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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.

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Campus Sustainability Month Tips 2021

  • AASHE (MA)

This document gives some helpful tips to get started on planning events throughout Campus Sustainability Month.

Sustainability Master Plan

  • California State University, San Marcos (CA)

Many of the goals in this document entail similar long-term, campus-wide efforts. In addition, recommendations for periodic assessment and reevaluation will enable the University to respond to and implement new ...

  • Posted Aug. 26, 2021
  • Publications
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McTavish Street in October

McGill University, Downtown Campus, McTavish Street

  • McGill University (QC)

McTavish is a pedestrianized street on McGill's downtown campus.

McGill Board of Governors Committee on Sustainability - In December 2019, the McGill University Board of Governors approved the establishment of ...

McCall MacBain Arts Building at sunset

McGill University, Downtown Campus, McCall MacBain Arts Building flying the Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag

  • McGill University (QC)

The Hiawatha Wampum Belt flag has for centuries symbolized unity and peace between the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk nations.

McGill Board of Governors Committee on Sustainability - In December ...

McCall MacBain Arts Building at sunset

McGill University, Downtown Campus, McCall MacBain Arts Building flying the Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag

  • McGill University (QC)

A picture of McGill University's iconic McCall MacBain Arts Building flying the Hiawatha Wampum Belt flag, which has for centuries symbolized unity and peace between the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga ...

Pay As You Throw results

Pay As You Throw at Yale University

  • Yale University (CT)

In Spring 2019, Yale University launched a Pay As You Throw (PAYT) pilot program. PAYT is a materials management model where campus entities are charged for the amount of trash ...

2020 Sustainable Campus Index

  • AASHE (MA)

The 2020 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI) recognizes top-performing colleges and universities overall by institution type and in 17 sustainability impact areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating ...

UW Sustainability Action Plan

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

The Sustainability Action Plan is built on five Guiding Principles addressing student learning outcomes, research impact, diversity equity & inclusion, responsible use of our resources, and of course, decarbonization of ...

  • Posted July 15, 2021
  • Publications
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Higher Education’s Crucial Role: Building a Sustainable and Circular Economy

  • AASHE (MA)
  • U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
  • Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)
  • Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (IN)
  • Association of College and University Housing Officers - International (OH)
  • APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities (VA)
  • Rheaply, Inc (IL)
  • Society for College and University Planning (MI)
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation
  • Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (MA)
  • Barnard College (NY)

Join this webinar to learn how the circular economy* can help shape better procurement decisions and ways in which you manage your campus, facilities and supply of goods and services ...

  • Posted July 1, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Increasing University Competitiveness through Assessment of Green Content in Curriculum and Eco-Labeling in Higher Education

  • University of Novi Sad
  • Educons University

Growing environmental problems and increasing requirements of green jobs force universities around the world not only to transform their curricula but also to enrich existing ones with contents related to ...

Signaling sustainability: impact that learning how to report has on enrollment, endowment and emissions of North American higher education institutions

  • Robert Morris University (PA) (PA)
  • Connecting Environmental Professionals Ottawa

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model assessing the frequency and timing between reports on the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE ...

Action learning partnerships: carbon, commerce and community co-learning at a Canadian university

  • University of Northern British Columbia (BC)
  • Prince George Chamber of Commerce (BC)
  • Carbon Realities Consulting (BC)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss an innovative course offered as a partnership between the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) (Canada), the Prince George Chamber ...

Inner Transformation for 21st-Century Futures: The Missing Dimension in Higher Education

  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras

We live in times of great global risks and problems that pose multiple wic­ked, inter­depen­dent challenges, such as climate change, environmental degradation, social ine­qualities, geopolitical tensions ...

Impact of sustainability-focused learning intervention on teachers’ agency to teach for sustainable development

  • University of Education Lahore (Punjab)
  • Beaconhouse National University

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been identified as a key enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Considering the vital role of ESD, a framework ‘ESD for 2030ʹ has ...

Unpacking the ESD for 2030 Toolbox

  • Portland Community College (OR)
  • AASHE (MA)

The “ESD for 2030” roadmap highlights the urgent challenges facing the planet and aims to increase the many ways that education can help build a more just and sustainable world ...

  • Posted May 27, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Sustained Relevance Through Elegance: Redesigning Higher Education from Within

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Universities and colleges in the United States (U.S.) are in a period of rapid transformation. Driven by the need for an educated workforce, higher education institutions are responding to ...

Exploring the Capacity of Canadian Intercollegiate Athletics Departments to Engage in Environmentally Sustainable Operations

  • University of Windsor (ON)

Despite an increased understanding about the role of sports in environmental sustainability (ES), little is known about the nature of ES operations in Canadian university athletics departments. The purpose of ...

Sustainable Development at L'Université De Montréal: Transition to Sustainable Campuses

  • Université de Montréal (QC)

On March 15, 2021, Université de Montréal's first-ever strategic plan for sustainable development was presented to the university’s assembly. The strategy was drawn up by the Sustainable Development ...

Financing university sustainability initiatives in China: actors and processes

  • Central University of Finance and Economics
  • China University of Political Science and Law

This paper aims to study the mechanism of how the public universities have funded the campus sustainability projects in China, by identifying key actors and examining the processes.

Motivators of Attendance at Eco-Friendly Events

  • Iowa State University (IA)

This study identifies the factors that attract U.S. residents to eco-friendly events. To achieve our research objective, we obtained data (N = 1,115) from a cross-national, web-based survey distributed ...

Zero-Waste Planning at Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of Western Kentucky University

  • Western Kentucky University (KY)

Over the past two decades, the number of universities that pursue zero-waste strategies has steadily increased. However, more study is required on several interrelated factors, policy barriers, and infrastructural fundamentals ...

Designing a Regenerative Future: Higher Education as a Driver of Change

  • OCAD University (ON)

Some industry innovators, academics and practitioners are collaborating and experimenting with circular economy. However, too little is happening in Ontario. A shift needs to happen within the Ontario college system ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Discourse of ‘helping the poor’: rethinking global poverty and its pedagogical possibilities in higher education

  • Xiamen University

As the global community strives for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, the first goal of ‘ending poverty in all its forms everywhere’, university students’ learning experiences and understanding about ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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CGHE 2020 Annual Conference webinar panel: Higher education and sustainability

  • University of Bristol
  • University College London (London)
  • International Association of Universities

Higher education institutions both impact and are impacted by global climate change and the environment. In this conference hosted by the Centre for Global Higher Education, a panel of professors ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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sustainability on campus

  • University of Twente

Climate change is an omnipresent topic nowadays, and for very good reason. So, what's the University of Twente doing about it within its premises? To find out, we talk ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Managing Organizational Change For Transformational, Deep Decarbonization Initiatives On Campus

  • Second Nature (MA)

From website: "This webinar examined the importance of managing cultural and process change to support the implementation of deep decarbonization initiatives on campus - focusing on the critical roles of stakeholder ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Minnesota Student Sustainability Leadership Network

  • St. Catherine University (MN)
  • University of St. Thomas (MN)

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, students created theMinnesota Student Sustainability Leadership Network to bring together student leaders involved in sustainability from colleges and universities across the state of ...

Prairie Grass Restoration Project

  • Grinnell College (IA)
  • Re:wild Your Campus (TX)

Located in central Iowa, Grinnell College, once a prairie itself, is now indistinguishable from any other college, its land covered in swaths of fresh cut, herbicide-coated sprawling green lawns. In ...

A graph showing the two options: 1) plant expansion and 2) energy-efficiency measures taken through CEEP.

Campus Energy-Efficiency Project (CEEP)

  • University of Utah (UT)

$30M project on the Health Science Campus of the University of Utah, to use energy-efficiency to avoid the need for an expensive chilled water (CHW) plant expansion.

Auraria Campus Sustainable Development Handbook

  • Auraria Higher Education Center (CO)

Auraria Campus Sustainable Development Handbook Maintenance, Design, & Construction Guidelines for Campus Operations & Planning

The Sustainable Development Handbook for Auraria Campus synthesizes the existing sustainability goals of Auraria Campus ...

President's Sustainability Research Fellowship 20-21: Sustainable Space Utilization

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

The 2020-2021 President's Sustainability Research Fellowship Sustainable Space Utilization project was conducted by Alex Flowers '21 over the 2020-2021 Academic Year. The purpose of the Sustainable Space Management project ...

A view of controls in one of the University of Utah's facilities operations rooms. Energy audits, optimization, scheduling, and automation were large parts of the FY20 Energy-Efficiency Initiatives Project.

FY20 Energy-Efficiency Initiatives Project

  • University of Utah (UT)

The first phase of a series of campus-wide projects to target carbon reductions.

The FY20 Energy-Efficiency Initiatives project targeted industry proven low-cost, fast-payback measures focusing on carbon neutrality and energy-efficiency ...

What's in Your Paper? Organizational Fiber Consumption and the Purchasing Decisions that Drive it

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Institutions of higher education (HEI) today often pursue sustainability in a holistic manner, integrating sustainability into their day to day operations as well as their long-term strategic plans. One challenge ...

What makes an effective campus climate action plan?

  • Montana State University (MT)

Over the course of Spring Semester 2021, eight undergraduate students from a wide variety of majors and disciplines enrolled in a 3 credit directed independent study course in Human Geography ...

Implications of Massachusetts Climate Policy for Smith College

  • Smith College (MA)

Smith College has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. To meet this goal, Smith is considering transitioning its district energy system from steam heat generated with natural gas to ...

Signaling sustainability: impact that learning how to report has on enrollment, endowment and emissions of North American higher education institutions

  • Robert Morris University (PA) (PA)
  • Connecting Environmental Professionals Ottawa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model assessing the frequency and timing between reports on the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education ...

Central Sustainability

  • Central Michigan University (MI)

Prior to 2020, Central Michigan University (CMU) lacked an Office of Sustainability, or any structures which ensured the pursuit of sustainability initiatives on campus and in the community. Two student ...

Common Agenda

Student Sustainability Coalition (SSC) Common Agenda

  • University of Michigan (MI)

Establishing a Common Agenda as a significant first step under a Collective Impact Framework for rapidly improving social justice and environmental sustainability conditions on campus; using the drafting process not ...

President's Sustainability Research Fellowship Cohort

Energy Efficiency Strategy

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Project Name: Energy Efficiency Strategy Name: Christian Stone Project Mentors: Elizabeth Drake, Domenic Porrini Project Board Members: Greg Brown, Jim Adams, Janet Semler, Andy Feick, Roderick Wolfson, Aurora Winslade Faculty ...

The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design – A Certified Living Building

  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)

In September 2015, the Georgia Tech Institute of Technology received a commitment for $30 million from The Kendeda Fund to building what the partners expected to become the most environmentally ...

Uniting for Organizational Change - Merging the Sustainability Office and Office of Inclusive Excellence

  • California State University, Monterey Bay (CA)

In July, 2020 the Sustainability Office and the Office of Inclusive Excellence merged to form the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Sustainability.

The fields of sustainability, inclusion and social justice ...

Energy Efficiency Strategy

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Project Overview

We began by providing a platform for all key stakeholders, including faculty, facilities and capital planning managers, and administrations, to have their perspectives considered through the interviewing process ...

A Bottom-up, Collaborative Approach to Campus Sustainability Planning

  • University of Delaware (DE)

The last Sustainability/Climate Report published by the University of Delaware was in 2009, following a commitment in 2008 to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050. The Environmental Sustainability Report (2021) was ...

The Climate Resiliency dashboard enables the MIT community to understand projected potential risk to the campus from flooding and heat (heat to be added in 2021) under both today's climate and a future changed climate.

MIT Climate Resiliency Initiative

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)

MIT’s Climate Resiliency initiative was launched in 2016 as a multifaceted, collaborative effort centered on preparing the campus community in collaboration with the City of Cambridge for the impacts ...

Embedding Sustainability in Interdisciplinary Pedagogy for Planning and Design Studios

  • Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels Region)
  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

Sustainability literacy should be embedded in built environment higher education. We explored the contribution of interdisciplinary studios to students’ sustainability literacy. We ran a studio with Urban Planning and Landscape ...

Exploring the consistency of ethical perceptions by business and economics higher education students: Looking from academia towards the corporate world

  • Universidade do Porto
  • University of Minho

Understanding how business and economics higher education students ethically appraise corporate behaviour nowadays may contribute to anticipating how they will behave in the future as corporate actors and leaders. At ...

“A new understanding and appreciation for the marvel of growing things”: exploring the college farm’s contribution to transformative learning

  • Eastern Kentucky University (KY)

Campus farms and gardens can play a vital role in offering experiential and transformative learning opportunities for students in higher education. Many faculty believe that experiential education in food systems ...

Campuses as living labs for sustainability problem-solving: trends, triumphs, and traps

  • Princeton University (NJ)

Colleges and universities around the world are increasingly using their campuses as living laboratories for sustainability problem-solving and engagement. “Campus-as-lab” (CAL) projects emphasize experiential learning and campus sustainability through the ...

Toward a Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Campus Food Environment: A Scoping Review of Postsecondary Food Interventions

  • University of Waterloo (ON)

Interventions are urgently needed to transform the food system and shift population eating patterns toward those consistent with human health and environmental sustainability. Postsecondary campuses offer a naturalistic setting to ...

A study of development mode in green campus to realize the sustainable development goals

  • Zhejiang University
  • University of Kitakyushu (Fukuoka)

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the way to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Through the introduction and learning of a specific case, this paper summarizes ...

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

PA 2: Sustainability Coordination

PA 3: Sustainability Coordination

PA 4: Reporting Assurance

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Coordination & Planning Partners

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