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
Reporting on sustainable development with student inclusion as a teaching method
- Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden (Oberpfalz)
The paper is a mixed-method case study. First focus is to test which standard and indicators are suitable for universities reporting on sustainability. Therefore, reporting was on the agenda of ...
- Posted March 6, 2020
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Higher Education Institutions as a Transformation Platform under the Sustainable Development Goals Framework
- Universidad de Murcia (Murcia)
Previous research has highlighted the critical role of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in promoting sustainability. In this vein, HEI, as a driving force of change, should actively participate in the ...
- Posted March 6, 2020
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Online sustainability reporting at universities: the case of Hong Kong
- University of Waikato
- University of Canberra
- Qingdao College (Shangdong)
- Ocean University of China (Shandong)
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of online sustainability reporting in the Hong Kong higher education sector from a variety of perspectives.
Design/methodology ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Geographic versus institutional drivers of nitrogen footprints: A comparison of two urban universities
- McGill University (QC)
- Université de Montréal (QC)
Excess reactive nitrogen (N) is linked to a myriad of environmental problems that carry large societal costs. Nitrogen footprint tools can help institutions understand how their direct and indirect activities ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Competences for Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review on the Impact of Absorptive Capacity and Capabilities
- University of Manchester (Lancashire)
Responsible management competences are the skills of managers to deal with the triple bottom line, stakeholder value and moral dilemmas. In this paper, we analyse how managers develop responsible management ...
- Posted March 5, 2020
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Structural key factors of participatory sustainability reporting for universities
- University of Hamburg
- Freie Universität Berlin
- Universität Duisburg-Essen
The purpose of this paper is to answer the following research question: What are the key factors of the participatory process for establishing sustainability reporting in German universities?
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Assessing the materiality of university G4-sustainability reports
- Johannes Kepler University Linz (Oberösterreich)
Purpose Materiality, as a content-selection principle, is an emerging trend in sustainability reporting for making sustainability reports (SRs) more relevant for stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to investigate ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Weaving Equity and Sustainability into the Fabric of Higher Education: The University of Utah Experience
- University of Utah (UT)
Sustainability is an idea that is celebrated, loathed, or deemed entirely useless given its many meanings and approaches. While scholars broadly agree it must include merging ecology, economy, and equity ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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Cultures of sustainability governance in higher education institutions: A multi‐case study of dimensions and implications
- University of Vechta
- Freie Universität Berlin
Organisational culture is frequently mentioned in the context of sustainability governance in higher education institutions, but its substance and role for organisational development remain largely unclear. This paper argues that ...
- Posted March 4, 2020
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UVM's Food Values Campaign
- University of Vermont (VT)
The UVM Eco-Reps program consists of 20 students that are divided up into five community teams, with each team assigned to a specified residential area on campus. Each semester, Eco-Reps ...
- Posted Feb. 27, 2020
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Bike Friendly University
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff and visitors. The Bicycle Friendly University program evaluates university ...
- Posted Feb. 27, 2020
- Case Studies
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Institutionalizing Environmental Justice
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
- AASHE (PA)
Over the past few years, the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) has been working to institutionalize environmental justice operations, programs, and projects for ...
- Posted Feb. 27, 2020
- Videos & Webinars
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Welcome and Unwelcome Surprises on the Path to Carbon-Neutrality
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
- AASHE (PA)
For many colleges and universities, the commitment to carbon-neutrality was initially a pledge based upon a leap of faith that was judged too important to delay until a clear path ...
- Posted Feb. 20, 2020
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A review of empirical data of sustainability initiatives in university campus operations
- University of Coimbra
Given the need to actively address the challenges of climate change, university leaders have a growing interest in reducing their campuses’ environmental impact. This article carries out a comprehensive literature ...
- Posted Feb. 10, 2020
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A methodological framework for the implementation of circular economy thinking in higher education institutions: Towards sustainable campus management
- University of Mondragon, Spain (Guipuzcoa)
- University of Manchester (Lancashire)
Many higher education institutions have started to develop academic curricula, research capacity and outreach activities related to circular economy. However, little is known yet on how to apply circular economy ...
- Posted Feb. 10, 2020
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Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals: “Living labs” for sustainability
- Harvard University (MA)
Universities can do more to deliver against the sustainable development goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body. They play ...
- Posted Feb. 7, 2020
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STARS 2.2 Data Quality Boot Camp Webinar
- AASHE (PA)
The STARS 2.2 Data Quality Boot Camp webinar will help you submit a high-quality STARS Version 2.2 report in time for the March 6, 2020, data sharing deadlines ...
- Posted Feb. 3, 2020
- Videos & Webinars
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Accelerating the Circular Economy Through Commercial Deconstruction and Reuse
- Google, Inc (CA)
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Google team up to explore how a circular economy approach can address the systemic challenges of reuse, particularly in the built environment.
Deconstruction presents a ...
- Posted Jan. 7, 2020
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Annual SDG Accord Report 2019: Progress towards the Global Goals in the University and College sector
- Environmental Association for Universities & Colleges (EAUC) (Gloucestershire)
The Global Goals are a global blueprint that are designed to deliver progress, peace and prosperity for people and the planet. But to turn this plan into action, the UN ...
- Posted Dec. 13, 2019
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Revisiting Global University Rankings and Their Indicators in the Age of Sustainable Development
- University College London (London)
This article is an attempt to facilitate the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) by encouraging adjustments in international university ranking systems as influential players in the field of higher ...
- Posted Dec. 12, 2019
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Whole-Campus Behaviour Change: Lessons from a Decade of Green Impact
- National Union of Students
Sustainability professionals know they need to engage their campus communities in sustainability but behavior change continues to be a challenge. Green Impact is a staff engagement and student development program ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Sustainable Procurement: Considerations and Best Practices
- Global Electronics Council (OR)
Strategic sustainable purchasing programs allow institutional purchasers, and colleges and universities in particular to advance the sustainable design of products and services they purchase while realizing environmental savings for their ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Leading with Circular Economy Concepts, Business Cases and Tools
- Stanford University (CA)
- Cascadia Consulting Group, Inc. (WA)
- Interface, Inc (GA)
A circular economy is an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources. This regenerative approach (in contrast to the traditional linear economy, which has a ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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The Design Thinking Process: User-Centered Solutions to Complex and Confounding Problems
- University of Denver (CO)
After a great first year presenting this material at AASHE 2018, we found that a half-day just isn't long enough to give this topic justice! So we're back ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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State of the Association Address: AASHE Member Meeting
- AASHE (PA)
Come join the AASHE Board and Staff while we present the AASHE 'state of the organization' address. You'll hear highlights from the member survey, programmatic priorities, and AASHE's ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Navigating Employee Turnover: A Conversation with a Human Resources Director
- Davidson College (NC)
Workforce trends such as low unemployment, high rates of staff turnover, and multiple generations in the workplace have significant implications for sustainability programs. The increased mobility of senior leadership, staff ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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A Proven Upstream Funding Model for Waste Management from the University of Kentucky
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The University of Kentucky funds several of its materials management programs by charging all university accounts a disposal fee each time they purchase materials and supplies. This system has been ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Planning for Zero Waste and Beyond
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
- Stanford University (CA)
- Cascadia Consulting Group, Inc. (WA)
Zero waste has been the ultimate goal for many campus recycling and sustainability departments for the last two decades. Stanford has made great strides towards this target, increasing its landfill ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Beyond Diversion: The New Zero Waste Roadmap Strategy - PLAN's Atlas Project
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
While diversion has been the go-to metric for evaluating our waste reduction efforts, it skips over several levels of the waste reduction hierarchy, resulting in the prioritization of recycling and ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Dynamics of Campus Interconnectivity: The Mobility-Energy-Productivity Metric
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (CO)
Campuses are microcosms of emerging mobility advancement to connect people with opportunities, employment, goods, and services, and where modes such as bike and car shares, electric scooters, ride-sourcing, and ride-sharing ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Charging Ahead: Plan and Collaborate to Support Electric Vehicle Adoption by Commuters and Fleets
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
- University of Florida (FL)
Vehicle electrification is creating new demands on universities to provide electrical charging stations for commuters, visitors, and campus-owned vehicles. Rapidly increasing demand for these services is evidenced by the exponential ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Safer Streets: Applying the Volpe National Side Guard Standard for Large Trucks on a Campus
- Harvard University (MA)
In February 2018, Harvard University announced a new initiative to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety by becoming the first higher education institution on the East Coast to install side guards ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Revolutionizing Transportation & Mobility Data Surveys with AI and Smart Phones: A pilot study
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
- B-Line Analytics (NS)
Data science, artificial intelligence and smart phones carry the potential to revolutionize transportation/mobility planning and scope 3 greenhouse house gas inventories. Traditional transportation surveys are conducted by hundreds of ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Getting There from Here: Improving Data Collection and Reporting Related to Commuting Impacts
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Second Nature (MA)
For more than a decade, tracking greenhouse gas emissions and other impacts of commuting has been one of the more crazy-making aspects of sustainability reporting and planning. In 2019, University ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Research Findings from the Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN)
- University of Saskatchewan (SK)
The Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN), an international research network, has spent the last six years examining the uptake of sustainability in higher education policy and practice across Canada ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Purchasing With Your Values
- Bow Valley College (AB)
Public institutions have to be conscious stewards of public funds when making purchasing decisions. Passing Sustainable Purchasing Policies or Procedures can help empower employees of schools to be creative and ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Supply Chain Partnerships: MSU and SPLC Pilot BENCHMARK in Higher Ed Operations
- Michigan State University (MI)
- Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (MA)
Organizations around the world have recognized the need for supply chain sustainability in order to reduce the environmental, social and economic impacts of their purchasing while protecting and delivering value ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Leveraging Institutional Buying Power for Sustainable Procurement: A Strategizing Session
- Boston University (MA)
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
Many colleges and universities have separate conversations with the same suppliers. Imagine the impact we could have on the environment if higher ed coordinated sustainability requests of these companies and ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Spreading the Word: Crafting Communications Around Large Campus Sustainability Events
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
UW Sustainability works with student groups and other organizations across campus in hosting two large-scale campus-wide sustainability events each year: the Sustainability Fair in October as part of Campus Sustainability ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Engaging Community Partners in Resilience Planning: Catalyzing Action Beyond the College/University
- Concordia College (NY)
A relatively new part of the Climate Commitment (run by the organization Second Nature) is the mandate to engage in resilience planning. Signatories to the commitment pledge to engage with ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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The Role of Rural Campuses in Building Community Resilience and Responding to Extreme Weather
- Black Hills State University (SD)
- California State University, Chico (CA)
- Central Community College (NE)
- Second Nature (MA)
Rural colleges/universities are often one of the driving cultural and economic forces in their region. As a result of this position, they can be a great resource in the ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Connecting Consumption with Finance/Business Office to Advance Sustainability
- National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)
Many sustainability minded campus folks directly understand consumption issues and relationship to sustainability. That is not true with everyone at the campus, and this presentation will show graphics and projects ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Action in Campus Food: Developing a Framework to Measure Progress in Campus Foodscape Transformation
- University of Melbourne (Victoria)
This presentation will share the results of a systematic review of 23 institutions' campus food policies and projects using a dataset derived from the STARS food and dining reporting category ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Strategic Planning of Energy Retrofits That Drive Cutting Edge Projects in GHG Reductions
- Humber College (ON)
In 2014, Humber College (Toronto, Canada) faced a challenge familiar to many institutions. Despite years of incremental energy efficiency gains, large reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions remained ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Economies of Scale - Reducing Overhead and Increasing Efficiency Across the Organization
- University of Vermont (VT)
At colleges and universities everyone consumes energy, from the underground classrooms up to the president's office. But only a few of the staff are accountable for the incurred energy ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Utilities and Energy
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, Texas is one of the largest universities in the country, experiencing significant growth while fulfilling a mission of world class teaching, research, and ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Campus Energy Master Planning: Innovations and Best Practices
- Michigan State University (MI)
- Stanford University (CA)
- ICF International (VA)
- United States Department of Energy (DC)
Hundreds of colleges and universities have publicly committed to carbon neutrality, with over 120 targets in the next 15 years. How are schools addressing often the largest source of emissions ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- Conference Presentations
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Incorporating Stakeholder Values: Assessing Renewable Energy Options at Portland State University
- Portland State University (OR)
To determine options for renewable energy development and procurement, the Campus Sustainability Office at Portland State University (PSU) turned to it's Living Lab program to engage students in this ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Preparing and Implementing an Energy Master Plan
- St. John's University, New York (NY)
- Antares Group Inc. (MD)
The Energy Master Plan completed for the St. John's University Queens campus provided a Roadmap for the campus to meet the GHG and energy reduction targets as a member ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Institutionalizing Environmental Justice
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
Are you looking to implement environmental justice at your campus but unsure how to start? How can environmental justice programs and services be institutionalized in higher education? Over the past ...
- Posted Dec. 4, 2019
- 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.
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.