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
Integrating Education for Sustainability into Sport and Recreation Management
- Victoria University (Victoria)
The baseline of successful Education for Sustainability (EfS) in Higher Education is the integration into subjects and courses learning and teaching that will provide students with the knowledge, skills and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Generating Success in Conservative Environments
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Sustainability can often be politicized along party lines; however, sustainability in its ultimate form cuts across all political spectrums. Many campuses openly embrace sustainable ideas and readily advance sustainability programs ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Mapping Sustainability: Visual Representation of Campus Sustainable Features
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Initiatives to improve the sustainability of campus operations can vary widely in type, scope, and level of recognition among users. This diversity of sustainable features makes it difficult to access ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Ecological Citizenship within the Sustainability Curriculum
- Ohio University (OH)
Implicit in the discourse on sustainability is the need for ecological citizenship. Universities engaged in broad sustainability initiatives are well positioned to foster ecological citizenship norms through example and experiential ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Place-Based Sustainability Literacy: Using the Kanawha Model to Advance a University-wide Dialogue
- Ohio University (OH)
As universities implement comprehensive sustainability plans and work to build institutional cultures of sustainability a major challenge is developing a collective understanding of sustainability throughout the university community. Sustainability literacy ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Library as a Partner in Creating Curriculum for Sustainability
- University of Florida (FL)
Libraries play a central role in institutions of higher education and are dependent upon the educational objectives of these institutions. With the increasing focus on teaching sustainability across the curriculum ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Degrees Cooler - a behaviour change programme that resulted in institution-wide sustainability
- National Union of Students
The National Union of Students UK (NUS) was selected as part of the UK Government's Third Sector Strategy to promote greener living across England. Our two-year flagship programme, called ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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UCSB's Student Services Renewable Energy Initiative and the Net Zero Project
- University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
The Student Services Renewable Energy Initiative is a major component of our University's Division of Student Affairs' goal to achieve Zero Net Energy and LEED EB Gold Status for ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Power and the Art of Weaving Sustainability into New Employee Orientation
- University of Louisville (KY)
Many of us are passionate about campus sustainability because we understand that important lessons are learned not only in classrooms, but in everyday surroundings and the broader campus culture. Students ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Designed Sustainability Curriculum Intended to Create Shift in Campus Culture
- Babson College (MA)
Creating a culture of sustainability is a challenge for all colleges. The Eco Reps here recognized this problem and strived to create a solution to generate a positive culture of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Hoosier to Hoosier: Reducing Student Move-out Waste with the City
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Student move-out is one of the busiest times of year, and students at Indiana University find themselves pressed for time with an apartment full of items they no longer need ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From Acid Rain to Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling: Student Benefits of Community-based Learning
- Dickinson College (PA)
A co-curricular, service learning program (CCSLP), housed in the Environmental Studies Department at a small liberal arts college, promotes a national model for college-community partnerships by 1) building and enhancing ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Internships to Implement Institutional Change: Sustainability on a Shoestring
- Ohio Dominican University (OH)
While many institutions are developing sustainability offices or hiring sustainability coordinators, economic constraints may play a role in limiting this option for all universities. In order to begin institutional reporting ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Program Recognizing Offices Practicing Sustainability: A New Approach to Green Office Certification
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
By applying research of community based social marketing techniques and utilizing funds from grants produced through student fees, students and staff housed under the campus sustainability office have developed Program ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lights Off Cornell: Students Use Mobile Apps for Energy Conservation
- Cornell University (NY)
Launched in Spring 2010, Lights Off Cornell (LOC) is a student-led energy conservation program that organizes Cornell students, faculty, and staff to turn off lights after hours Monday through Friday ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Adopting and Promoting a Campus Bike Share Program Through Social Media
- North Georgia College & State University (GA)
One project recently undertaken by the North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) sustainability task force is a bicycle share program in which safe and durable bicycles are readily available ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Realizing sustainability across curricula and campuses, lessons from George Mason University in Northern Virginia
- George Mason University (VA)
In 2007, the university leaped into sustainability initiatives with a commitment to climate neutrality, hiring of full-time energy and sustainability managers, and creation of "sustainability across the curriculum" faculty workshops ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Barriers and Opportunities for Communicating Sustainability on Campus
- University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have progressively committed to become more sustainable in recent years. Despite this commitment, academic publications in the sustainability field describe that most IHEs have found ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Understanding, teaching, and influencing campus sustainability from a systems perspective
- University of Vermont (VT)
One of the first steps in developing a campus sustainability program is to assess the degree to which sustainability currently exists on campus and trends toward or away from this ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Reenergizing America: Bridging Generation And Culture Gaps & A Plan For A New Environmental Decade
- Clark Atlanta University (GA)
There is a fierce urgency to engage, educate, and embrace the next generation of environmental leaders throughout America, particularly on the campuses of our colleges and universities; but who is ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Strengthening student grassroots networks
- University of Virginia (VA)
This big-picture survey of different initiative types examines student engagement. Presenters will use two detailed diagrams to explain how they worked to strengthen all areas of student engagement. The first ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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CoFed: Student-Run Sustainable Food Centers
- CoFED (NM)
Everyday, every student has three opportunities to create an identity as a passive consumer or as a participant in a sustainable alternatives. Creating a student-managed food business focused on sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Learning Outside the Classroom: An Intentional, Integrated, Co-Curriculum
- Northland College (WI)
Programs, speakers, and workshops add value to the undergraduate experience, that's why many higher education organizations dedicate resources to bring them to campus. What value do they add? How ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Campus Re-use store: What's Old is New Again!
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
The campus re-use store opened in spring, 2011 to huge popular acclaim and participation by the student body. Conceived, organized and implemented by students with the support, guidance and advice ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Communicate To Persuade
- National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)
Most students, faculty and administrators wrestle daily with the need to persuade bosses, peers and subordinates to adopt their viewpoint on an immediate issue while simultaneously improving the long-term relationships ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Conservation Nationals 2012: Building a collaborative strategy for expanding conservation events in residential housing
- Atrius (CA)
For a growing number of schools, resource use reduction competitions within and between campuses have proven to be useful mechanisms to engage, educate, motivate and empower individual and community stewardship ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Habits of Mind for Resilient Communities
- Northland College (WI)
If habits of mind are the characteristics of what intelligent people do when faced with problems whose solutions are not immediately apparent, then what are the habits of mind of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Implementing Clean and Green Campus Action
- Cramer-Krasselt (IL)
The higher education sector has always taken the lead on social change. And just as campuses and students are often society's most outspoken critics, fighting for campus settings that ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Infusing the Study of Sustainable Design Methodology and Epistemology into the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum
- Maryville College (TN)
Abstract: Arguably one of the most challenging places to infuse sustainable design methodology and epistemology, yet one of the most logical, is among the 225 liberal arts colleges and universities ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Sustainability Stewards: Low-Cost Change Agents with Value-Added Professional Experience
- Daemen University (NY)
As academic institutions focus on meeting sustainability goals, they face challenges in funding for programs and staffing to address them. Creating a student internship program can meet some of the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond reduce, reuse, recycle: A competency framework for sustainability
- Kent State University (OH)
This paper reports findings from a study of students' thinking about sustainability. More specifically, 500 undergraduate students residing on campus were administered a survey about sustainability initiatives in the residence ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pushing Sustainable Development to the Outer Limits
- College of Menominee Nation (WI)
Sustainable development is predominantly thought of in terms of alternative energy, recycling, food security, biodiversity, waste reduction and green building products. For the past 7 years I have taught an ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Short-term intervention, long-term change: two case studies from the University of Toronto
- University of Toronto (ON)
The duration of campus sustainability campaigns is often limited by available staff, student, volunteer hours and/or funding. As a result, many programs can only run for short periods of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Organizing Campuses to Think Outside the Bottle
- American University (DC)
- Edison Energy (CA)
At a time when the global water crisis is looming large, leaving over a billion people without access to enough safe drinking water to meet their basic needs, students are ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Recreation: Bold Partners in Sustainability
- Washington State University, Pullman (WA)
- NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation (OR)
Join a panel of NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association) leaders to hear examples of best practices in the field of campus recreation and understand the significant influence these units can ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating Sustainable Social Change: Student Engagement on Environmental Justice at Campuses
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
A series of panelists sharing the ways in which Environmental Justice is addressed on campuses as an opportunity for education, engagement and sustainable change in both the campus community and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Designing Spaces That Support Cultural Change
- AASHE (MA)
Intelligent, connected, and wireless. Our culture is changing rapidly and Generation Y is in the driver's seat. The fast-paced, interactive discussion Designing Spaces That Support Cultural Change explores the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Wide Energy Challenge: Success through Unique Strategies and Diverse Collaborations
- Allegheny College (PA)
After committing to a Climate Action Plan and undertaking multiple energy efficiency retrofits, Allegheny College tackled the development of an effective yet feasible Energy Challenge. It was conceived as a ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student-led dining efficiency projects yield sizzling savings
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
University student groups collaborated with dining services to achieve substantial savings through a multi-faceted project approach. Students launched a "de-lighted dining" campaign to have eating areas lit only by daylight ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cutting Campus Commuter Carbon & Building Social Capital - Strategies & Tactics for Effective Change
- Antioch University, New England (NH)
Transportation emissions from student, faculty, staff and administrator commuting are a challenge for many colleges and universities, and especially for commuter campuses outside the sphere of public transport systems. Encouraging ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative: Education for the Future
- Appalachian State University (NC)
The Renewable Energy Initiative, ASUREI, is a student-led organization funded by student fees. We seek to reduce the environmental impact of our university in Boone, NC by funding, designing and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a Broad-Based Campus Sustainability Council
- Appalachian State University (NC)
To institutionalize sustainability, these efforts need to empower the entire institution. One way to achieve this is to create a series of leaders who drive sustainability policy, goals, and progress ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Staff Sustainability Literacy - Developing the Training Module
- Arizona State University (AZ)
An informed staff is a key component for the successful implementation of a comprehensive sustainability practices vision. In today's work environment, a university often requires fire safety training, defensive ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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An Education in Sustainable Living: Building a Green College Residential Community at SUNY Oswego
- State University of New York at Oswego (NY)
In 2010 the State University of New York College at Oswego completed construction of The Village, a 350 bed upper class townhouse complex. The unique mission statement of the community ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability and Facilities, Friends Not Foes: A Case Study of the Babson Approach to Collaboration
- Babson College (MA)
This presentation is a case study of the working relationship between facilities and the sustainability office at Babson College.
For many sustainability directors, the Facilities department is a foe rather ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Moving Millennials: Engaging youth with food and agriculture policy
- Bard College (NY)
The sweeping environmental policies instituted in America during the 1970s were due in large part to the activism of students and youth. The Millennial generation, born between 1982 and 2000 ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Learning from the Students: Aligning Sustainable Campus Design and Curriculum Development
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
As a broad concern, sustainable campus design refers to universities' (1) curriculum and research programs tailored to address sustainability; (2) sensitive use of energy and water, innovative waste management, efficiency ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Faculty Development for Sustainability Across the Curriculum
- Calvin University (MI)
The five panelists, faculty at a MidWest comprehensive liberal arts college, were participants in a cross-disciplinary workshop enacting the idea of sustainability across the curriculum. The workshop, which grew out ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Impacting individual and institutional change through a living-learning community on campus
- Calvin University (MI)
In a college dormitory setting where many choices are predetermined for residents, working towards a more sustainable lifestyle can become difficult and frustrating for concerned students. A Creation Care living-learning ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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An integrated Sustainability Model for Online Campuses: Communication, Outreach, and Mapping
- CHA (NY)
Campus sustainability is a newly emerging theme. While there are plethora of activities, programs and projects planned and implemented at site in different campuses, the concept, role and technique of ...
- 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
- 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.