Air & Climate
Introduction
Global climate change is having myriad negative impacts throughout the world, including increased frequency and potency of extreme weather events, sea level rise, species extinction, water shortages, declining agricultural production, and spread of diseases. The impacts are particularly pronounced for low-income communities and countries. In addition, institutions that inventory and take steps to reduce their air pollutant emissions can positively impact the health of the campus community, as well as the health of their local communities and regions.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Sustainability is Central-Volume III 2012-2015
Biennial report of the comprehensive, campus-wide sustainability program at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan. This report summarizes all sustainability actions on campus and provides quantitative data on carbon footprint ...
- Posted March 29, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Pros and cons of online education as a measure to reduce carbon emissions in higher education in the Netherlands
- Avans University of Applied Sciences
- Open University of the Netherlands
Dutch institutions of higher education have to meet stringent requirements for energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions imposed by the national government and through voluntary agreements on energy-efficiency. This ...
- Posted March 29, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Experiential Learning and Pathways to Carbon Neutrality
- University of Montana- Missoula (MT)
To date, more than 650 university presidents across the United States have become signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). A central goal of being a ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Publications
- View more
State Of Sustainability In Higher Education 2017: Trends In Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Gordian (SC)
Over the past decade, higher education business, facilities, and sustainability officers have invested a great deal toward reducing campus resource use, waste, and negative ecological impact.
This year’s State ...
- Posted Feb. 28, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Critical success factors for embedding carbon management in organizations: lessons from the UK higher education sector
- De Montfort University
- Nottingham Trent University
Organizations are under increasing pressure from governments and stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions from their business operations for climate change mitigation. Universities are not exempt from this challenge and are ...
- Posted Feb. 15, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Arizona State University Urban Forestry and Carbon Offsets Pilot
- Arizona State University (AZ)
In 2017, the University Sustainability Practices (USP) office at Arizona State University (ASU) piloted a new urban forestry program to explore the viability of generating carbon offsets through local tree ...
- Posted Feb. 15, 2018
- Case Studies
- View more
Climate change and higher education: Assessing factors that affect curriculum requirements
- Vanderbilt University (TN)
Pervasive misinformation about climate change might be reduced if colleges were to include the topic within general education curriculum. This paper analyzes the general education (or “core”) curriculum in the ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Carbon lock-in: an obstacle in higher education’s decarbonization pathways
- University of Dayton (OH)
Carbon lock-in describes a force that perpetuates the fossil fuel energy system despite known risks and cost-effective alternatives, a consequence of which is the slow rate of diffusion of low-carbon ...
- Posted Feb. 12, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Connecting Cities and Campuses through Climate Leadership Initiatives
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
- Second Nature (MA)
Climate change presents one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. Opportunities for inter-sectoral collaboration to drive climate solutions are beginning to emerge and mature with the higher education sector ...
- Posted Feb. 5, 2018
- Publications
- View more
Uncovering Risk in the Voluntary Carbon Market
- AASHE (MA)
- Urban Offsets, Inc.
Carbon offsets are often viewed by voluntary buyers as untrustworthy and providing little to no overall value to their core business. Six billion metric tons of carbon offsets trade annually ...
- Posted Feb. 1, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Talking Truth was initiated in fall 2015 to support and build on understanding of climate disruption. Our experiential events employ storytelling, film screenings, art making, author talks, and reflective writing ...
- Posted Jan. 3, 2018
- Case Studies
- View more
Best Option For Reducing On-Campus Private Car-Based CO2 Emissions: Reducing VKT Or Congestion?
- Middle East Technical University
Reducing carbon footprint, especially from private cars, is an inevitable goal of sustainable transportation programs. Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey, has a fairly large campus, for which ...
- Posted Dec. 22, 2017
- Publications
- View more
Networks as a Tool for Social Change
- Power Shift Network (DC)
Mass social change requires mass, popular social movements that are aided by the support of a vast network of change makers. Decentralized networks, in particular, are well suited to catalyze ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Communications: Strategies to Build Political Will
- Care About Climate, Inc (AZ)
Care About Climate is working to improve the marketing of what can be done to address climate change. We believe it is time to change the tenor of the conversation ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Opening Keynote - Katharine Hayhoe
- Texas Tech University (TX)
Katharine Hayhoe, this year's opening keynote speaker, is an accomplished atmospheric scientist with over 120 peer-reviewed publications focusing on what climate change means for people and the environment. A ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Corrugated Pallets: How Campus Procurement Policies Can Drive National Change to Reduce Emissions, Advance Zero Waste, and Protect Employees
- Change the Pallet (OR)
Change the Pallet is a national non-profit dedicated to reducing carbon emissions massively through education and advocacy with respect to the tremendous environmental benefits of corrugated paper pallets vs. traditional ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
16 Billion Trees Fell Last Year, Is Anyone Listening?
- TreeZero Paper (GA)
Poster will detail impacts and risks of deforestation; opportunities for reducing paper use and example of easy solution to add to your sustainability efforts to reduce impact on deforestation, climate ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change film screening
- Bullfrog Films (PA)
A 127-minute feature documentary. Filmmaker Josh Fox continues in his deeply personal style, investigating climate change in 12 countries, acknowledging that it may be too late to stop some of ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Beyond Offsetting: Onsetting Scope 3 Emissions and Supporting Innovative Local Projects
- Earth Deeds (MA)
Universities struggle to find meaningful ways to address their Scope 3 emissions, especially with regard to staff travel and study abroad. This session will explain carbon onsetting as a positive ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Multi Modal Sustainability FREE My Open Road App - A Great Tool to Reduce Carbon Footprint, Get Fit & Get Rewarded
- My Open Road (CA)
My Open Road is a multimodal sustainability FREE mobile app that can help universities, MPOs to: Reduce traffic congestion; Encourage healthy lifestyles; Measure and record reductions in carbon emissions; Raise ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Path Towards Reaching Nitrogen Footprint Reduction Goals at the University of Virginia
- University of Virginia (VA)
A nitrogen (N) footprint is the amount of reactive nitrogen (Nr; all N compounds except N2) released to the environment as a result of an entities' resource use. At the ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Institutional challenges in CO2 footprint goals, inventorying, and implementing cost effective measures to meet the goals.
- University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)
Presentation addresses challenges in setting actionable goals for sustainability in educational institutions. Students have great passion but no experience; academics want hands-on and research opportunity; facility managers are pragmatic and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Climate Commitment: Getting the President to Move From 'no' to 'yes' -- and Then Maximizing the Impact of the Signature
- Concordia College (NY)
At many colleges and universities, the president is highly reluctant to sign the Climate Commitment (of Second Nature), with its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality and increase community resilience. At ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Offsetting University Travel Through Energy Efficiency on Campus
- Portland State University (OR)
At Portland State University (PSU), business travel is responsible for approximately 6,009 metric tons of carbon emissions, or 1,265 cars on the road, each year. Acknowledging that travel ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Academicians: How to Teach with Paul Hawken's 'DrawDown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming'
- Oklahoma State University (OK)
Educators curious about how to adapt Paul Hawken's new book 'Drawdown' for use in the classroom (or for campus facilities and operations) should gather to share lessons learned and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Applying LEAN Concepts to Data Capture for Greenhouse Gas Reporting
- Berea College (KY)
The Berea College Office of Sustainability submits yearly reports on greenhouse gas emissions based on travel done by faculty, staff, and students on behalf of the college. The types of ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Cutting Carbon Through Electricity Diversification
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Renewable energy procurement can be a complicated process and projects are often not implemented due to institutional financial requirements, unclear or unfamiliar decision making processes, organizational inertia, concerns about technology ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Saying No and Saying Yes: The Strategy of Campus Climate Activism
- Bard College (NY)
- Our Climate (OR)
With the dramatic change in Washington DC policy towards climate, environment and sustainability, there has been a major upswing in campus activism. How can this student activism be most effective ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Getting to Zero: Integrating Carbon Neutrality Planning with a Campus Utility Master Plan at a Small Liberal Arts College
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- Stone House Group (PA)
This presentation will cover how a small liberal arts college undertook an integrated Campus Utility Master Plan and Net Zero Carbon Strategy. It will explore how the Director of Sustainability ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Bundled Offsets: Manage Risk and Benefit Local Communities
- Duke University (NC)
- Urban Offsets, Inc.
The strategy of offset bundling involves pairing 3rd party verified carbon offsets with local high co-benefit projects to assure climate impact and build local resilience. Tani Colbert-Sangree, of The Duke ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How to Drive the Transformation Change Needed in your Institution to Achieve Climate Neutrality
- Ameresco, Inc. (MA)
Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, Western society has been built on the use of fossil fuels. In fact, energy consumption per capita is higher in Canada and the ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Trends in climate change mitigation strategies. Which institutions are meeting their greenhouse gas reduction targets and why.
- Ameresco, Inc. (MA)
In the last decade nearly 500 colleges and universities in North America have publicly declared their intention to combat climate change by reaching carbon neutrality. Of those, 325 have committed ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climatepedia: A Climate Action Network for the Nation
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
Climatepedia was founded by undergraduate students in 2011 by UCLA students. It is now an emerging 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with chapters at UC Irvine, UCLA, and Yale University ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Collaborative Studio Re-Imagining Wood Design and Construction
- University of Arkansas (AR)
In the face of new and shifting demands for sustainable practices imposed upon the building industry and the world of design, wood is gaining popularity as a biodegradable and renewable ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Engaged Scholarship with Community Partners: What We Can Learn From our Peers' Greenhouse Gases
- Colgate University (NY)
Through the class Sustainability & Climate Action Planning for Local Government at Colgate University, students engaged in community projects, one of which aimed to benchmark the University among its peer ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Carbon Pricing & Higher Ed: Internal Carbon Fees, Using Shadow Prices for Life Cycle Analysis, & Engaging Beyond the Campus
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- Yale University (CT)
This interactive workshop will examine different models for internal carbon pricing, including models adopted by Yale, Vassar and Swarthmore. We will cover revenue neutral prices, prices that generate funds for ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Riverbank Climate Collaboration: How MIT and BU are preparing for Climate Change from Both Sides of the River
- Boston University (MA)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
Preparing urban university campuses for the complexities and uncertainties of new and intensifying climate risks requires aggregating diverse expertise and resources including climate science, urban planning, utility and building systems ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Needed: Systemic Change and Collaboration to Confront Shared Challenges - PepsiCo, UC Boulder, and other Universities break new
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- PepsiCo (IL)
Sustainability leaders are no longer asking themselves 'how can we do better,' and instead are asking, 'how can we do enough?' To answer that question we are partnering with universities ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Carbon Footprint of Higher Education
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Loyola University Chicago set out to inventory the greenhouse gas emissions of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. In doing so, they found interesting trends and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Resilient Randolph: analyzing risks and establishing measurable strategies for campus-community climate resilience
- Randolph College (VA)
Institutions, businesses, and communities are increasingly incorporating resilience strategies as an essential element of climate action planning to help prepare for the adverse impacts of climate change. In January 2017 ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Getting Started with Local Carbon Offsets: Spotlight on Urban Forestry
- Davidson College (NC)
- Duke University (NC)
For many schools working towards carbon neutrality, carbon offsets will play an important role. While offsets can be purchased on the open market, it is possible to have an even ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Leadership Network Carbon Offset Projects Networking
- Duke University (NC)
- Second Nature (MA)
This networking meeting will focus on the development of 'peer reviewed' and 'innovative' carbon offset projects for colleges and universities. Please join us if you are interested in exploring options ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Utilizing Innovative and Peer Reviewed Carbon Offsets with the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitments
- Duke University (NC)
- Second Nature (MA)
Many institutions use carbon offsets to help them attain carbon neutrality and achieve their goals under the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitments. Since 2008, Second Nature has provided guidelines for ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Growth of Renewable Energy in Higher Education: Can It Get Us to Our GHG Goals?
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Edison Energy (CA)
Is higher ed on track to achieve its GHG reduction targets? Not without massively ramping up renewables. A new study by the University of New Hampshire and Altenex compiles and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A New Tool for Campus Carbon and Nitrogen Footprints: Perspectives from Users
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
A new online tool for calculating and managing both campus carbon and nitrogen footprints has been created by combining the Campus Carbon Calculator tool and the Nitrogen Footprint Tool for ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Action Data: New Tools & Metrics
- Second Nature (MA)
Carbon and resilience reporting can be a moving target with the protocols, tools, and data inputs constantly changing! Stay on top of recent changes and new tools in this session ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Lead your school to carbon neutrality and 100% renewable energy.
- Second Nature (MA)
- Environment America (MA)
The Climate Leadership Network comprises more than 600 colleges and universities in every state and the District of Columbia who have committed to take action on climate and prepare students ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Developing Carbon Credits on Your Campus through the Voluntary Carbon Market
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)
- Second Nature (MA)
For the past year, a handful of schools have been third party verifying and selling carbon credits on the Voluntary Carbon Market through Second Nature's Carbon Credit and Purchasing ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Carbon Pricing in Higher Education: Panel with 3 Models for Internal Carbon Pricing and Engaging in National Leadership
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- Yale University (CT)
Learn about what models other colleges are using to inform your own carbon pricing design and implementation strategy! At our panel discussion, we will discuss the systems that Vassar, Swarthmore ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Creating political will for climate action: the role of higher education
- Bard College (NY)
- U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
- Citizens' Climate Lobby (CA)
Political engagement in America is at an all time high; how do we channel that energy to create meaningful change? How can higher education avoid being partisan while building the ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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.
OP 1: Emissions Inventory & Disclosure
- Description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory
- GHG emissions inventory (upload)
- Brief description of the GHG inventory verification process
- Brief description of the methodology for completing an air emissions inventory
OP 2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user, performance year
- Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year
- A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives
- Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.