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
Students’ mobility attitudes and sustainable transport mode choice
- University of Bergamo
This study aims to explore the propensity of university students to use different sustainable transport modes, taking into account individual and specific trip characteristics, as well as students’ psychological traits ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2018
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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Sustainability: Systematic Review 1990–2016
- Universidad de Antioquia
For any transition towards sustainability to be successful, it is necessary to understand the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) – related to sustainability – in different populations. A systematic review was conducted ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2018
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Enhancing university students’ global citizenship, public mindedness, and moral quotient for promoting sense of environmental responsibility and pro-environmental behaviours
- Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University
- King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Many universities have attempted to courage their students to engage in sustainable, green behaviours. However, the mere role of environmental knowledge cannot contribute to students’ engagement in pro-environmental behaviours. This ...
- Posted Nov. 15, 2018
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Impact of communication sources for achieving campus sustainability
- Cornell University (NY)
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
Using self-reported data from over 12,000 students, staff, and faculty members, this study aims to quantify the effectiveness of various sustainability information sources on the awareness and behavioral changes ...
- Posted Nov. 13, 2018
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Student team integrating aspects of sustainability in practical design education
- Chiba University
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the first experiences (activities, attitudes and inclinations) of an undergraduate student team with eco-design activities.
Design/methodology/approach Undergraduate ...
- Posted Nov. 13, 2018
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Sustaining our Communities Through Care and Action
- Western Washington University (WA)
Sustainability is becoming more expansive; ideas about social and economic justice and human health are becoming integrated into the environmental field. But is this holistic ideal replicated in the way ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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A Primer on Living Wage Policies and Just Employment
- Saint Joseph's University (PA)
This session provides an introduction to living wage policies and just employment principles, applicable not only in higher education, but in any form of organization. Intended for attendees seeking an ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Stay Rad Post Grad: Finding Your Path After College
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Are you graduating? Are you panicking? Or maybe you know exactly what you want to do, but it's just a matter of making it happen. Join the PLAN staff ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Well-Being for All, Sustainably at Dawson College
- Dawson College (QC)
Institutes of higher education may be populated with many people, but they can be lonely places for staff and students alike. Stress is also prevalent in our schools. An ever-increasing ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Innovation: Creating a new Minor in Somatic Sustainability at Appalachian State University
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Awakening somatic intelligence and understanding sustainable body practices are important aspects of an enlarged conversation of sustainability. As a part of that dialogue, we have created a new minor in ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Secrets to Success for Your Career and Your Campus in Sustainability
- U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
Do you want tips to create a great career in sustainability? Do you also want to create more positive impacts on campus and beyond? Do you want to be a ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Resilience and Renewal - A Retreat Model: Preparing Ourselves for a Lifetime of Global Change
- Central College (IA)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Join sustainability students in discovering how a model of stepping away from our various institutions, discovering common challenges, and reflecting on our resilience can help us sustain ourselves. Central College ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Adaptation and Resilience in Sustaining Ourselves - A Micro-Retreat
- Macalester College (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Join sustainability professionals across Minnesota in discovering how a model of stepping away from our various institutions, discovering common challenges and building cross-institution relationships helps us sustain ourselves. The planning ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Addressing the Global Water Crisis: One Toilet at a Time
- Niagara Conservation (TX)
Water scarcity is one of the most pressing issues in sustainability today. How can we address the global water crisis? Emily Schmidt from Niagara will explore the large scale impacts ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Urban, Rural, and On-Campus Solutions (UROC): Living Campus Accelerator Toolkit
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Arizona State University has committed to becoming carbon neutral for campus buildings by 2025. University Sustainability Practices (USP) is working tirelessly to help fulfill this vision. USP and partner universities ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Gameday Waste Minimization
- University of Arizona (AZ)
- University of Rochester (NY)
The University of Arizona will share the success story of their student-run program working to ingrain zero waste practices within athletic events. This workshop will describe the trials and tribulations ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Move Out Solutions With William & Mary's DormMania and the Post-Landfill Action Network
- College of William & Mary (VA)
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Join the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) and William & Mary in a discussion about reducing waste during campus move-out! Students throw away tons of usable items every year during ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Do Dorm Move-Out Waste Reduction Programs Really Reduce Carbon Emissions?
- University of Arizona (AZ)
A team of engineering researchers at the University of Arizona, led by Dr. Paul Blowers and undergraduate student Nick Deak, measured the carbon footprint associated with materials collected during a ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Measuring Success - Auditing the Zero Waste Process
- Medical University of South Carolina (SC)
At the Medical University of South Carolina we, like many campuses, are constantly improving our waste system in an effort to strive for 'Zero Waste'. During the 2016 RecycleMania competition ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Stadium Clean-up: Invest in & Engage Student Organizations, Promote Sustainability, Reduce Costs
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
The Diddle/Smith Recycling Program engages student organizations to clean the arena/stadium after football and basketball games, as well as other special events. In exchange for cleaning, volunteers receive ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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How Might we Create a Sustainable Make-A-Thon to Inform Students About Sustainable Design?
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Design U every year puts on the 10,000 makes 24 hour Make-A-Thon where we bring in engineers, designers, business students and whoever else wants to join to essentially make ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Engaging Housekeeping Staff for Zero Waste Success
- The Ohio State University (OH)
Contamination of single-stream recycling is one of the most significant obstacles to waste diversion. While campus culture promotes recycling, users do not reliably recycle correctly. The result is a contaminated ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Achieving Zero Waste and Campus-Wide Compost Bins: Progress from Swarthmore College
- Swarthmore College (PA)
In 2017, Swarthmore College formalized its commitment to achieving a Zero Waste campus, with an interim goal of reaching an 80% diversion rate by 2022. This ambitious commitment, which built ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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How to Run Initiatives on Campus That Will Lower Waste
- Southern Oregon University (OR)
Having an 'eco' conscious lifestyle has been mainly about buying 'green' items so we can lower our impact on this planet. Today, our problem is not about buying items but ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Responsible Consumption and Production: An Academic Year Deep Dive
- Lafayette College (PA)
During this session, we'll take a look at the opportunities to promote recycling and reuse during the academic year at a small liberal arts college. We'll chart out ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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A Multi-Method Approach to Increasing Campus Diversion
- Georgia State University (GA)
This session will provide insight on how the largest university in the state of Georgia went from a 10% diversion rate to 49% in just 4 years with few resources ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Fats, Oils and Grease - 'Don't Flush It'
- Georgia College & State University (GA)
Georgia College & State University (GC) in partnership with the City of Milledgeville's Waste Water Treatment Program in Milledgeville, GA, have joined to educate the campus community on waste ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Break Free From Plastic on Your Campus
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Cities and Countries across the world are making commitments to reduce their reliance on single use disposable plastics. It's time for campuses to follow suit. From swag to coffee ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Off-Campus Student Housing Recycling Program
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
Over 68 percent of students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln live in off-campus student housing, and many are conforming to the trend of residing in luxury student apartments. In ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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From Diversion to Prevention: Re-imagining Waste
- Bow Valley College (AB)
This is a story of a campus that has moved from seeing waste as merely a municipal bylaw, to diversion targets, and is now moving toward re-imagining waste as a ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Accessible and Ethical E-Waste: Adaptability in Infrastructure
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
This presentation is a case study on implementing an accessible and ethical e-waste system in UC Berkeley, where previously no affordable options had been available to students despite the hundreds ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Western State Colorado University Role in Advancing SDGs- Road Map to Institutionalizing Zero Waste
- Western Colorado University (CO)
Higher education plays critical roles in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More specifically, higher education should strategically strive in its physical operations in advancing the ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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A Residential Recycling Competition at Skidmore College
- Skidmore College (NY)
Energy conservation competitions are a cornerstone project in many schools' outreach efforts, and this program utilized a similar approach to address apartment waste patterns. This recycling and compost-oriented competition involved ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Thinking Outside of the Trash: Waste Policy Implementation and Education at Emory University
- Emory University (GA)
Emory University consulted with Cascadia and Burns & McDonnell during 2016-2017 to assess Emory's materials management program and make recommendations for innovative and programmatic strategies to help Emory achieve ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Using Waste Audit Data to Drive Waste Reduction, Diversion, and Engagement
- Northwestern University (IL)
- Oakton Community College (IL)
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
- University of Richmond (VA)
Unlike other utilities, such as electricity and natural gas, actual waste and recycling data are more difficult to track. The lack of ready to use data creates challenges in goal ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Zero Waste Campus: Mitigating Landfill Waste on an Urban College Campus
- College of Charleston (SC)
Charleston, South Carolina is a coastal city that is home to the College of Charleston, an integrated city campus. As the city is on the forefront to experiencing rising sea ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Vermicompost: A Study of Alternative Composting in Arid Climates
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Traditional composting methods will often yield a nutrient-rich fertilizer. However, when such methods are performed in an arid climate, such as the Sonoran Desert, additional precautions must be taken to ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Alternative Transportation in the Rural Context
- State University of New York at Cortland (NY)
SUNY Cortland and other smaller comprehensive colleges function as economic drivers to the local economy, and especially in the case of smaller colleges located in more rural settings. In this ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Designing Despite the Department of Transportation
- College of Charleston (SC)
In a state, South Caroline, that is lacking in alternative transportation infrastructure and can barely maintain the infrastructure, how can a place of higher learning creative transportation? Most roads in ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Becoming a Social Organism: Action Research Turns Environmental Research Into a Sustainable Act
- Shenkar College of Engineering and Design
"What is the impact of my work on the environment?", asks designer and educator Victor Papanek in the first chapter of his revolutionary 1995 book, The Green Imperative. Papanek's ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Ecological Grief: How Higher Education Responds to Environmental Trauma
- Bow Valley College (AB)
Grieving the loss or change of a cherished natural space has not always been recognized as a true form of grieving. With summers filled with smoke, devastating flooding, record-breaking hurricanes ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Campus Action Research Advances Sustainable Development Goals
- George Mason University (VA)
- Universidad de Monterrey
Across North American college campuses, learners seek to enhance our sustainability competency through acting locally to advance the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainability Action Research (SAR) provides a ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Lessons from Year 1 of Turning the Page on Campus Paper Use
- Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus (OR)
- Root Solutions (CA)
Join this session to learn about the experiences of the initial cohort and AASHE's Turning the Page on Campus Paper Use program. Organized in partnership with behavior change specialists ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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@IUSBees Raising Awareness to Rise to the Challenge
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Student Summit Case Study: @IUSBees raising awareness to rise to the Challenge. How can higher education institutions align their teaching and research activities around the SDGs?Align them in the ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Role of Higher Education Institutions in Reducing Poverty by Promoting Sustainable Tourism
- Dallas College (TX)
All college and university campuses are imbedded in a local community. All communities have the potential to offer ecotourism opportunities to residents and visitors. Ecotourism/sustainable toursim is now defined ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Connecting Communities to Data That Matter - Linkages Through SDGs
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
In recent years, a rising number of innovative firms and entrepreneurs have intentionally coalesced around university centers to bring invention plus implementation together. These universities known as anchor institutions typically ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Universities as Catalysts for Transformative Sustainable Change
- Agnes Scott College (GA)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- Emory University (GA)
- University of Georgia (GA)
- Portland Community College (OR)
- Spelman College (GA)
This session will explore how universities can serve as anchor institutions in their communities, advancing their own goals and regional sustainability at the same time, through education about and implementation ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Social Marketing/Behavior Change Practitioner Meetup
- University of Georgia (GA)
- Busch Systems (ON)
Are you interested in using marketing as a behavior change agent? Me too! Let's get together for a focused discussion about goals, challenges, and successes in your behavior change ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Food Conscious Campus: Urban Innovations Towards Zero Hunger
- MacEwan University (AB)
Innovative technologies like Flow Hives, Tower Gardens, and Urban Cultivators engage the campus community with local food options and opportunities for food security downtown. Through a short documentary and discussion ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Weatherizing Together: Finding Effective Community Partnerships
- Furman University (SC)
Is your school planning on or already implementing a home weatherization program? Have you found community partners for your program? Furman University's home weatherization program, the Community Conservation Corps ...
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
EN 1: Student Educators Program
- Percent of students served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the student educators program (1st program)
- Description of the student educators program (2nd program)
- Brief description of the student educators program (3rd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained student sustainability educators per students served
- Website URL - Student sustainability educators programs
EN 2: Student Orientation
- Percent of entering students that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new student orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in student orientation
EN 3: Student Life
- Description of the active student groups focused on sustainability
- Description of student gardens, farms, CSAs, fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects
- Description of the student-run enterprises
- Description of student sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives
- Description of sustainability-focused conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events for students
- Description of sustainability-focused cultural arts events, installations, or performances
- Description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles
- Description of sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences
- Description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills
- Description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution
- Description of graduation pledge(s)
- Description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives
EN 4: Student Life
- Website URL - Central sustainability website
- Description of sustainability newsletter or social media platform(s)
- Description of the signage that highlights campus sustainability features
- Description of the sustainability walking map or tour
- Description of the guide for green living and/or incorporating sustainability into the residential experience
- Description of other comprehensive sustainability outreach materials and publications
EN 5: Student Life
- Description of the first sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of the second sustainability outreach campaign
- Description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns
EN 6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
- Description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (upload)
- Copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability culture
EN 7: Employee Educators Program
- Percent of employees served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program
- Description of the employee educators program (1st program)
- Description of the employee educators program (2nd program)
- Hours worked annually by trained employee sustainability educators per employees served
- Website URL - Employee sustainability educators programs
EN 8: Employee Orientation
- Percent of new employees that have an opportunity to participate in sustainability-inclusive orientation activities and programming
- Description of how sustainability is included prominently in new employee orientation
- Website URL - Information about sustainability in employee orientation
EN 9: Staff Professional Development & Training
- Estimated percentage of regular, non-academic staff that participates annually in sustainability professional development and training
- Description of any internal sustainability professional development and training opportunities
- Description of any external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability that are supported by the institution
- Estimated percentage of staff for which sustainability is included in performance reviews
- Description of how sustainability is included in staff performance reviews
- Website URL - Information about staff professional development and training in sustainability
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.