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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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Are distance higher education institutions sustainable enough? – A comparison between two distance learning universities

  • Universidade Aberta
  • University of Beira Interior
  • Universidad de Granada
  • Madrid Open University

Universities are continually transforming its structure and governance in response to the new social, environmental and economic challenges. Particularly, there has recently been a growing academic interest for measuring sustainable ...

  • Posted Feb. 17, 2021
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Green University and academic performance: An empirical study on UI GreenMetric and World University Rankings

  • University of Huddersfield
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi

The role of higher education institutions in promoting environmental sustainability is not limited to research activities but also covers improving their campus infrastructure into a more environment-friendly setting as well ...

  • Posted Feb. 17, 2021
  • Publications
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Drivers for Universities’ Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals: An Analysis of Spanish Public Universities

  • University of Zaragoza

Universities have a critical role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both for implementing active policies and for encouraging other actors to participate. This requires having the skills and ...

  • Posted Feb. 10, 2021
  • Publications
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COVID-19, sustainable development and higher education: towards a recovery path

  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences

This paper aims to outline the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to universities and how they may react.

  • Posted Feb. 10, 2021
  • Publications
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The Library as a Campus Sustainability Hub: A Case Study in Increasing Community Engagement & Collaboration in Sustainability through Academic Libraries

  • Binghamton University (NY)

As the topic of sustainability becomes more relevant to all types of libraries, two academic science librarians share a case study on identifying and filling gaps in sustainability-related engagement, education ...

Collegiate athletics environmental sustainability efforts within STARS reporting

  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)

The purpose of this paper is to examine higher education institutions’ participation in association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education’s (AASHE’s) Green Athletics category in the ...

Unaligned connections or enlarging engagements? Tertiary education in developing countries and the implementation of the SDGs

  • University College London (London)

Given that tertiary education (TE) is a sector often associated with exclusion, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where only a small proportion of the population gain access, how ...

Universities and Multistakeholder Engagement for Sustainable Development: A Research and Technology Perspective

  • Università degli Studi di Torino
  • Politecnico di Torino

If we have any hope of achieving sustainability, we, as researchers, need to develop a new perspective on universities and multistakeholder engagement. Stakeholder theory teaches us that engaging stakeholders in ...

Assessing the Development of Key Competencies in Sustainability

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Making significant progress on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) needs change agents equipped with key competencies in sustainability. While thousands of sustainability programs have emerged at various educational ...

Sustainability in Higher Education: What More Can Universities Do?

  • QS Quacquarelli Symonds

This report details the key findings from the QS Environmental Concerns Survey conducted in August 2019. The survey - which was completed by more than 3,700 prospective international students looking ...

Investigating the impact of problem-oriented sustainability education on students’ identity: A comparative study of planning and liberal arts students

  • Erasmus University Rotterdam

This study uses a grounded theory lite approach to investigate the changes in identity of planning and liberal arts students who studied sustainability in a problem-oriented environment. It was found ...

SDGs Report 2019

  • National University of Sciences and Technology (Federal)

Realizing the importance of United Nations 17 SDGs, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) , Pakistan has adopted UN SDGs framework to monitor and improve the impact of contribution of ...

The promotion of sustainable development in higher education institutions: top-down bottom-up or neither?

  • Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in maximizing social and economic benefits ...

Promoting sustainable development in higher education institutions: the use of the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system in support of green marketing

  • Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina

Purpose Sustainability is understood as a complex and integrating area, involving the most diverse areas and fields of knowledge. Because of the innumerable socio-environmental challenges in the current scenario, a ...

The Ethical and Ecological Limits of Sustainability: A Decolonial Approach to Climate Change in Higher Education

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

This article offers decolonial critique of the ethical and ecological limits of mainstream sustainability efforts in higher education. Colonialism is identified as the primary cause of climate change, and the ...

Seeking impact of medical schools on health: meeting the challenges of social accountability

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Context The acquisition of sums of knowledge and mastery of sophisticated technologies by medical graduates is insufficient for their responsibilities to recognise and adapt to people's evolving needs.

Response ...

Why use indicators to measure and monitor the inclusion of climate change and environmental sustainability in health professions’ education?

  • Bond University (Queensland)
  • The University of Notre Dame Australia (WA)

Currently, health professionals are inadequately prepared to meet the challenges that climate change and environmental degradation pose to health systems. Health professions’ education (HPE) has an ethical responsibility to address ...

Decarbonising academia: confronting our climate hypocrisy

  • University of Otago (Otago)
  • University of Surrey

Academia is generally carbon intensive. Many academics are highly aeromobile to an extent that is now being framed as a form of ‘climate hypocrisy’. Technological advances are not enough to ...

Putting sustainable campuses into force: Empowering students, staff and academics by the self-efficacy Green Office Model

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Purpose The lack of change structures can be seen as an important reason why sustainability continues to suffer a niche existence in most higher education organisations. This is a problem ...

Governing the university in the perspective of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: The case of the University of Bologna

  • Università di Bologna

Purpose Starting from the experience of the University of Bologna, this paper provides an innovative framework to analyse how universities are rethinking courses and curricula, teaching, research programmes, campus operation ...

When Legitimacy Shapes Environmentally Responsible Behaviors: Considering Exposure to University Sustainability Initiatives

  • Emory University (GA)
  • Oberlin College (OH)
  • University of Chicago (IL)

This study examines how perceptions of the legitimacy of university sustainability efforts—support by the administration (authorization) or from students’ peers (endorsement)—as well as the physical context in which ...

State-of-the-art practices being reported by the PRME champions group: A reference to advance education for sustainable development

  • São Paulo School of Business Adminstration (FGV EAESP)

This study aims to offer a diagnostic of the “state-of-the-art” practices being reported throughout the Sharing Information Process (SIP) by the Champions Group, a group of schools that are signatories ...

Intersectional Sustainability and Student Activism

  • Southwestern University (TX)
  • AASHE (PA)

In recent decades, universities have made significant progress toward environmental sustainability and have likewise tightened their budgets and restructured economic models in the name of financial sustainability. However, institutions of ...

  • Posted Feb. 4, 2021
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Sustainability in Higher Education: Comprehensive Tool for Assessing the Sustainability in Higher Educational Institutions

  • Qatar University

Sustainability has received increasing attention in the Higher Education Institutions nowadays. Several sustainability assessment tools have been identified for higher education through previous research. However, there should be further research ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Higher education leadership : professionalism in Finnish higher education in departmental level

  • University of Jyvaskyla (PO Box 35)

Achieving a highly quality educational system without taking the issue of leadership into consideration would be unattainable. Academic leadership has gained more attention during the past few decades and considered ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Green FSC: Creating a Sustainable Campus

  • Florida Southern College (FL)

Colleges and universities account for more than 1.5% of US total annual emissions: understanding how individual institutions can become more sustainable is critical in tackling the existential threat of ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Additional Benefits to Sustainability in Higher Education? The Effect of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment on Undergraduate Admissions Outcomes

  • Colgate University (NY)

Hart assesses the possible impact that signing a campus climate commitment, specifically the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), has on college attractiveness, which is measured in terms ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Higher Education Institutions: a strategy towards sustainability

  • University of Lisbon

The purpose of this paper is to guide higher education institutions (HEIs) in accomplishing sustainability goals while strengthening their associated systems and processes. Pursuing this goal, this study proposes a ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Assessing General Attitudes Towards Sustainability Policies Among Key Stakeholders in Higher Education

  • Appalachian School of Law (VA)
  • Appalachian State University (NC)

This study investigated, through the use of semi-structured interviews, the general attitudes and perceptions held by key stakeholders at Appalachian State University (AppState) towards sustainability policies. Key stakeholders were determined ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Campus Sustainability Plans: A Descriptive Analysis of Sustainability Plans from Institutions of Higher Education in the United States

  • Texas State University System Office (TX)

As the sustainability movement gains traction around the globe, institutions of higher education are increasingly being looked to for leadership. One established method of improving a campus’s environmental, economic ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Mapping sustainability efforts at the Claremont colleges

  • Harvey Mudd College (CA)

The purpose of this study is to map and analyze sustainability activities and relationships at the seven Claremont Colleges and graduate institutions using social network analysis (SNA) to inform sustainability ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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An empirical assessment of administration and planning activity and their impact on the realization of sustainability-related initiatives and programs in higher education

  • Bucknell University (PA)

Administrators in higher-education settings routinely create planning documents that help steer the organization in mission-centric ways. In the area of sustainability planning, strategic plans, sustainability plans and climate action plans ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Wasted Food Solutions: University of Rhode Island Spotlight

  • University of Rhode Island (RI)
  • Center for EcoTechnology (MA)

With approximately 17,000 students and 3,800 faculty and staff, meal planning across the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) two dining halls, four cafés, and retail dining outlet ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
  • Outreach Materials
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Higher Education Institutions: Partners in Social & Economic Community Resilience

  • Central Community College (NE)
  • University at Buffalo (NY)
  • Second Nature (MA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)

This webinar is is brought to you by the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) with support from Second Nature and the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP).

There is ...

  • Posted Oct. 29, 2020
  • Videos & Webinars
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Role of Universities Towards Achieving Climate Change-Related SDGs: Case of Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe

  • University of São Paulo

Institutions of Higher Education, particularly universities contribute immensely to the United Nations landmark 2030 agenda and the achievement of its Sustainable Development Goals—the SDGs. Universities are uniquely placed to ...

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
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An Analysis of Greenhouse-Gas Reduction Commitment, Diffusion and Success in the Higher Education Sector

  • North Carolina A&T State University (NC)

This research evaluates the GHG reduction progress of higher-education institutions (HEIs) working with these organizations. Data on these HEIs was analyzed statistically to answer four questions: First, do the HEIs ...

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
  • Publications
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Sustainability Performance in American Higher Education: A Multiple Case Study of Four Exemplary Institutions That Participated in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System

  • Florida Atlantic University (FL)

The purpose of this study was to describe the campus sustainability performance at four exemplary higher education institutions, i.e., Doctoral, Master’s, Baccalaureate, and Associate’s, as measured by ...

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
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Book Cover

Toward Sustainable Communities: Solutions for Citizens and Their Governments, 4th edition

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Simon Fraser University (BC)

The need to make our communities sustainable is more urgent than ever before. Toward Sustainable Communities remains the single most useful resource for creating vibrant, healthy, equitable, economically viable places ...

  • Posted Oct. 23, 2020
  • Publications
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Developing University-Initiated Offsets and Using Peer Verification

  • Duke University (NC)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • University of California, Davis (CA)
  • AASHE (PA)

The Offset Network is an online platform for colleges and universities considering the development of their own emission-reducing projects to fulfill carbon neutrality commitments. Self-generated offsets offer greater flexibility than ...

  • Posted Oct. 15, 2020
  • Videos & Webinars
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Living Community Challenge Biophilic Design Research Identifying Positive Examples of "Placed Based Relationships"

CSU Monterey Bay - Living Community Challenge - Biophilic Design Study

  • California State University, Monterey Bay (CA)

In partnership with an environmental studies research course, CSU Monterey Bay developed a Biophilic Design Framework Study. With this study, we will be able to inform future projects, ensuring that ...

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY is a public land-grant institution taking bold leadership action to ensure a climate-resilient and sustainable future for our campus, New York State, and the world.

Cornell University Campus

  • Cornell University (NY)

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY is a public land-grant institution taking bold leadership action to ensure a climate-resilient and sustainable future for our campus, New York State, and the world ...

The Impact Clinic - Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University - The Impact Clinic

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

The Impact Clinic - The Impact Clinic at Appalachian State University is an applied learning initiative that partners teams of faculty and students with local business representatives to evaluate the business ...

9 Things You Can Do This Week

9 Things You Can Do This Week to Address Racial Equity, Social Justice, and Sustainability

  • AASHE (PA)

9 things you can do this week to address racial equity, social justice, and sustainability on your campus or at your organization.

The Campus Divestment From Police College and University Toolkit

  • UnKoch My Campus (DC)

This toolkit is intended to help students create targeted letter-writing campaigns to call on their respective institutions to cut ties with police, envision a future without police presence on campus ...

Closing Racial Equity Gaps

  • University of Southern California (CA)

The Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California identified five obstacles that stand in the way of racial equity at the system level and present five essential ...

Report Cover

Making the Business Case for Sustainability

  • Environmental Association for Universities & Colleges (EAUC) (Gloucestershire)
  • University of Edinburgh

Sustainability is key to institutional success over the long-term. It provides critical opportunities for value creation and risk mitigation at a time when universities and colleges are looking for ways ...

Draft Environmental Justice Framework

  • Princeton University (NJ)

We in the Office of Sustainability, as a primarily white staff in a predominately white field, recognize the inherent privilege assigned to us by a broken system. While we cannot ...

Cover page

Making the Business Case for Campus Sustainability

  • Gordian (SC)

In this report, Sightlines (a Gordian company) highlights how environmental sustainability programs at higher education institutions would reduce operating costs via increased efficiency measures as well as attract sustainability-minded students ...

Dartmouth Sustainability Office Inclusivity & Diversity Action Plan

  • Dartmouth College (NH)

The Dartmouth Sustainability Office challenges and empowers Dartmouth College and our students to solve the human and environmental problems presented by a rapidly changing planet. We do this via hands ...

ACUPCC Selected Bibliography

  • Second Nature (MA)

Doctoral and Masters theses and peer reviewed research on climate commitments related to the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment (formerly the ACUPCC).

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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