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.

4175 resources

Wholly Frijoles! Teaching Sustainability Through Interactive Systems Thinking Education

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

This presentation will be highly interactive and begin with participants playing and discussing “Wholly Frijoles” for about 40 minutes. The “Wholly Frijoles” simulation focuses on the use (and abuse) of ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Designing an Energy-Saving Campaign

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Our myPower campaign envisions a future where all campus stakeholders take action to save energy. The initiative combines campus commitment, coordination with a larger energy effort, communications strategies based on ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Officer and Faculty Members Collaborations on Advancing Sustainability Across the Curriculum

  • Empire State College (NY)

“Sustainability officer” is a fairly recent position at campuses across the nation. Although this position has a variety of titles and is housed in different departments at different campuses, it ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Theoretical Underpinning For Campus Sustainability Initiatives

  • University of Vermont (VT)

Behavior and environment applies insights of behavioral sciences to problems at the interface between people and environment. Many sustainability initiatives on college campuses do not seem to be grounded in ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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What is Old is New Again: Readapt Strategies to Engage Students in Leadership, Social Justice, and Sustainability

  • Clemson University (SC)

In our work with students, it is important to be able to articulate what we value on a daily basis. Within University Housing and Dining Services at Clemson University, Residential ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Adapting Eco-Rep Training to Optimize Student Experience

  • Elon University (NC)
  • University of South Carolina (SC)

Eco-Rep training materials and training sessions are vital to laying the ground work for a fun and beneficial student experience, establishing accountability and ultimately contributing to Eco-Rep retention. With time ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond Excuses: Banning Bottled Water on Your Campus (2013)

  • Pacific Lutheran University (WA)

This paper examines case studies of over 40 universities across the US and Canada, all of whom have enacted a policy of responsible water management in their purchasing. They have ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing Resilient Communities through Community-University Partnerships

  • Luther College (IA)

One of the key strategies for dealing with global climate change is campus–community collaboration (M’Gonigle & Starke) to develop resilient, sustainable communities (Ausubel); as demonstrated at two small ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing and Fostering Community Specific Sustainability Campaigns

  • Cornell University (NY)

Cornell University is tackling the behavior change issue with a new approach. Instead of creating a campus-wide behavior change campaign for a very de-centralized university, the Energy and Sustainability department ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Frozen Faithful: Understanding and Responding to Evangelical Climate Denial

  • Houghton College (NY)

Climate change represents a contentious issue within religious circles today, with advocates and antagonists pleading their cases before the believing masses. Nowhere is this more evident than within evangelical circles ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Give and Go: Best Practice Lessons for Move Out Collections

  • Keep America Beautiful (CT)

This presentation will brief conference attendees on the results of the “Give and Go: Move Out 2013” collection program taking place on five college campuses in May 2013. Produced through ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Book: A Written and Visual Arts Publication Celebrating Sustainability Through Creative Action

  • Delta College (MI)

Utilizing the campus and the community environment can create an engaging experience for teaching and learning and can serve as an invitation for partnership and participation. A unique, grant-funded venture ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Captains - Student Leadership in Dining Services

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • Aramark (PA)

The Green Captain Program promotes student education and development and food waste reduction in Higher Education dining locations. The program empowers student employees and managers from each of the campus ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening the Athletic Enterprise: A Journey

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Intercollegiate athletics are a large part of many institutions’ physical footprints, a core part of institutional identity, and among the most prominent interactions higher education institutions have with the general ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lessons Learned from an Interdisciplinary Programming Model with a Sustainability Focus

  • James Madison University (VA)

This case study features lessons learned from JMuse Café (http://sites.jmu.edu/jmuse/), an interdisciplinary programming series developed by the University Libraries, with the Office of Environmental Stewardship and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Not Just Another Student Project

  • Babson College (MA)

Sustainability project management is never easy, especially as a student Eco Rep coordinator. As a student coordinator, you quickly discover that you cannot be successful if you try to operate ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Knowing the Full Story: Creating a Blueprint for Effective Program Evaluation

  • Brown University (RI)
  • GreenerU (MA)

There is so much talk about the value of sustainability outreach programs, yet there is little data which proves their value. In order to make sure the hard work many ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Literacy: A Lifelong Learning Approach

  • University of Cincinnati (OH)

As higher education institutions endeavor to prepare students for the future, environmental literacy is increasingly important. In addition to educating students, universities play a significant role in engaging the broader ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Residential Energy Competitions: Adapting for Success

  • Elon University (NC)

Residential energy competitions are a common student engagement strategy to educate, motivate and empower students to conserve energy and become more environmentally aware. They also provide unique professional development opportunities ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student and Community Outreach on Rental Energy

  • University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (WI)

The $CORE (Student and Community Outreach on Rental Efficiency) Program was created by the Energy Program at the University of Colorado- Boulder Environmental Center and was adapted by the Student ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Blackout (A Night Out With the Lights Out): University Sustainability as a Social, Carbon-Saving Activity for Students and Staff

  • University of Southampton

On one evening in April 2012, 255 students and staff at the University of Southampton completed the first campus-wide equipment energy audit and switch-off event. The aims were to deliver ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability by the Numbers

  • Babson College (MA)

Sustainability professionals are consistently challenged to prove the success and impact of sustainability programs – especially ones that target behavior change. This is not always easy, as many of the benefits ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Establishing and Managing Successful Sustainability Internship Programs

  • Connecticut College (CT)
  • Indiana University Bloomington (IN)

Sustainability Internship Programs (SIPs) foster unique opportunities to integrate rigorous academic experiences in campus operations, engage operational staff in the academic mission, enhance the capacity of campus sustainability staff, and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Communications: Tools for Your Outreach Toolbox

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)
  • University of Georgia (GA)

You have the content knowledge…do you know how to make that knowledge accessible to your audiences? What is your brand and how do you manage it? Communication strategies are ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Social Life of Smartphones

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Our institution has taken a unique approach to education and outreach initiatives by deliberately highlighting the social aspects of sustainability, fostering the power of storytelling to elicit emotional responses in ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transparency and Efficiency in Sustainability Implementation

  • Ohio University (OH)

Since your institution has adopted a sustainability and/or climate action plan, have you felt you spend more time on data collection and reporting than on actual implementation and outreach ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Designing for Sustainability: Project-based Seminar Series

  • Daemen University (NY)

As we encourage students to address sustainability-related issues, we need to have an effective strategy for empowering them to be creative and successful. We have structured our curriculum to include ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Create Leadership for Sustainability In Student Affairs

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
  • Florida State University (FL)
  • Portland State University (OR)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • Willamette University (OR)

Student Affairs divisions can play a critical role in the higher education sustainability movement through their efforts to recruit students, cultivate significant learning experiences outside the classroom, shape campus culture ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Playing Like A Team: Advancing Campus Sustainability By Greening Sports

  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
  • Green Sports Alliance (OR)
  • Natural Resources Defense Council (DC)

With help from organizations such as AASHE and the U.S. EPA, colleges and universities across the nation are implementing campus-wide sustainability programs to enhance their environmental performance. Many of ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Divestment: Successful Case Studies

  • College of the Atlantic (ME)
  • Unity Environmental University (ME)
  • Responsible Endowments Coalition (PA)

With active campaigns on over 250 college campuses, divestment from fossil fuels has shifted the sustainability conversation significantly over the past year, pushing the “operational boundary” for campus sustainability, and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Living Buildings that Engage Students (and their Institution) in Sustainability

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
  • Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects (MO)

There is a growing trend in education and architecture to create green ‘buildings that teach’, facilities that further occupant’s understanding and engagement in sustainability. Currently, the most progressive green ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Practicing Behavior Interventions: Understanding and Implementing Sustainable Behavior Change on Your Campus

  • Stanford University (CA)
  • GreenerU (MA)

Behavior change is a buzzword in sustainability work – mostly because our job on campuses, among many other responsibilities, is to change people’s behaviors to ones that are more sustainable ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building an Inclusive Climate Justice Movement on Campus across Race, Class, and Gender Lines

  • Second Nature (MA)
  • United Negro College Fund (GA)

The climate isn’t just for the 1%. How can students ensure their climate planning and action are gender, race, and economically inclusive? The American College & University Presidents’ Climate ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Adopting Real Collegiate Zero Waste Principles: Change Management's Finest Hour

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • University of Florida (FL)

Zero waste represents a new means of elevating sustainability operations and student leadership at colleges and universities.

However, the term "zero waste" is often misunderstood and increasingly used without clear ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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All Projects are Personal: Making Change by Building Relationships

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
  • CoFED (NM)

Those of us inspired by campus sustainability have ideas for how to make change but often lack the knack for moving an initiative forward with others. People respond to ideas ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students: The Face of Food Auditing

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

Nation-wide, University dining services are actively seeking ways to assess the sustainability of their on-campus food system. The Real Food Challenge provides such a tool for sustainability assessment in dining ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond the Classroom: Experiential Learning and Students as Agents of Change within Local Communities

  • Hillsborough Community College (FL)
  • University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)

Through innovative partnerships, students at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) are extending their education beyond the classroom by providing community-wide leadership in the field of sustainability. In 2012-2013, examples of student-led ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating and Maintaining a Sustainability Student Network

  • Macalester College (MN)

This session will focus on the successes and challenges faced by Macalester College in creating and supporting a Sustainability Student Worker Network. Macalester’s network is now in it’s ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Embedding Ecological Footprinting into Curriculum as a Tool to Engage Students

  • Macquarie University (NSW)

The Department of Environment and Geography and the Sustainability Unit at Macquarie University, Sydney, collaborated to develop and investigate the effectiveness of environmental education pedagogy. A central sustainability goal in ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Film as a Medium to Engage a Broader Audience

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)

This session will showcase a collection of short films highlighting a variety of initiatives at Northern Arizona University using various cinematic styles. The films are aimed at a wide audience ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a Strategy for Changing Behavior at Your Institution

  • Oberlin College (OH)

Academic institutions cannot achieve climate neutrality through technology alone; members of the institution must also be engaged in creating a culture of sustainability. Our research project employed a community-based social ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Justice: Inspiring Action Through Words

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

As the University of Colorado Assembly for Sustainability and Equity, we aim to spread awareness about environmental justice issues, as well as empower individuals with solutions to these issues. Ultimately ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Five Years of an Integrated Approach to Campus Sustainability: Linking Academics, Operations and Student Life

  • Dalhousie University (NS)

At the 2008 AASHE Conference, [X] University presented two ambitious campus sustainability initiatives, one academic and one operational, and an overarching sustainability framework. The university has since put these initiatives ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Sustainability & Fostering Change at Vanderbilt University

  • Vanderbilt University (TN)

Sustainability is the most pressing educational issue of the twenty-first century. In a crisis prone world of limited resources and rapid change, colleges and universities play a vital role in ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Drinking Sunlight: Maple Syrup from Your Dorm’s Backyard

  • Calvin University (MI)

As students at a small liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, opportunities to get involved in the world of sustainable living are endless. Western Michigan is known for producing ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustain U: Centralizing the University Community Around Sustainability

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

Sustainability has always had a presence on the Carnegie Mellon campus, but not one widely acknowledged. Students and staff often pass by the Solar Decathlon house or the recycling room ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability, A Living Experience

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

At Carnegie Mellon University sustainability has been stripped to “green.” Despite the greater on-campus attention of recycling and composting initiatives, six green roofs, zero-waste events, a community garden, and student ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating Cross-Campus Collaborations: Transforming Curriculum, Empowering Students

  • Central College (IA)

Cool things can happen when campus silos are breached and faculty members get to know and start collaborating with directors of facilities, grounds, and food service to empower students. This ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Imagining a Sustainable Future: Studying Sustainability through Interdisciplinary Lenses and Experiential Learning in the First-Year Seminar

  • Chapman University (CA)

This presentation will focus on a freshman foundations course that introduces students to sustainability as an interdisciplinary concern, using various analytical perspectives to critically explore sustainability through the disciplinary lenses ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pulp Up the Volume: Maximizing Waste Diversion and Student Empowerment

  • College of Charleston (SC)

In the fall of 2012, the College of Charleston began composting with the use a pulper in the dining hall City Bistro. (This machine utilizes a recycled stream of water ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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

EN 2: Student Orientation

EN 3: Student Life

EN 4: Student Life

EN 5: Student Life

EN 6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

EN 7: Employee Educators Program

EN 8: Employee Orientation

EN 9: Staff Professional Development & Training

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

Campus Engagement Partners