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
University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Four: Food waste is the world's dumbest problem
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
This is the fourth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...
- Posted May 15, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Recommendations on Campus Sustainability Development at Duke Kunshan University
- Duke University (NC)
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (Hong Kong)
- Duke Kunshan University (Jiangsu)
As the Sustainable Duke Office at Duke University determines the next steps on how best to integrate a satellite campus such as Duke Kunshan University (DKU) into its Climate Action ...
- Posted May 11, 2017
- Publications
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The ecological footprint evaluation of low carbon campuses based on life cycle assessment: A case study of Tianjin, China
Global warming is a very serious environmental problem. Universities, the most active organizations and locations for scientific research and social activities, have a responsibility to construct low carbon campuses and ...
- Posted May 11, 2017
- Publications
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CING, CSMM and the Municipality of Saint Dometios joined forces with Let’s Do it Cyprus to clean two local parks!
- The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics
The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING) and its postgraduate school, the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine (CSMM) together with the local Municipal Council of Saint Dometios in Nicosia ...
- Posted May 9, 2017
- Photographs
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A comparative analysis of the anti-Apartheid and fossil fuel divestment campaigns
- University of Waterloo (ON)
Divestment from the fossil fuel industry is campaigned as a means to address carbon-induced anthropogenic climate change, much like the anti-Apartheid divestment movement that was campaigned as a mean to ...
- Posted May 8, 2017
- Publications
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Fossil fuel divestment: implications for the future of sustainability discourse and action within higher education
- Salem State University (MA)
This paper provides a critical overview and analysis of the student-led fossil fuel divestment (FFD) movement and its impact on sustainability discourse and actions within US higher education. Analysing higher ...
- Posted May 8, 2017
- Publications
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A framework for collaborative climate change research
- Colgate University (NY)
There is a growing understanding in the scientific community that the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of indigenous peoples and other local communities is both different from data collected by scientists ...
- Posted May 5, 2017
- Publications
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Scholarly motivations to conduct interdisciplinary climate change research
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
- Northern Illinois University (IL)
- University of Pennsylvania (PA)
- Boston University (MA)
- Whitman College (WA)
- Idaho State University (ID)
Understanding and responding to today’s complex environmental problems requires collaboration that bridges disciplinary boundaries. As the barriers to interdisciplinary research are formidable, promoting interdisciplinary environmental research requires understanding what ...
- Posted May 5, 2017
- Publications
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Catholic Universities and Social Action in the Context of the Transgressing of Planetary Boundaries
- Creighton University (NE)
This paper will reflect upon Catholic universities’ mission of pursuing the truth and promoting justice in light of the ecological crisis. First, it will examine how the truth of our ...
- Posted May 4, 2017
- Publications
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Two: Going green shouldn't be this hard
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
This is the second episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...
- Posted April 28, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez at DePauw University
- DePauw University (IN)
At DePauw, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez met with a small group of student leaders for a lunch discussion and inspired an audience of more than 100 at Peeler Auditorium in the evening ...
- Posted April 28, 2017
- Photographs
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Evergreen Fest 2017: Science and Climate Change Festival at Loyola University Maryland
- Loyola University Maryland (MD)
Loyola University Maryland's Environmental Action Club hosts a full day of teach-in style presentations and interactive activities to celebrate the Earth with ACTION! The day was filled with opportunities ...
- Posted April 28, 2017
- Photographs
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Gina McCarthy heads to the "Beach"
- Harvard University (MA)
Former Administrator of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, trys out a virtual reality project entitled "Beach," created by Harvard Graduate School of Design students at the Harvard Sustainability Showcase. "Beach" is ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Earth Fest 2017 celebrates Space, Energy, and Water
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
EDINBURG & BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS—APRIL 19-20, 2017-- This year’s Earth Fest theme is Space, Energy, and Water, featuring three guest speakers, an Exhibitor Expo, and a Dinner & Movie ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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Earth Day Festival and Speaker Series!
- Western Washington University (WA)
The AS Environmental Center hosted it's annual Earth Day Festival and Speaker Series on Friday and Saturday April 21st and 22nd. The Friday event was a tabling event in ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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March for Science
- Berea College (KY)
Members of Berea College and the Office of Sustainability traveled to Lexington, KY for the March for Science on Earth Day, April 22, 2017.
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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Art Inspired by Climate Science Data
- Northwestern University (IL)
Art exhibits on display on Northwestern's Chicago and Evanston campuses during April featured art inspired by the science of climate change. The works by artist and Northwestern Pritzker School ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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Carbon Neutral Green Basketball Game Tree Planting
- Berea College (KY)
Each year, the Berea College Office of Sustainability hosts a Carbon Neutral Green Basketball Game. Carbon emissions are tallied from the use of the gym for the game and for ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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Central Community College Hastings Wind Turbine Tour
- Central Community College (NE)
Students, staff, and community members enjoyed a presentation on the new 1.7 MW wind turbine at Central Community College Hastings from the Bluestem Energy Solutions project manager.
Also at ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
- View more
Not Business as Usual: Fostering Civic Engagement on Climate Change
- The University of Texas at Dallas (TX)
Attendees will engage in a discussion of what it means to them to civically engage through building consensus, seeking common ground, and moving towards climate solutions in a non-partisan way ...
- Posted April 26, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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The Deceptive Metric
- Kirksey Architecture (TX)
- This presentation will outline limitations that abound metrics like Energy Use Intensity and Noise Levels.
- Audience will understand how building codes can be leveraged to inform Sustainability Master Plans.
- This ...
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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RMIT University Climate Risk Assessment
- RMIT University
This report details the process and findings from the first climate risk assessment carried out for RMIT University, with a primary focus on the Melbourne City campus. The analysis considered ...
- Posted April 24, 2017
- Publications
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode One: Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
This is the first episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...
- Posted April 24, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez; 16-year-old indigenous Climate Activist
- Georgia College & State University (GA)
Georgia College's Sustainability Fee Program will be hosting Xiuhtezcatl Martinez at the 2017 Sustainability Fee Program Symposium on April 20, 2017 at 5pm on Front Campus.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is ...
- Posted April 11, 2017
- Photographs
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How to Reduce Your School's Carbon Footprint – For Free!
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- AASHE (MA)
- TerraPass (CA)
UCapture offsets users’ carbon footprint, for free, when they shop with 2000+ partners. Their platform harnesses the power of consumers to build the “cost of carbon” into every transaction – and ...
- Posted April 3, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: Reinventing Renewable Power Purchase Agreements for Higher Education
- AASHE (MA)
- Edison Energy (CA)
The higher education renewable energy market has grown dramatically in recent years as campus buyers have executed power purchase agreements (PPAs). But for all of the successes, two substantial obstacles ...
- Posted March 30, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Large-Scale Renewables: The Next Chapter in Higher Education Sustainability Leadership
- Second Nature (MA)
- Coho Climate Advisors (MD)
Higher education is uniquely positioned to both expand and benefit from climate leadership. Many universities and colleges have substantially stepped up their commitments and efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG ...
- Posted March 14, 2017
- Publications
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Renewable Energy 100: The Course to a Carbon-Free Campus
- Allegheny College (PA)
- University at Albany (NY)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- Butte College (CA)
- Ball State University (IN)
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Delaware (DE)
America’s institutions of higher education can play a crucial role in the fight to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Colleges and universities across the country should aggressively ...
- Posted March 14, 2017
- Publications
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Carbon Tax
- Whitman College (WA)
The Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) Sustainability Committee passed a self-imposed carbon tax on February 7, 2016. The tax is designed to raise money for the Green Fund, a ...
- Posted March 13, 2017
- Case Studies
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Sharing the Load: Aggregating Renewable Energy Purchases with Others
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
- Coho Climate Advisors (MD)
The idea of pooling resources to increase bargaining power is not new. But it is being newly applied to renewable energy purchases. Now, no matter the size or location of ...
- Posted March 9, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Assessing Supply Chain Emissions in Higher Education: Who, Why and How
- Portland Community College (OR)
- Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)
The intent of this paper is to provide public and private sector professionals with a guidebook as to how to track and report on their supply chain-specific greenhouse gas emissions.
- Posted March 3, 2017
- Publications
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Beyond Doom and Gloom - Include Solutions to Climate Change
- Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)
Are you or your students worried about climate change impacts? Are you connecting your students to ways to be involved in solutions? This webinar focuses on expert materials to engage ...
- Posted March 2, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Does Eco-labeling of Services Matter? Evidence from Higher Education
- Marquette University (WI)
- University of Idaho (ID)
Eco-labeling of services has become increasingly common, yet little empirical evidence exists concerning its effectiveness. We address this gap in the literature by analyzing a highly visible eco-label, the American ...
- Posted Feb. 17, 2017
- Publications
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Mapping a Pathway to Low-Carbon Campuses
- Rocky Mountain Institute (CO)
Over the last few years, RMI has partnered with universities to develop aggressive carbon-reduction/neutrality plans and to share best practices associated with energy efficiency and renewable energy across organizations ...
- Posted Feb. 13, 2017
- Publications
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The State of Sustainability in Higher Education 2016: The Life Cycle of Higher Education Facilities
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Gordian (SC)
Over the past two decades, colleges and universities have embraced numerous programs to minimize their environmental impact.
What were the “wins” for sustainability in higher education in 2016?
The annual ...
- Posted Feb. 13, 2017
- Publications
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: How to Apply for AASHE's On Campus Solar Project Support
- AASHE (MA)
- Edison Energy (CA)
- Dallas College (TX)
AASHE is offering cost-free support for up to five campuses (http://greengigawatt.org/aashe-campus-project.php) to develop and implement on-campus (or near campus) solar projects.This webinar presents how the ...
- Posted Feb. 9, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Assessment of carbon neutrality and sustainability in educational campuses (CaNSEC): A general framework
- TERI School of Advanced Studies
This study presents the cross-institutional Carbon Neutrality and Sustainability in Educational Campuses (CaNSEC) framework. This framework estimates carbon footprints along with overall sustainability of the institution. The carbon footprint analysis ...
- Posted Jan. 30, 2017
- Publications
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Center for Climate Preparedness & Community Resilience
- Antioch University, New England (NH)
Antioch’s Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience delivers applied research, consulting, education and training. The Center's approach is solutions-oriented, pragmatic, participatory, and inclusive, and based on best ...
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
- View more
Green Gigawatt Partnership: Tips and Tricks for On-Campus Solar
- Howard University (DC)
- Washington and Lee University (VA)
- AASHE (MA)
- Edison Energy (CA)
The Green Gigawatt Partnership is designed to help AASHE members catalyze one gigawatt of renewable generation capacity by 2020. In 2017, this AASHE initiative will offer members support for both ...
- Posted Dec. 8, 2016
- Videos & Webinars
- View more
A geographic approach to facilitating local climate governance: From emissions inventories to mitigation planning
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
It is increasingly recognized that municipal and regional scale governments play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. While universities possess many resources that ...
- Posted Dec. 2, 2016
- Publications
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Municipal collaboration for carbon footprinting: Syracuse, New York case study
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
Purpose
The City of Syracuse, New York, has undertaken energy conservation measures over the past decade. In 2011, the city completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory that serves as the ...
- Posted Dec. 2, 2016
- Publications
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Universities and Climate Change Mitigation: Advancing Grassroots Climate Policy in the US
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
- ICF International (VA)
While US climate change mitigation policy has stalled at the national level, local and regional actors are increasingly taking progressive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Universities are poised ...
- Posted Dec. 2, 2016
- Publications
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Community support for campus approaches to sustainable energy use: The role of “town–gown” relationships
- American University (DC)
- Cornell University (NY)
Across the United States, universities are grappling with challenges associated with adopting approaches to more sustainable energy use. One approach has been to develop energy-related projects in their local, host ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2016
- Publications
- View more
Realization of a Low Emission University Campus Through the Implementation of a Climate Action Plan
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) experience started a few years ago with the aim to manage carbon and energy more efficiently. CAP is a roadmap to get Universities to the ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2016
- Publications
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From the United Nations to Your University: Coordinating the Efforts of Local Students in Global Climate Action
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Two of the most common hurdles student activist groups face are a) a lack of funding, resources and time to complete projects and b) gaining and maintaining student involvement beyond ...
- Posted Nov. 18, 2016
- Conference Presentations
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How to Use Renewables to Cut Carbon and Boost the Bottom Line
- Howard University (DC)
- Edison Energy (CA)
- Dallas College (TX)
This workshop will help participants develop comprehensive renewable energy plans that educate campus stakeholders, dramatically reduce GHGs, and provide cost savings and budget certainty by avoiding volatile conventional energy costs ...
- Posted Nov. 18, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Energy Engineering for Non-Engineers
- GreenerU (MA)
Much of the change we need to make in order to address climate change and sustainability challenges relates to engineering, but that doesn't mean everyone needs an engineering degree ...
- Posted Nov. 18, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Leading Climate & Resilience Action on Your Campus & Community!
- Second Nature (MA)
- National Campus Leadership Council (DC)
Students have long been the champions and implementers for campus sustainability efforts. NCLC & Second Nature will engage student leaders on emerging climate issues, providing tools/support to make a ...
- Posted Nov. 18, 2016
- Conference Presentations
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Decarbonizing the Global Economy: Student Coalition to Garner Higher Ed Support for Widespread Carbon Pricing Legislation
- Swarthmore College (PA)
Scientists and the United Nations agree that we urgently need to decarbonize the world's economy to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Unfortunately, developing a cohesive policy ...
- Posted Nov. 18, 2016
- Conference Presentations
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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.