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
Student Engagement: Supporting and inspiring sustainability leadership on campus
- University of Alberta (AB)
Involving students in Campus Sustainability provides a wonderful opportunity to increase project reach, raise awareness and support the development of sustainability leaders. As Universities continue to grow efforts to create ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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UCLA Action Research Teams: Model for Collaborative Sustainability Research
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
The UCLA Action Research Team (ART) program is part of the student-led Education for Sustainable Living Program, run on several UC campuses across California under the umbrella group the California ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Implementing a Local Food Fundraiser on your Campus
- University of Missouri (MO)
This session will provide tools to plan and measure the success of a campus-wide fundraiser. The Local Food for Local People food drive has successfully raised over $1,000 in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Empowering students for sustainability
- Utah State University (UT)
Three Utah State University students will be presenting on empowering students to become involved in sustainability activities both on and off campus. Special emphasis will be given to a) student ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Baking Sustainability Into Co-Curricular Programs
- Warren Wilson College (NC)
Experiential, co-curricular programs can galvanize campus sustainability action and empower students to make sustainable decisions in a way classroom experiences cannot. Every campus has the opportunity to develop co-curricular programs ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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First-Year Experience: A Cross-Campus Integration of Sustainability Education
- Appalachian State University (NC)
This presentation will highlight a unique cross campus collaboration focused on the integration of sustainability education and service learning into Appalachian State University's First Year Seminar Program and Residential ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Student Green Fee: Lessons Learned from the First Year
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
The number of universities with some form of "Student Green Fee" are increasing each year. Bowling Green State University joined the ranks of these institutions and just completed its first ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Training the next generation of environmental problem solvers
- Colorado State University (CO)
a) Background
The most critical issues facing the world stem from complex interactions between humans and the environment. The School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES) at CSU established 2008 is ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Excellence in Education - the Duke Smart Home Program
- Duke University (NC)
The Duke Smart Home Program began in 2003 when a student had an idea to design a place where students could live and work together on projects of sustainability and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Got stuff? Chuck it for Charity: A student move out collection initiative
- Florida State University (FL)
Each spring over 6,000 Florida State University on-campus residents move out of the residence halls, leaving behind tons of unwanted "stuff" that is usually sent directly to the landfill ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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E=(LG)2 : Writing Sustainability
- Frostburg State University (MD)
E=(LG)2 is the only student-written and student-edited magazine in the country on sustainability. The magazine is based at Frostburg State University in western Maryland. According to the magazine ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Putting it all together: The Push for Renewable Energy inside & outside the classroom
- Green Mountain College (VT)
In this session, the importance of collaborative campus sustainability efforts will be highlighted. On Earth Day, 2010, Green Mountain College opened its new Combined Heat and Power Biomass Plant. This ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Role of Organizational Structure in Sustainable Student Collaborations
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Student organizations from across Indiana University's Bloomington campus have banded together as the Student Sustainability Council to jointly represent IUB students on sustainability-related matters. Council member organizations vary widely ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Involve 14,000 People in Campus Energy Conservation
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
The third annual Indiana University Energy Challenge took place March 25 - April 22, 2010. This month-long competition to conserve energy and water has grown considerably since its inception in 2008 ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Food Composting on Campus: Opportunities for Leadership for Sustainability
- Kean University (NJ)
According to a feature story in The Chronicle of Higher Education, "with great fanfare, universities are trumpeting their efforts to make society more equitable and environmentally healthy." An important question ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ecovillages as Campuses for Sustainability Education
- Living Routes, Inc. (MA)
Ecovillages are communities striving to create cooperative lifestyles in harmony with their local environments. From appropriate technologies to holistic health; from sustainable agriculture to group facilitation, ecovillages are integrating solutions ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Curriculum in Action: Integrating Sustainability throughout the College Experience
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Colleges and universities across the country wrestle with the issues of "Greening" their campuses, making social statements about sustainability, and informing their students about the fundamental scientific, social and economic ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging in reuse: Design & implementation of a student swap shop
- Meredith College (NC)
Meredith College, a small women's institution in Raleigh, North Carolina called for a campus swap shop as one of its long-term waste reduction strategies. This presentation details the planning ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Challenges and successes of an internal certification program and peer-to-peer educator network
- Michigan State University (MI)
Changing behavior at an organization is difficult, particularly when sustainability officers are time and personal limited. One way to communicate to a wide audience is to recruit people in every ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Kick-Start Your Sustainability Program Using Student Funding and Energy!
- North Seattle College (WA)
North Seattle Community College (NSCC) has burst on to the college sustainability scene over the last year by establishing a model for a vigorous Sustainability Program. While other programs boast ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using STARS as a Co-Curricular Opportunity for Students
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
The STARS system offers an excellent opportunity to engage students in campus sustainability. By using student teams to collect, verify, and submit STARS data, higher education institutions may not only ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing student led initiatives to supplement existing University action
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
The presenters will include members of the NAU Green Fund, Campus Climate Challenge, and other environmental themed student groups, as well as student leaders from the University of Arizona. The ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Sciences and Sustainability: Creating Successful Cross-Campus Collaborations
- Oregon Institute of Technology (OR)
Environmental sciences are intimately linked to sustainability efforts. In fact, environmental scientists document the planetary changes to biodiversity, water, soils, human health, and the atmosphere caused by human activity. Five ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Supporting University Sustainability through Student Fellowships
- Pacific Lutheran University (WA)
Pacific Lutheran University supports student sustainability fellowships to promote not only specialized education, but cross campus collaboration. Student Sustainability Fellowships are intended to provide opportunities for students of any discipline ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Park(ing) Day: Turning a Parking Garage into a Park
- San Francisco State University (CA)
SF State inaugurated its first campus PARK(ing) Day event, transforming the top level of the parking structure into a temporary "park" in order to promote alternative commuting options. PARK ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability, Facebook, and Free Food: The Importance of Student-led Initiatives
- Southern Methodist University (TX)
The first time my residents met me, I was elbow-deep in a recycling bin. Their recycling bin. It was an experience I'll never forget as an SMU E-rep. The ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Wear the Sun! Sixteen Texas State University Students Change Campus
- Texas State University, San Marcos (TX)
"Wear the Sun!" Yes, wear the sun. Reduce the amount of your use of electricity, hence coal. Save the fibers in your clothes by choosing to line dry your wet ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Live, Work and Learn Locally—Creating a Sustainable Campus Community
- University of British Columbia (BC)
Innovation occurs when students, faculty and staff can work shoulder to shoulder. For a commuter campus surrounded by high-priced real estate, the battle is getting the best and the brightest ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Certifications as Stealth Training Tools
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Faced with a large, decentralized campus and a mandate to encourage a culture of sustainability, UC Berkeley launched new green department and green event certifications in April 2009. We wanted ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students teaching students to save energy in their homes
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
Many students living on their own for the first time are on financial aid or work to cover living expenses; making ends meet can be tough. Yet most are not ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Stimulating Behavioral Change through Visual Media Campaign
- University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus (CO)
Auraria's Sustainable Campus Program (SCP) is funded and led by students at Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver which all ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Standards of Sustainability Practice for Student Affairs Administrators
- University of Denver (CO)
This concurrent workshop session introduces the Standards of Sustainability Practice for Student Affairs Administrators. The workshop begins with an introduction to the key concepts and definitions of sustainability and how ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Move Out Madness - End of Year Waste Reduction and Donations
- University of Guelph (ON)
There's so much going on, it's Madness! Learn the details of a successful program designed to capture useful stuff left behind by students in undergraduate residences and in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating broad support for campus sustainability through collaboration
- University of Hawaii - West Oahu (HI)
The new University of Hawaii West O‘ahu campus in Kapolei, opened in summer 2012, is a place where sustainability practices are integrated in the development and operation of the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Administrative advocacy: fostering sustainability champions at the top
- University of Missouri (MO)
Having administrative champions on your side can help your campus sustainability efforts to move faster, receive more support, and be more effective. But how do you develop a rapport with ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Garbage on the Green Creates Recycling Awareness on Campus
- University of North Florida (FL)
In a campaign to create awareness about waste reduction and recycling, the University of North Florida Environmental Center created Garbage on the Green. This all day event incorporates an exhibitor ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Harvesting the Wind: Productive Student Engagement in Campus Sustainability
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
While students are generally recognized as critical to the success of campus sustainability endeavors - many student groups are prime movers, in fact - their rapid turnover and apparent distractability can be ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Changing Behavior, One Phase at a Time
- University of Virginia (VA)
After watching Colin Beavan's Documentary "No Impact Man", our Earth Week planning team tried to fit his "No Impact Experiment" into a week but due to overcrowding and the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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SustainaUnity: Campus Collaboration with Sustainability
- University of Virginia (VA)
In 2008, University Unity Project was started by Student Council to bring the University of Virginia together. Each year the student body voted on a theme around which to unite ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Connecting the Past to a Sustainable Future: Exploring Local Histories
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
When first year students arrive on campus, they learn how to introduce themselves. They repeatedly recite their hometowns and tentative majors. College students care about the places they consider home ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lessons from the Heap: Five Years of Move-Out Reuse Efforts
- Yale University (CT)
Inspired by increasing global demand for sustainable practices, colleges and universities around the world are taking the lead in developing systems and policies that achieve a higher environmental standard. One ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Campus 101- Empowering Tomorrow's Energy Efficiency Leaders
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
Colleges offer prime opportunities to address energy issues, as demonstrated by the Alliance to Save Energy's Green Campus Program. This session will showcase transferable best practices of a student-driven ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Kick the Bottle with Bottled Water Alternatives
- American University (DC)
Learn how to replace bottled water with alternatives in order to cut solid waste, reduce upstream water consumption, save money, ensure human health, and protect the public water supply. Many ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Friday Night Lights: Dialing Down Energy Use
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
The phenomenon known as "Friday Night Lights" at Bowling Green State University was created in the fall of 2009. A student approached the Sustainability Coordinator with an idea he had ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bottom-Up Facilitation Needed For Student Sustainability Initiatives
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CA)
Student-led environmental coalition creates an ambitious agenda for 2009-10 school year complete with sustainability forums, films, Earth Week events, and local food fairs. Student clubs generally run a slate of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Institutionalizing Zero-Waste Events
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
University events that generate the most waste tend to include food or drink. Universities, their departments, and student groups host events with food and drink for many reasons. Food and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability courses for students with busy schedules: "The Environment Today"
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Carnegie Mellon University has instituted environmental education across its curriculum over the past five years. The latest course addition, "The Environment Today," was spearheaded by student organizations at Carnegie Mellon ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Tapping into Sustainability
- Coastal Carolina University (SC)
Think Outside the Bottle is a campaign working to promote, protect and ensure public funding for our public water systems. We're working with tens of thousands of public officials ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Collaborative Approach to Creating a More Sustainable Campus
- Eastern Connecticut State University (CT)
As an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, (ACUPCC), Eastern Connecticut State University made clear its ongoing commitment to leadership in environmental responsibility. We are ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fostering Student Leadership of Campus Sustainability Work
- Fleming College (ON)
Our presentation will focus on our efforts to work collaboratively with our students on campus sustainability. Active student engagement in campus sustainability initiatives has been the cornerstone of our Frost ...
- 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.