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.
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Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
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What Is Sustainable Science, and How Can We Green Our Labs?
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- AASHE (MA)
The research and teaching conducted in university laboratories often has an outsized impact on a campus’ carbon footprint, due to the energy-intensive nature of lab air quality requirements, as well …
- Posted Nov. 9, 2023
- Videos & Webinars
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Our Carbon Footprint - Digital Education Package
- Educated Choices Program
This digital video presentation and accompanying materials, developed in partnership with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), explores the environmental impacts associated with the production of modern food products and food …
- Posted Oct. 19, 2023
- Course Materials
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Comparison of carbon management and emissions of universities that did and did not adopt voluntary carbon offsets
- Imperial College London
ABSTRACT The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, remove carbon from the atmosphere and stabilize natural carbon sinks has led to the development of many carbon management measures, increasingly …
- Posted Oct. 18, 2023
- Publications
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Environmental Lab Research
- University of Southern California (CA)
A summer graduate fellow with the USC Dornsife Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, Lanja Karadaghi, demonstrates the research they are conducting in the lab.
- Posted Sept. 2, 2023
- Photographs
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W&L's new off-site solar array
- Washington and Lee University (VA)
W&L partnered with solar developer SE1 to construct an array that generates electricity equal to 100% of W&L's annual electricity consumption. The solar power will go onto the regional power …
- Posted Sept. 2, 2023
- Photographs
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Ola Niuhelewai
- University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College (HI)
“Ola Niuhelewai!” Niuhelewai Lives! Ola Niuhelewai is a five-year project (10/1/2020 to 9/30/2025) entirely funded by a U.S. DOE Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program Title III Grant. The …
- Posted Aug. 31, 2023
- Photographs
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Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, University of Utah
- University of Utah (UT)
New Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy - University of Utah announced in August 2022 the creation of the interdisciplinary Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy to promote …
- Posted Aug. 31, 2023
- Photographs
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Programs in sustainable mobility
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
The Université de Sherbrooke is firmly committed to sustainable mobility and has implemented a wide range of programs in this area. For example, its student community enjoy free access to …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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Carbon neutrality for the Université de Sherbrooke
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
Université de Sherbrooke redoubled efforts and achieved carbon neutrality in spring 2022, 8 years ahead of its 2030 target. Emissions reduction efforts include purchasing renewable natural gas, installing heat pumps …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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Implementation of an ambitious energy efficiency program
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
The Université de Sherbrooke has taken advantage of a period of growth from 2002-2003 to 2020-2021 to roll out an ambitious energy efficiency program on its campuses, aiming to reduce …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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Energy efficiency : the Creative Studio
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
In the last 20 years, construction and major renovation projects of the Université de Sherbrooke have included high-performance energy efficiency measures that reduced the energy consumption of the buildings by …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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Honolulu Community College: SCI 2023
- University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College (HI)
Student success and wellbeing initiative - Funded by a US Department of Education grant through 2025, the Ola Niuhelewai Program at University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College aims to increase …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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HKUST the First to Launch New ESG Investment Policy for its Net-Zero Carbon Goal
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (Hong Kong)
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) became the first university in Hong Kong to make a pledge to eliminate investments in fossil fuels, with a concrete environmental, …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2023
- Photographs
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Photovoltaic panel
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
With a capacity of 1 MW, the solar park of the Université de Sherbrooke is the largest dedicated to applied research in Canada. Photovoltaic panels are located in various places …
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
- Photographs
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Solar Park
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
With a capacity of 1 MW, the solar park of the Université de Sherbrooke is the largest dedicated to applied research in Canada. Photovoltaic panels are located in various places …
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
- Photographs
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Brandeis Year of Climate Action infographic
- Brandeis University (MA)
Infographic with details about Brandeis' Year of Climate Action
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
- Photographs
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Bennington College Commons Building
- Bennington College (VT)
This holistic remaking of the historic and beloved center of campus community life combines dining, social, and academic areas within a collection of dynamic spaces. The building is animated by …
- Posted Aug. 25, 2023
- Photographs
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Bennington College Commons
- Bennington College (VT)
This holistic remaking of the historic and beloved center of campus community life combines dining, social, and academic areas within a collection of dynamic spaces. The building is animated by …
- Posted Aug. 25, 2023
- Photographs
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University of Manitoba campus
- University of Manitoba (MB)
Top Performer, Water University of Manitoba campus
- Posted Aug. 23, 2023
- Photographs
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Forestery living lab
- Université Laval (QC)
Every year, Université Laval's Faculty of Forestry organizes research and teaching activities in its scientific forest, Forêt Montmorency. This is an opportunity for students to apply their learning and contribute …
- Posted Aug. 22, 2023
- Photographs
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Higher Ed and Climate Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Aspen Institute (NY)
- Second Nature
With $369 billion in climate and energy provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signifies the largest climate investment in US history and has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by …
- Posted Aug. 9, 2023
- Publications
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Funding Opportunities from DOE to Advance Climate Solutions
- AASHE (MA)
- United States Department of Energy (DC)
- Urban Sustainability Directors Network (IL)
A webinar brought to you by AASHE, Second Nature, and the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) at the Department of Energy.
The Office of State and Community …
- Posted July 26, 2023
- Videos & Webinars
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Cli Fi, Sci Fi, and the Culture of Sustainability
- University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College (HI)
- AASHE (MA)
Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a form of literature that features a changed/changing climate or global warming as part of the character, setting, or plot of a novel or short …
- Posted June 28, 2023
- Videos & Webinars
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Reducing students’ ecological footprints through self-developed interventions
- Nelson Mandela University (Eastern Cape)
- University of Pretoria
An increasing emphasis on taking personal responsibility for making changes to address climate change and support sustainable development is hindered by the limited tools and guidance available that enable the …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Can Online Teaching Reduce the Carbon Footprint of the Internationalisation of UK Higher Education?
- University of Sussex (Sussex)
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a learning curve for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in devising and delivering teaching online. This transition has enabled HEIs to continue teaching students, especially international …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Low carbon futures: assessing the status of decarbonisation efforts at universities within a 2050 perspective
- Nottingham Trent University
- University of Coimbra
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- Open University of the Netherlands
- Universidade Fernando Pessoa
- Universidade Federal da Paraíba
Background: The implementation of sustainability at universities means that they can also play a key role in the transition to a low carbon economy, and in assisting global efforts towards …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Reducing air travel emissions in academia: an exploration of universities’ manoeuvring room
- University of Graz
Purpose: This paper aims to explore the manoeuvring room of higher education institutions to take action to reduce emissions from academic flying. In particular, this study investigates how university staff …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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An assessment of attitudes and perceptions of international university students on climate change
- University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
- Bournemouth University (Dorset)
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- University of Beira Interior
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Addis Ababa University
Universities have an unrivaled potential to educate students on climate change issues and to actively engage them in climate affairs, both as citizens and influencers of future professions. Despite this …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Sustainable Academia: The Responsibilities of Academic Historians in a Climate-Impacted World
- University of Western Australia
- La Trobe University (Victoria)
- University College London (London)
- University of Tasmania (TAS)
- King's College London
Environmental degradation is the most serious challenge of the twenty-first century. To date, academic historians, among many others, have failed to fully confront the climate and biodiversity crises, often engaging …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Internationalisation, sustainability and the contested environmental impacts of international student mobility
- University of St Andrews (Scotland)
- The James Hutton Institute
Purpose: This paper aims to stimulate the nascent research agenda on the environmental sustainability of the ongoing mushrooming of international student mobility (ISM). The higher education (HE) system in the …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Internationalisation and Climate Impacts of Higher Education: Towards an Analytical Framework
- University College London (London)
Internationalisation of higher education has diverging implications for climate change, on the one hand entailing greenhouse gas emissions through mobility, but also contributing to climate action through international collaboration. These …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Footprints in Action: How UVA Is Managing Its Sustainability Stewardship
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
Evaluating sustainability stewardship at higher educational institutions is essential to working towards improving our environment. Many institutions have used environmental footprint indicators as a way to evaluate, track, and improve …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Uncertain futures: climate change and international student mobility in Europe
- University of Bristol
- University of Bath
The rapid growth of international student mobility has attracted much research on the many benefits it offers to students, higher education institutions, and societies in general. However, studies on the …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Key insights from climate communication – and how they can inspire sustainability in higher education
- Hochschule Konstanz für Technik, Wirtschaft und Gestaltung
Purpose: To combat climate change and safeguard a liveable future, humanity needs fundamental and rapid social change. The purpose of this paper is to show, why and how climate communication …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Grappling with Climate Change and the Internationalization of the Higher Education: An Eco-Socialist Perspective
- University of Melbourne (Victoria)
Universities worldwide have come to embrace the rhetoric of environmental sustainability and a commitment to climate action while simultaneously seeking to internationalize themselves within the context of the global economy. …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Air travel and academia : understanding the perceived benefits and barriers to reducing air miles
- University of Canterbury
Air travel is hugely damaging to the environment. It is also a common practice in the academic community. This study contributes an understanding of what drives air travel amongst academics, …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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How to Assess the Carbon Footprint of a Large University? The Case Study of University of Bologna’s Multicampus Organization
- Università di Bologna
University campuses represent a heterogeneous ecosystem as to social, economic, energetic, and personal travel planning with a huge impact on hosting cities and territories. Sustainable policies are thus fundamental to …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Quantifying universities’ direct and indirect carbon emissions – the case of Delft University of Technology
- Technische Universiteit Delft
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive analysis of the carbon footprint of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), including direct and indirect emissions from …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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What is Ecological Economics?
- United States Society for Ecological Economics (PA)
This document is a very brief description of the field of ecological economics, which purports to be more trans-disciplinary than environmental economics. The former also claims to have closer ties …
- Posted June 8, 2023
- Course Materials
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Resilience Cohort, Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
The Resilience Cohort (RC) is a program of the Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) at Indiana University (IU) that helps Indiana city, town, and county governments to measure and reduce local …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences
- Boston University (MA)
Boston University’s Center for Computing & Data Sciences is the University’s largest [academic building] addition to the Charles River Campus in 50 years and its most sustainable building to date. …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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OwlSwap– A Social Equity and Environmental Sustainability Textiles and Apparel Initiative at Kennesaw State University
- Kennesaw State University (GA)
Clothing production is one of the most polluting, resource-intensive industrial processes on the planet. On average, over 80 lbs of textile waste per person ends up in landfills every year, …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Duke University Climate Commitment
- Duke University (NC)
As Duke University enters its second century, President Vincent Price has directed the University to marshal its collective resources and capabilities to address the climate crisis. Stemming from President Price’s …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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University of Cincinnati Utilities Water Reclamation Project
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
This is a water reclamation project from the on campus utility plant. Wastewater collection piping was installed running through the power plant, a catch basin for the collected water including …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Yale Undergrad Confronts the Emanating Climate Threat of Refrigerant Leaks through the Yale Refrigerants Initiative (YRI)
- Yale University (CT)
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many (if not all) universities’ sustainability offices had to reimagine what engaging with their communities looked like and how they’d meet campus sustainability …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Cities Need Trees
- Boston University (MA)
Over the past year, I have dedicated myself to promoting sustainability in Boston, Massachusetts by advocating for an increased urban forest to combat climate change and rising summer temperatures. The …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Student-Led Organic Pilot Project at Emory University
- Emory University (GA)
- Re:wild Your Campus (TX)
Emory University, in partnership with Re:wild Your Campus, launched an organic pilot program to transition the campus away from synthetic weed-killers and towards organic land management. The Emory student leaders …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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USC Urban Trees Initiative
- University of Southern California (CA)
The USC Urban Trees Initiative (USC Trees) brings together faculty, staff, and student researchers at the University of Southern California to help the City of Los Angeles and local nonprofits …
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Differential Vulnerability to Extreme Heat Events Among the UC Campuses: A quantitative analysis of social vulnerability to extreme heat in communities surrounding UC Campuses
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
- University of California, Davis (CA)
Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and longer as a result of global climate change. Individual characteristics and conditions amplify exposure and impact of extreme heat events. I …
- Posted May 24, 2023
- Publications
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Air Travel Offset Program
- University of Pennsylvania (PA)
In July 2021, the University of Pennsylvania enacted a University-wide travel sustainability policy that created the Climate Impact Offset (CLIO) charge to pay for projects that offset the carbon impacts …
- Posted May 23, 2023
- 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.
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.