planet Leader certification: Graduating students to lead in sustainability
- World Wildlife Fund (DC)
This workshop will provide Canadian students and campus sustainability and engagement staff and faculty an overview of WWF-Canada's Living Planet Leader student certification. Through WWF-Canada's Living Planet @ Campus ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Using Local Food Systems and Justice Issues to teach Sustainability
- Eureka College (IL)
For two years, I have taught an upper-level seminar in Environmental Studies on Local Food Systems and Justice issues that also meets a gen ed requirement for undergraduates in Sustainable ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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The Conscience of a Campus Framework, Integrating Local and Global Cultures
- University of Hawaii at Manoa (HI)
- MKThink (CA)
Today's university demographics are extremely diverse, and each university/college campus has its own personality and history. Every institution has unique layers of history, context and culture, that if ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Opening up the 'Black Box' of Recycling: Discussion of Justice in Recycling Promotes Waste Reduction
- The University of Findlay (OH)
Although recycling is a popular sustainability practice, college students usually have limited knowledge of how and where the recyclables they put in recycling bins are turned into usable products. It ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Goats, bees, and native species: A 'living' lab stream restoration experience
- University of Richmond (VA)
The Gambles Mill Eco-Corridor revitalized 13 acres of campus at the University of Richmond. What began as a plan to upgrade a trail, turned into the creation of a vibrant ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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A Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts : Creating Synergy through a Network of Small Colleges
- Eastern Mennonite University (VA)
The fundamental challenge for smaller colleges is how to maintain momentum with sustainability efforts in the face of limited resources, and limited numbers of personnel and students committed to sustainability ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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The Expansion of the Lehigh University Eco-Reps Leadership Program
- Lehigh University (PA)
Over the last decade, the Lehigh University Eco-Rep Leadership Program has grown from a fledgling pilot to an official sustainability program under the stewardship of the Office of Sustainability. In ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Get in the Zone: A New Training Model to Build Environmental & Social Consciousness
- New York University (NY)
How do you foster dialogue about sustainability and the impacts on climate change on your campus? In 2019, NYU's Office of Sustainability began developing a Green Zone training to ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Preventing Bird Window Collisions by Creating a Bird-Safe Campus with American Bird Conservancy
- American Bird Conservancy (VA)
Collisions with glass kill up to 1 billion birds each year in the United States. The good news is that a) collision mortality is preventable and b) campuses can save ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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We Need To Teach Bicycle Riding
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
Universities are investing significant resources to improve bicycle infrastructure and even provide bicycles via sharing, renting, and even giveaways. Recent surveys in the USA suggest that younger Americans are twice ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Jungle Navigation: Leadership Engagement Without Process or Procedure
- University of Delaware (DE)
One of the most common challenges for Sustainability Professionals is opening lines of communication and engagement with campus leadership in institutions where such processes and procedures do not exist. How ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Leveraging Different Constituencies to Extend the Campus as a Living Lab Concept
- Connecticut College (CT)
Involving students in hands on sustainability projects on campus can drive both student learning and increased campus sustainability. However, limitations in student's schedules, availability of staff to work with ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Food Waste Reduction Initiatives at the University of North Carolina Asheville
- University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)
Minimizing food waste is an integral part of the dining experience at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Campus programs include eco-clamshell 'takeout' containers, waste diversion campaigns, partnerships with local ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Examining the Transition to a More Regenerative Growing System
- Knox College (IL)
The Knox campus farm, established in 2014, has historically focused on vegetable production for our campus dining services. In the past year, our focus has shifted to more regenerative practices ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Skill Development Workshops for Impact at UC Berkeley‚ Green Initiative Fund
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Established in 2007, The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UC Berkeley provides funding, via grants, for projects that improve and support UC Berkeley's campus sustainability efforts. TGIF allocates funds ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Empowering and Transforming Universities through Sustainable Grant Projects
- University of Northern Colorado (CO)
This session is for university affiliates looking for ways to create a more sustainable campus through capital projects. For the past three years, I have served on my university's ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Up to Date and Engaged: Creating a Great Newsletter
- University of Richmond (VA)
Sustainability staff are usually pretty busy, to put it mildly. In the midst of many different projects and tasks, it is important to let your campus know what is going ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Research, Innovation and Student Engagement: University Field Stations as Sustainability Praxis
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
Field stations are rich venues for engagement and investigations of natural science and social science connections to the environment. Universities of all types have a history of using field stations ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Who Made Your T-Shirt & Why Should You Care? What You Need to Know About University Ethical Sourcing
- Sumerra (OR)
You wear the same mascot-clad t-shirt to every home football game. It's a valuable good luck charm, but what value did the factory worker who made your t-shirt get ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Demystifying that Six Syllable Word: Designing an Effective Intro to Sustainability
- University of Richmond (VA)
With so many different definitions of sustainability on a university campus, it can be difficult to find people who share a common understanding of that tricky six syllable word. For ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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St. Scholastica's Free Store Creation
- The College of Saint Scholastica (MN)
During this presentation we will discuss the processes that enabled St. Scholastica to establish a free store within the sustainability office. The initial inspiration for creating a free store on ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Catalyzing a Culture of Sustainability at McGill University with the Sustainability Projects Fund
- McGill University (QC)
The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) is a crown jewel of McGill's sustainability efforts and a best-practice model for universities. The SPF's main goal is to build a culture ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Climate Action Planning: How to build momentum for a new plan despite missing the deadline
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Northern Arizona University (NAU) launched an ambition Climate Action Plan in 2010 with the target date of Carbon Neutrality of 2020. This set in motion a series of efficiency upgrades ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Sustainability Professionals: Helping Students Prepare for Sustainability Related Careers
- Denison University (OH)
In 2019, Denison's Office of Sustainability launched a new program called the Sustainability Professionals Initiative. Today's organizations, big and small, public and private, are being required to take ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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How to create a culture of empowerment around your campus zero waste program
- CleanRiver Recycling Solutions (ON)
This presentation is a critical must-see for anyone seeking tangible strategies to drive engagement in their campus zero waste program. Slides and visual aids will be used to present a ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Food Sustainability Beyond the Dining Halls
- College of William & Mary (VA)
In recent years, William & Mary has made some great advances in sustainability throughout the dining halls. However, there are also a lot of functions involving food that happen away ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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We Are All Educators: Preparing Staff to Act as Effective Educators in Sustainability Projects
- Harvard University (MA)
Increasingly, staff members are encouraged to engage with students on co-curricular sustainability projects that enhance their learning. However, too often, these staff members are not trained properly to create learning ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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When the Silos Break: Creating Connections and Coalescing Sustainability Efforts
- University of Oregon (OR)
Through research, and teaching, and by serving as a testing ground or model for sustainable physical spaces, colleges and universities have the potential to help solve the most complex environmental ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Creating Organizational Culture Change to Advance Sustainability in Higher Education
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
Culture is a shared set of assumptions that guides people's thoughts and behaviors. Within organizations, aligning structures and process with organizational culture is crucial for maintaining successful organizational functioning ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Campus as a Living lab: Building Resilient Teams Across Operations, Academics, and Administration
- California State University, East Bay (CA)
- San Mateo County Community College District Office (CA)
- Strategic Energy Innovations (CA)
Building resilient systems is now more critical than ever, particularly in realizing the promise of preparing a climate ready workforce for a just and equitable transition. California institutions of higher ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Teaching the UN SDGs: Developing local goals in the classroom
- Central Community College (NE)
In 2015, Central Community College (CCC) developed a faculty-driven program to incorporate sustainability issues across the curriculum. The presenter is co-chair of the Environmental Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ESATC) committee ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Feeding the Campus Community & Beyond Through On-Site Agriculture
- Green Building Initiative (OR)
On campus agriculture presents students, faculty and staff the opportunity to provide for their community as well as contribute to transitioning from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy. As ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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From Dissonance to Harmony: Transforming Campus Events to Align with Institutional Priorities
- Colgate University (NY)
Campus events bring together students, faculty, staff, and community members together; while they often build community and enhance academics, they also frequently diverge from institutional wellness and sustainability goals. Hundreds ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Traveling Through STARS to Foster Sustainability on Commuter Campuses
- Indiana University South Bend (IN)
Commuter campuses face unique challenges building a strong sustainable campus culture. Traditional colleges tend to have strong campus cultures that have been cultivated over time and may even be the ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Empowering Underserved Populations Through Community Programs
- Weber State University (UT)
Learn about Weber State University's focus on sustainability-forward community programs over the last five years and how they have become more focused on serving underserved and underrepresented populations over ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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The Post Carbon Neutrality Story: A Student Perspective on how to Pursue Meaningful Peer Engagement
- Colgate University (NY)
In 2019, Colgate University became the first university in New York, and one of the first in the country, to achieve carbon neutrality. While the road to carbon neutrality was ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Recycling Data: What We've Learned
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA)
- NORESCO (NC)
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been partnering with NORESCO for the past 9 years on a number of energy savings and behavior change initiatives. One of these has been ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Imagining New Realities: the Green Fund and Student-Led Change
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
Come learn from the experiences of students involved with the Green Fund at a large public university. A Green Fund offers money to student-led projects that reduce the operating costs ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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The Choose Earth Certificate: A Hands-on Approach to Improving Sustainability in Study Abroad
- The Education Abroad Network (IL)
The Choose Earth certificate is an optional, add-on program that students can choose to participate in while studying abroad with TEAN. It was born from our organization's Choose Earth ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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AIM2Flourish: Using Business for Good Education to Mobilize for a Just Transition
- Case Western Reserve University (OH)
AIM2Flourish is an initiative of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Taste Not Waste: A Campus-Wide Initiative to Take a Bite out of Food Waste
- Concordia College - Moorhead (MN)
America is experiencing a food waste crisis, with an estimated 30-40 percent of the food supply, approximately 35 million tons annually, never eaten. Wholesome food that could have helped feed ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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The Process of Developing a Sustainability Certificate Program
- University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)
This talk will cover the three-year process of developing and launching an interdisciplinary Sustainability Certificate at the University of North Carolina Asheville. The multi-step process included developing campus support (with ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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One-Stop Thrift Shop: Sustainable Thrifting on a College Campus
- University of Denver (CO)
College students need cheap supplies for a short amount of time. This project examines the university community's material waste practices and offers alternatives that cater to community needs. Through ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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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.