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
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
What Motivates Change Agents and Supports Their Resilience in the Face of Adversity?
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Yale University (CT)
One of the key features that distinguishes sustainability from other fields is its normative aspect. Sustainability is about creating a better world starting today based on a just vision of …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Union of the Preposterous: Playfully Engaging with Climate Change
- Western Technical College (WI)
We are entering a decade in which the world requires massive climate action. Yet, as sustainability professionals we still struggle to engage people to take meaningful climate action. Equally problematic, …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Applied Sustainability: Leadership Lessons From the Field
- Ohio University (OH)
- University of Oregon (OR)
- Local Government Commission (CA)
In order to empower leaders and build momentum for the sustainability movement, we need to embrace the full leadership pathway before, during and after the higher education experience. While much …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Transforming Sustainability Storytelling Through GIS: an Introductory Learning Lab
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a tool traditionally associated with the management and display of geospatial data. The tool is very prevalent, in both the academic and professional realm, with …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Student Club Revolutionizes the Meaning on Green at a Community College in Dallas
- Dallas College (TX)
The Green Club is a group of Cedar Valley College students who are spreading awareness of the importance of taking care of our environment by being involved with the external …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Unlikely Relationships: Multidisciplinary Cooperation to Divert Textile Waste
- Iowa State University (IA)
Hands-on design courses are an essential component of apparel design curriculum and make up a sizable portion of the classes offered in many university apparel design programs worldwide. However, sewing …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Celebrating 20 Years of RecycleMania: Campus Impacts, Best Practices and Leadership
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
This is a proposal to submit a video instead of a poster due to the transition to a virtual conference platform for AASHE 2020. This video will tell the story …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Using Research to Improve Water Sustainability at Weber State University
- Weber State University (UT)
Our student session will focus on undergraduate research done in Ogden, Utah at Weber State University. This research investigates attitudes, beliefs and perceptions towards water and water use held by …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Democratizing Campus Sustainability Through Student Empowerment
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The University of Kentucky Student Sustainability Council was established in 2009 to steward the Green Fee collected annually from students. By bringing together student leaders from many disciplines and backgrounds, …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Teaching Learners, Preparing Leaders: Using Peer Education to Complement the Academic Experience
- Cornell University (NY)
- Ithaca College (NY)
Grappling with the effects of the climate crisis will require new and innovative ways of teaching, learning, and leading to ensure emerging leaders are equipped with the skills necessary to …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Equipping Students with Data for Change - Chestnut Living Lab Study
- Ithaca College (NY)
In 2018, Ithaca College's Office of Energy Management & Sustainability received funding from the Office of the President to design a research project focused on equipping students with the necessary …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Developing Sustainability Internships Through an Employer Relations Lens: A Pilot
- The College of Saint Scholastica (MN)
A brief talk on how grant funding and new academic programming in sustainability fostered a pilot to increase experiential learning opportunities. This session presenter is not a subject matter expert …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Creating Pro-environmental Behavior (PEB) Norms to Change Behavior
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Research has demonstrated that people can be motivated to change their behavior but that information alone does not motivate that change. Creating social norms that situate pro-environmental behavior (PEB) as …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Developing Artful Leadership to Foster Sustainability at UW Oshkosh and Beyond
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)
This project titled Developing Artful Leadership to Foster Sustainability at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh) and Beyond was a research project that utilized the fluidity of interdisciplinary application of …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
From 'I Guess I Recycle' to Organizing for Action - Cultivating a Culture of Student Leadership
- Boise State University (ID)
As the first full-time Sustainability Coordinator at Boise State, I started my role as a department of one with no budget, no staff, and the guiding mission of my day-to-day …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Revolutionizing Campus Dining: Reducing Waste and Connecting with Staff
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Dining halls play a critical role in meeting UC Berkeley's ambitious goal of Zero Waste by 2020. Reevaluating the products we use, prioritizing sustainable purchasing, and reducing food waste are …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 to …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 Network. In …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 events over nearly …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 program, …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 effectively integrated …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 fall …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 students, …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 to …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 sustainability …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 in …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 of sustainability …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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 responsibility for …
- Posted Nov. 15, 2021
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Conference Presentations
- View more
This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
EN 1: Student Educators Program
- Percent of students served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the student educators program (1st program)
- Description of the student educators program (2nd program)
- Brief description of the student educators program (3rd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained student sustainability educators per students served
- Website URL - Student sustainability educators programs
EN 2: Student Orientation
- Percent of entering students that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in student orientation
EN 3: Student Life
- Description of the active student groups focused on sustainability
- Description of student gardens, farms, CSAs, fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects
- Description of the student-run enterprises
- Description of student sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives
- Description of sustainability-focused conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events for students
- Description of sustainability-focused cultural arts events, installations, or performances
- Description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles
- Description of sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences
- Description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills
- Description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution
- Description of graduation pledge(s)
- Description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives
EN 4: Student Life
- Website URL - Central sustainability website
- Description of sustainability newsletter or social media platform(s)
- Description of the signage that highlights campus sustainability features
- Description of the sustainability walking map or tour
- Description of the guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience
- Description of other comprehensive sustainability outreach materials and publications
EN 5: Student Life
- Description of the first sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of the second sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns
EN 6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
- Description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (upload)
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability culture
EN 7: Employee Educators Program
- Percent of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the employee educators program (1st program)
- Description of the employee educators program (2nd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained employee sustainability educators per employees served
- Website URL - Employee sustainability educators programs
EN 8: Employee Orientation
- Percent of new employees that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new employee orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in employee orientation
EN 9: Staff Professional Development & Training
- Estimated percentage of regular, non-academic staff that participates annually in sustainability professional development and training
- Description of any internal sustainability professional development and training opportunities
- Description of any external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability that are supported by the institution
- Estimated percentage of staff for which sustainability is included in performance reviews
- Description of how sustainability is included in staff performance reviews
- Website URL - Information about staff professional development and training in sustainability
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.