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.
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Campus Salvage Move-Out Collection and Donation Program
- Coastal Carolina University (SC)
Campus Salvage is Coastal Carolina University's collection and donation program designed to divert unwanted items from the landfill when students move-out at the end of the year. The project is …
- Posted June 10, 2015
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Rad Dish Food Co-op: Food for Thought Leadership
- Temple University (PA)
The Rad Dish Cooperative Cafe is the first and only student-run food co-op in the Philadelphia region. Located on Temple University's campus, Rad Dish provides local, fair trade, organic, and …
- Posted June 8, 2015
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Learning by Living: The Berea College Deep Green Student Residence
- Berea College (KY)
- Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects (MO)
The Berea College Deep Green Student Residence was envisioned from the very beginning to be a special building yet in keeping with the college's commitment to "Simple Living" meant small …
- Posted June 8, 2015
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Building Green Communities: The UA Undergraduate Off-Campus Housing Sustainability Coordinator
- University of Arizona (AZ)
The Undergraduate Off-Campus Housing Sustainability Coordinator (OCHSC) position was created at the University of Arizona (UA) two years ago. The OCHSC serves as a sustainability consultant to 28 apartment complexes …
- Posted June 4, 2015
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Tribe Truck Farm
- College of William & Mary (VA)
Tribe Truck Farm is a micro-farm in the bed of a pickup truck. The main goal of this project is to initiate a dialogue within the William and Mary community …
- Posted June 4, 2015
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Translating Perceptions into Action: Advancing Zero Waste in ASU Housing
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Report examines current solid waste management operational practices, infrastructure, stakeholder perceptions, and behavior pertaining to student housing on Arizona State University's (ASU) Tempe academic campus in order to inform strategies …
- Posted March 3, 2015
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Green Living Certification: Rewarding Residents for Environmentally Friendly Lifestyles
- University of Pennsylvania (PA)
The Green Living Certification certifies and rewards residents living in on-campus residential buildings for making day-to-day choices that reduce their environmental footprint. Residents fill out an online survey that calculates …
- Posted Nov. 18, 2014
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Earn-A-Bike Program
- University of Louisville (KY)
Changing commuting habits has been one of the thorniest sustainability issues for the University of Louisville, but we have finally begun to crack that nut through a popular, innovative program …
- Posted April 11, 2014
- Case Studies
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The 4th Annual Student Sustainability Survey and Town Hall Meeting
- Western Michigan University (MI)
We designed the 4th Annual Student Sustainability Survey for Western Michigan University this semester. We implemented the online survey and got a total of 1356 respondents over a 3 week …
- Posted April 11, 2014
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Collaborative thermal heating conservation project at the College of the Holy Cross
- College of the Holy Cross (MA)
- GreenerU (MA)
The College of the Holy Cross's Student Government Association (SGA), Environmental Liaison program, and Physical Plant department developed a comprehensive program to reduce the common practice of opening windows in …
- Posted April 11, 2014
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Change Your State: Sustainability Awareness Campaign
- North Carolina State University (NC)
Change Your State is NC State University's sustainability awareness campaign. Initiated and coordinated by the University Sustainability Office, the campaign involves over a dozen campus partners, including departments and student …
- Posted April 11, 2014
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Building a Campus Culture of Sustainability
- Western Michigan University (MI)
Western Michigan University and its Office for Sustainability apply social learning to leverage behavior change and bridge the "gap" between people's stated aspirations for a sustainable world and their generally …
- Posted April 10, 2014
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Green Book: Creative Sustainable Action
- Delta College (MI)
Green Book: Creative Sustainable Action is a joint venture of the Sustainability Office and Humanities Department. Focusing on the triple bottom line—people, planet, profit—the publication is a collection of student, …
- Posted March 31, 2014
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The University of Texas at Austin's Building Energy Audit
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
The Building Energy Audit is a complete joining of both technical and behavioral energy conservation commitments designed to actively engage all aspects of the campus community to conserve energy and …
- Posted March 28, 2014
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Turning the Desert Green: Residence Life's Coordinator of Sustainability Education
- University of Arizona (AZ)
In 2007, the University of Arizona's (UA) Residence Life department created the Coordinator of Sustainability Education (CoSE) position to manage an expanding environmental program. One of the first of its …
- Posted March 28, 2014
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Sustainability@FIE ~ What can YOU do?' Holistic embedding and communication for maximum impact and engagement
- Loyola Marymount University (CA)
- FIE: Foundation for International Education (London)
Sustainability@FIE ~ What can YOU do?' - a holistic embedding and communication project, implemented in the 2013-2014 academic year in order to fully engage all Foundation for International Education (FIE) …
- Posted March 28, 2014
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GreenHouse Food Buying Club
- University of Vermont (VT)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
A student initiated program that allows on-campus students from a specific Residential Learning Community (RLC) to use a portion of their mandated meal plans to purchase a "CSA". The "CSA" …
- Posted March 28, 2014
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Green Networking Breakfast
- University of South Carolina (SC)
In November 2013, the student organization Sustainable Carolina collaborated with the Green Quad Residence Hall at the University of South Carolina to host its first "Green Networking Breakfast." Students, faculty, …
- Posted March 28, 2014
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Moving towards waste-free Move-out
- Knox College (IL)
At the end of the school year, Knox college students, faculty, and staff join forces to collect and divert the many streams of resources (formerly classified as waste) generated during …
- Posted March 17, 2014
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The University at Albany Liberty Terrace: Socially Conscious Building and Living
- University at Albany (NY)
Liberty Terrace is the newest Residence Hall on the University's uptown campus with 500 apartment-style units. The building utilizes a ground source heat pump to provide 100% of its cooling …
- Posted May 17, 2013
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Social Learning for Sustainability
- Western Michigan University (MI)
Western Michigan University and its Office for Sustainability apply social learning to leverage behavior change and bridge the "gap" between people's stated aspirations for a sustainable world and their generally …
- Posted May 17, 2013
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Dalhousie University's College of Sustainability: Transforming a campus for sustainability education
- Dalhousie University (NS)
Over the past five years, Dalhousie University's College of Sustainability has developed and implemented an innovative model for sustainability education, which transforms university education to ensure all graduates have the …
- Posted May 16, 2013
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Take Action on Waste: A Community Based Social Marketing Project in Student Residences
- University of Alberta (AB)
Take Action on Waste began in 2010 as a project at the University of Alberta that aims to improve waste diversion behaviours in residences. Challenges with infrastructure and education at …
- Posted May 15, 2013
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Foothill College Sustainable Learning Community
- Foothill College (CA)
As part of the President's Climate Commitment, the incorporation of sustainability into the general curriculum was identified as a campus goal. The Sustainable Learning Community project is not only a …
- Posted May 9, 2013
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Implementation of a Student Sustainability Fund at Missouri State University
- Missouri State University (MO)
The purpose of the Student Sustainability Fund (hereafter referred to as the SustainaFund) is to provide the means to implement student-initiated projects on the Missouri State University-Springfield campus that focus …
- Posted May 9, 2013
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Transitioning from Sustainability Planning to Meaningful Implementation
- Ohio University (OH)
With the formal adoption of the Sustainability Plan occurring in Summer 2011 and the Climate Action Plan in Winter 2012, Ohio University is in its first year of transitioning from …
- Posted May 9, 2013
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Jones County Junior College Energy Conservation Program
- Jones County Junior College (MS)
We have implemented a campus wide behavior based program along with the addition of electrical sub-metering and water/sewer irrigation advanced controls. We have also teamed with the U.S. Department of …
- Posted Jan. 9, 2013
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BHCC Health and Wellness Center
- Bunker Hill Community College (MA)
- DiNisco Design Partnership (MA)
The Health and Wellness Center at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a e 48,000 square-foot structure provides "smart classrooms," spacious offices, student study lounges, flexible state-of-the-art "sim" labs with …
- Posted July 27, 2012
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Providing a Framework for Student Driven Sustainability in the Residence Halls: The Green Room Certification Program
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
The Green Room Certification Program (GRCP) is designed to provide students living in the residence halls an individual or room-by-room framework for 1) reducing their energy and resource consumption, and …
- Posted July 10, 2012
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The Student Sustainability Summits
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
The Student Sustainability Summit (Summit) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) began in the spring of 2011. Its ever-evolving aim is to train the next generation of students to become …
- Posted July 9, 2012
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Behind the Shower Curtain: How UC Merced Saved a Million Gallons of Water
- University of California, Merced (CA)
In the fall of 2011, in the agricultural center of California, UC Merced assembled a broad coalition of students, faculty, organizers, and administrators to implement a campus-wide dormitory competition to …
- Posted July 9, 2012
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Implementing UBC's Climate Action Plan
- University of British Columbia (BC)
The University of British Columbia (UBC)'s comprehensive Climate Action Plan, launched in 2010, is the result of a multi-year planning process that involved over 200 students, staff and faculty. In …
- Posted July 9, 2012
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We Conserve: A Campus Wide Campaign
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
The University of Wisconsin - Madison initiated the aggressive We Conserve program in 2006 to further strengthen its environmental stewardship practices and to promote education and motivation to the community …
- Posted July 8, 2012
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Baylor Energy Awareness Program: Engaging the Campus Community
- Baylor University (TX)
- Aramark (PA)
Baylor Facility Services, along with ARAMARK Higher Education and Baylor University, has embarked on a ground-breaking energy engagement program for the campus, leading Baylor's staff, students and community in a …
- Posted July 2, 2012
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Duke University's Sustainability Communications - Making the Campus Climate Action Plan Personal
- Duke University (NC)
In 2007, Duke University signed the ACUPCC and embarked on a journey to assess institutional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, develop strategies to impact the campus footprint and become a carbon …
- Posted July 2, 2012
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Weaving Sustainability into New Employee Orientation
- University of Louisville (KY)
At the University of Louisville, we took advantage of an existing, mandatory day-long New Employee Orientation to begin educating all new full-time employees about the fundamentals of sustainability, our institutional …
- Posted July 2, 2012
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Groundmaking: Class of 2010 Green Roof at Rensselaer
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
In the spring of 2011, after almost 16 months of planning, members from the entire Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community joined hands in planting 18,000 small plants on a 6,000 square …
- Posted June 25, 2011
- Case Studies
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Centennial Solar Panel System
- Northwestern University (IL)
- Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)
The Centennial Solar Panel System (CSPS), a 17 kW solar photovoltaic array at Northwestern University, is a partner project between Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Northwestern Sustainability Fund, …
- Posted June 24, 2011
- Case Studies
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Greeks Go Green LEAF Rating System
- Cornell University (NY)
The Greeks Go Green LEAF Rating system rates chapters and keeps track of their progress related to sustainability initiatives. This system provides for an objective, consistent evaluation of over 70 …
- Posted June 24, 2011
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The Campus Sustainability Fund at the University of Washington
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is a student-funded and student-led initiative which launched in the fall of 2010 at the University of Washington (UW) with the mission of fostering campus …
- Posted June 24, 2011
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A Comprehensive Strategic Communications Plan for NYU's Office of Sustainability
- New York University (NY)
Crowdsourcing the collective wisdom of the NYU Sustainability Task Force's all-volunteer Outreach and Engagement working group, with assistance from the Office of Sustainability, team members were able to develop a …
- Posted June 24, 2011
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Deliberation on Campus Sustainability (DoCS)
- University of Alberta (AB)
The Deliberation on Campus Sustainability (DoCS) project was a campus-wide, student-initiated series of events that engaged hundreds of students, staff and faculty in creating recommendations for sustainability across the University …
- Posted June 24, 2011
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A New Educational Landscape- Transforming Campus Grounds through Non-Traditional Collaboration
- James Madison University (VA)
During the 2010-11 academic year, faculty, students, campus facilities staff, a dean, the campus environmental stewardship director, and community representatives collaborated with a Scholar-In-Residence to develop a naturalized landscape on …
- Posted June 24, 2011
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University Recycling at work! Case study in Puerto Rico
- Ana G. Méndez University System (PR)
In 2006, Undergraduate Environmental Science students sparked the Recycling Program at the Universidad Metropolitana, Puerto Rico with a simple question "Why we do not recycle at the University?
Since then, …
- Posted June 23, 2011
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The College of William and Mary Carbon Offset Program
- College of William & Mary (VA)
William and Mary has developed an in-house carbon offset program that provides full transparency. Energy-reducing capital projects, such as HVAC upgrades, were identified and offset prices were determined by calculating …
- Posted June 21, 2011
- Case Studies
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Behavior Matters—A Business Case for Behavior-Based Conservation Programs
- Stanford University (CA)
The link between energy retrofits and cost savings is well established, but occupants are often unaware of "behind the scenes" improvements. How can universities educate building occupants to optimize efficiency? …
- Posted June 14, 2011
- Case Studies
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The Living Demonstration: A student demonstration home to create a culture for sustainability
- University of Montana (MT)
The UM FLAT is a University-owned residence occupied by students who embody and promote sustainable living practices. The UM FLAT provides hands-on opportunity for students to work with each other …
- Posted July 2, 2010
- Case Studies
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Harvard Green Office Program
- Harvard University (MA)
The Green Office Program's offers staff practical solutions needed to meet Harvard's GHG reduction goal and fulfill our Sustainability Principles, and a fun, competitive way for offices to celebrate their …
- Posted July 1, 2010
- Case Studies
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The Environmental Caucus: Breaking Down Silos to Promote Sustainability at Northern Arizona University
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
The Environmental Caucus (EC), a voluntary campus association, formed in 2008 as a grassroots approach to engage students, faculty, staff, and administrators in strengthening a culture of sustainability at NAU. …
- Posted July 1, 2010
- Case Studies
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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.