Coordination & Planning
Introduction
Staff and other resources help an institution organize, implement, and publicize sustainability initiatives. These resources provide the infrastructure that fosters sustainability within an institution. Sustainability planning affords an institution the opportunity to clarify its vision of a sustainable future, establish priorities and help guide budgeting and decision making.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Solar field and rooftop installations at the David Ames Clock Farm at Stonehill College
- Stonehill College (MA)
The 15 acre solar field and two rooftop installations include 9,625 panels with a combined production of 3.384 million kWh per year, which covers 20% of Stonehill’s ...
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Ecoroof Management Plan
- Portland State University (OR)
The Broadway Residence Hall at Portland State University received LEED Silver certification in 2004,with a combination of sustainable construction practices and green building features, including a 18,000 square ...
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Making an Impact with STARS Benchmarking
- AASHE (PA)
STARS is more than just a rating system, and can also be used for benchmarking, gap analysis, and celebrating progress. This session explores features and tools from the STARS website ...
- Posted Sept. 8, 2016
- Conference Presentations
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A Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions
This publication offers guidelines for higher education institutions in implementing the ten principles of the UN Global Compact within the organization and then leading their global adoption.
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainability reporting and performance management in universities: Challenges and benefits
- Monash University (VIC)
Purpose
This article aims to provide a perspective on sustainability reporting and performance management in the university sector making a case for increased accountability, improved (management of) performance and greater ...
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Rebranding the WKU Office of Sustainability
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
Since its inception in 2008, the WKU Office of Sustainability has struggled with general program and initiative awareness as well as student engagement in university sponsored sustainability activities. Attempts to ...
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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CSR Reporting and the University
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
There is currently no mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting standards for institutions of higher learning (universities) in the U.S. There is also no established governing or regulatory body ...
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Higher education: the quest for the sustainable campus
- Harvard University (MA)
In this article, the author reflects on her experiences the founding director of Harvard University’s Green Campus Initiative. She describes how the campus sustainability movement has evolved from an ...
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Publications
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Health Educators Climate Commitment
- Columbia University (NY)
The Health Educators Climate Commitment is a pledge by 118 medical, public health, and nursing schools from 15 countries to train their students to address the health impacts of climate ...
- Posted Aug. 23, 2016
- Tools
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Leadership in Collaboration for the Higher Education Sector: HEASC 2008 Annual Report
- Second Nature (MA)
- Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)
This report describes the collective and individual activities of each of the members of the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), a network of higher education associations working together to ...
- Posted Aug. 19, 2016
- Publications
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Understanding the Management of Sustainability on One Public Midwestern College Campus
- Eastern Illinois University (IL)
Environmental sustainability is a substantial issue within our world today that is on the forefront of policy makers' minds. Implementation of sustainability initiatives on a college campus comes in many ...
- Posted Aug. 18, 2016
- Publications
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From theory to practice : an analysis of transformative social innovation at the University of British Columbia
- University of British Columbia (BC)
Higher education institutions are striving to become both models and leaders in innovation for sustainable development, as sustainability is becoming a growing priority around the world. The approaches adopted by ...
- Posted Aug. 18, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainability Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Universities are paramount change drivers in bringing about a culture of sustainability in society by setting themselves up as models and nurseries for sustainable development. Thus, assessment of sustainability integration ...
- Posted Aug. 12, 2016
- Publications
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Net Zero Water Planning Toolkit
- Brendle Group (CO)
The Net Zero Water (NZW) Planning Toolkit is intended to standardize and simplify water analysis and planning, while also maximizing economic returns and environmental benefits. The toolkit includes four phases ...
- Posted Aug. 12, 2016
- Tools
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Sustainability in higher education through the perspective of CSU campus presidents
- California State University, Long Beach (CA)
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) play a central role in global efforts toward environmental sustainability. With 23 campuses, the California State University (CSU) is the largest higher education system in ...
- Posted Aug. 8, 2016
- Publications
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Open Letter to Sustainability Evaluating Organizations
- AASHE (PA)
Below is the Open Letter to Sustainability Evaluating Organizations, posted to the AASHE Discussion Forums on July 19, 2010 (FAQs included). Original signatories are indicated in the PDF, and the ...
- Posted Aug. 4, 2016
- Publications
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HBCU Green Report 2014
- Clark Atlanta University (GA)
The 2014 HBCU Green Report, which is based on a survey of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), indicates that there is significant activity underway on HBCU campuses to promote ...
- Posted Aug. 2, 2016
- Publications
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Minority-Serving Institutions Green Report: 2010 Campus Sustainability Survey
- United Negro College Fund (GA)
The Minority-Serving Institutions Green Report shares the results of a 2010 survey of minority-serving institutions administered by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Institute for Capacity Building and the Sustainable ...
- Posted Aug. 2, 2016
- Publications
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Campus Diversity and Inclusion resources website
- American Council on Education (DC)
The Campus Diversity and Inclusion resources website from the American Council on Education (ACE) showcases regularly updated featured content on the following campus diversity and inclusion topics:
- Racial/ethnic minority ...
- Posted July 29, 2016
- Tools
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Communicating Sustainability Online: An Examination of Corporate, Nonprofit, and University Websites
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Sustainability, here defined as environmental quality and well-being, has emerged as a core business strategy and a focal area of investigation among communication scholars. This study analyzed sustainability landing pages ...
- Posted July 28, 2016
- Publications
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Green Genome Institutional Self-Assessment Tool
- American Association of Community Colleges (DC)
The Green Genome Institutional Self-Assessment Tool is a free tool designed to enable community colleges to quickly gauge how well they are leading and integrating sustainability and green workforce development ...
- Posted July 25, 2016
- Tools
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AASHE Launches Version 2.1 for the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System
- International Facility Management Association (TX)
AASHE recently launched the latest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) that features data auto-population, exemplary practice options and more.
- Posted July 22, 2016
- Publications
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Integration of Sustainability Reporting at an Academic Institution
- Walden University (MN)
Leaders at nonprofit academic institutions are following the global business trend of embracing sustainability initiatives for positive social change; however, there has been slow growth in sustainability reporting among academic ...
- Posted July 21, 2016
- Publications
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An integrated leadership model for leading education for sustainability in higher education and the vital role of students as change agents
- University of Plymouth (Devon)
This paper explores the leadership of education for sustainability (EfS) in higher education, focusing specifically on the key role students can play as internal catalysts for change. It presents a ...
- Posted July 21, 2016
- Publications
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Education for sustainability-challenges and opportunities: The case of RCEs
- London South Bank University
This article will focus on the challenges of leadership and management of a key initiative of the 2005-2014 UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), namely the Regional Centres ...
- Posted July 21, 2016
- Publications
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Boldly Sustainable: Hope & Opportunity for Higher Education in the age of Climate Change
- National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)
Sustainability is a powerful strategy for higher education to achieve renewal, reformation, and relevance in the 21st century. Boldly Sustainable examines how colleges and universities can leverage their commitment to ...
- Posted July 21, 2016
- Publications
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Quantitatively Assessing the Role of Higher Education in Global Sustainability
- University of Toronto (ON)
Three analytical methods are used to examine three primary questions to address an observed scarcity of literature that quantitatively and empirically assesses the role of higher education in global sustainability ...
- Posted July 19, 2016
- Publications
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The World's Most Sustainable University 2020 + 2050: Creating a Vision for Sustainable Universities
- University of London
A presentation using Prezi that envisions what the sustainability of a university could be in 2020 in comparison with 2050.
- Posted July 14, 2016
- Tools
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A Higher Calling for Higher Education
Education and knowledge resources are more available today than ever before. However, humanity’s two main conflicts - coexistence with nature and coexistence with each other - remain unresolved. We need a ...
- Posted July 1, 2016
- Publications
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Looking through the “greenwashing glass cage” of the green league table towards the sustainability challenge for UK universities
Purpose – This paper aims to critically focus on the UK's People & Planet's “green league table” in order to explore to what extent such league tables contribute to ...
- Posted June 21, 2016
- Publications
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Identifying Strength and Weakness of Sustainable Higher Educational Assessment Approaches
- Universiti Putra Malaysia
Sustainable Higher Education (SHE) is regarded as one of the most influential medium of facilitating sustainable development movement in the world. SHE assessment approaches are tools or frameworks which assesses ...
- Posted June 20, 2016
- Publications
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Ohio State University Sustainability Goals Project and Campus As A Living Laboratory Digital Archive
- The Ohio State University (OH)
Undergraduates in the Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS) major at The Ohio State University (OSU) complete a capstone course where student research teams analyze specific action priorities of the ...
- Posted June 16, 2016
- Case Studies
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Sustainabiliy Impact Fund
- Northwestern University (IL)
This project is a student-led initiative to allow Northwestern alumni to donate to supporting sustainability initiatives on our campus. Titled the Sustainability Impact Fund, this initiative includes directed fundraising efforts ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Big Ten Prospectus: Aligning Sustainability with Collective Mission Level Priorities
- Purdue University (IN)
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- University of Iowa (IA)
- University of Michigan (MI)
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Central Office (NJ)
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
- Northwestern University (IL)
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
- Michigan State University (MI)
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
- The Ohio State University (OH)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
With higher education facing ongoing budget cuts, top to bottom reviews of programs and policies, and critical questions regarding the value of a college education, we—as sustainability professionals—must ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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Students and Sustainability: Mechanism for making Green Leaders
- Ball State University (IN)
Introduction: Lead primarily by student initiative, a sustainability program has evolved into a new program whose mechanics are meant to make action, foster sustainable leaders, and educate a sustainable culture ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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Students for Sustainability
- University of Arizona (AZ)
The University of Arizona’s Students for Sustainability program empowers students, builds leaders, and pursues institutionalized sustainability. The program embodies the University’s 100% student engagement model through its organizational ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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UW Green Greek Representative Program
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
Officially launched in November 2015, the Green Greek Representative Program (GGRP) is a student run program working through UW EcoReps and supported by UW Sustainability to make the Greek Community ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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Sustainable Carolina Leadership Program
- University of South Carolina (SC)
The Sustainable Carolina Leadership Program is a sustainability-focused, student professional development program at the University of South Carolina, . It was conceived and developed over the course of six years to ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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Mohawk College Environmental Management Plan
- Mohawk College (ON)
In 2011, Mohawk College was the first college in Ontario, Canada to release a comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) that laid out steps to enhance campus sustainability and set a ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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UW Admissions Modernization and Paper Reduction
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
After years of planning, the University of Washington’s Admissions Office switched to paperless digital admissions process for most prospective students in 2015, with plans to expand it to all ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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The Sustainable Office Program - SOP
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
The Sustainable Office Program (SOP) is designed to assess department offices all over campus and categorize each office into four levels of sustainability. The four levels are Bronze, Silver, Gold ...
- Posted June 11, 2016
- Case Studies
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Utility-Scale Solar Farm for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is proud of its sustainability initiatives, and Facilities & Services (F&S) is honored to support the campus wide Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Empowering Students, Sustaining the University: The Southwestern Environmental Studies Capstone Experience
- Southwestern University (TX)
Southwestern University’s Environmental Studies department has created a unique curricular program for their capstone students that allows them to identify aspects of the university where the social, economic, and ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Fostering the incorporation of sustainable development in higher education. Lessons learned from a change management perspective
- UC Leuven-Limburg
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology
In research and literature about integration of sustainable development in higher education, particular attention is given towards barriers for change and critical success factors, mainly with a focus on organisational ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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What lies beneath the surface? The hidden complexities of organizational change for sustainability in higher education
- University of Brighton
Higher education institutions have an important role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable global society. In this context, many universities have embarked on a journey towards ‘sustainability ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Process framework for identifying sustainability aspects in university curricula and integrating education for sustainable development
- University of Turku
Sustainability aspects in higher education must be enhanced with more concrete actions. Universities are globally required to have quality assurance to secure and improve teaching and learning, and they use ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Integrated management systems for enhancing education for sustainable development in universities: a memetic approach
- University of Turku
There is a need for new approaches for enhancing education for sustainable development in universities. Memetics, which is about effective pathways of communication, could be such a new, promising approach ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Diffusion of sustainability reporting in universities: current situation and future perspectives
- Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
Universities play a key role in the development of society, and their involvement in sustainable development will be crucial in changing current practices in society towards sustainable development. Thus, information ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Publications
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Union College's Presidential Green Grants: Empowering our community to make a more sustainable world
- Union College - NY (NY)
Our greatest resource as an institution is the creativity and energy of our community. Union College’s Presidential Green Grant (PGG) program leverages this creativity and energy by supporting novel ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- Case Studies
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment for Undergraduate Students
- James Madison University (VA)
James Madison University (JMU) developed student learning outcomes and a corresponding assessment instrument to measure the change in undergraduate students’ environmental stewardship reasoning and knowledge over time. In consultation with ...
- Posted June 10, 2016
- 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.
PA 1: Sustainability Coordination
- Description of the sustainability committee(s)
- Description of the sustainability office(s)
- Description of activities and accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years
- First sustainability position (upload)
- First sustainability position (text)
- Second sustainability position (upload)
- Second sustainability position (text)
- Third sustainability position (upload)
- Third sustainability position (text)
- Website URL - Sustainability Coordination
PA 2: Sustainability Coordination
- Published measurable objectives - Academics
- Published measurable objectives - Engagement
- Published measurable objectives - Operations
- Published measurable objectives - Planning & Administration
- Website URL - Highest Guiding Strategic Plan
- Sustainability plan (upload)
- Sustainability plan (website URL)
- Website URL - Sustainability planning
PA 3: Sustainability Coordination
- Description of participatory or shared governance bodies
- Percent of official members of the highest governing body that are women
- Website URL - Institution’s highest level governing body
- Description of campus-community council or equivalent body that gives external stakeholders a regular voice in institutional decisions
- Website URL - Institutional governance body
PA 4: Reporting Assurance
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.