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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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Not Your Grandma's CAP: An Interactive Climate Action Plan for Storytelling and Spurring Change

  • CannonDesign (NY)

Shouldn't a campus's climate action plan lead to actual 'actions'? One might say, of course! In reality, traditional climate actions plans become static reports that once done are least socialized/researched …

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Why Colleges Should Consider Nitrogen: Lessons from the NFT Network

  • University of California, Davis (CA)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)

The NFT (Nitrogen Footprint Tool) Network was formed in 2014 to develop a tool for institutions to evaluate the impact of their activities and consumption on reactive nitrogen released to …

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Proxy Carbon Pricing for Identifying Climate-Smart Investments: Lessons From Practice

  • Princeton University (NJ)
  • Smith College (MA)

Given the slow policy response by governments, climate action in higher education has become an essential part of maintaining policy momentum, driving innovation, and fostering social dialog. Carbon pricing has …

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
  • Conference Presentations
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Carbon and Nitrogen 'Footprinting' 101: Tools for Sustainability Education, Advocacy, and Planning

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)

It's well-established that calculating the campus carbon and nitrogen footprint provides important quantitative information to assess, track, and improve campus sustainability, yet the majority of colleges and universities across the …

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Carbon Pricing on Campus IV: Networking Session for Institutions Advancing Carbon Pricing Solutions

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Smith College (MA)
  • Yale University (CT)
  • Second Nature (MA)

There are now nine higher education institutions in the U.S. that have implemented some form of an internal price on carbon, and many more exploring this strategy. Following up on …

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
  • Conference Presentations
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2012 Sustainability Reporting of the Top U.S. Universities

  • Claremont McKenna College (CA)

This report is an analysis of the web-based reporting of sustainability topics covered by the 124 American national universities most highly-ranked in 2011 by U.S. News and World Report. The …

Universities as Potential Actors for Sustainable Development

  • Technische Universität Kaiserslautern

Universities can contribute to the solutions of major challenges of the 21st century such as increasing environmental and socio-economic crises, inequalities of income and wealth and political instabilities by integrating …

Quality Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting: Evidence From Universities

  • Università degli Studi di Firenze - UniFI (Italy)
  • Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno

Attention towards sustainability reporting is very high with reference to higher education. The paper aims to assess the maturity level of sustainability reporting and to measure its quality by evaluating …

Ecological Efficiency of High Education—Ecological Footprint of University Campus

  • Shenyang University

The principles of the componential method for ecological footprint calculation are introduced and its mathematical model formulated. The method is then applied to case studies of university campuses to investigate …

True Green and Sustainable University Campuses? Toward a Clusters Approach

  • Gran Sasso Science Institute

Campus greening is often the first step universities take towards sustainability. However, the diffusion of sustainability reporting methodologies and rankings is still at an early stage, and is biased in …

Sustainability reporting at German and Austrian universities

  • Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

This paper advances the development of a ‘universal’ reporting framework for higher education. It is the first paper that reviews the current state of sustainability reporting in German and Austrian …

The Application of Ecological Footprint Analysis to Distance Learning University Contexts: A Case Study of the College of Education, University of South Africa

  • University of South Africa

The Ecological Footprint (EF) analysis can be considered as an indicator for assessing the environmental impact of universities, since it indicates flow of natural resources consumption and waste generation caused …

Sustainability Curriculum in UK University Sustainability Reports

  • Oxford Brookes University

One of the major barriers to incorporating sustainability in the higher education (HE) curriculum is its absence from the university sustainability strategy, the annual reflection of which is the annual …

Indicator-Based Analysis of the Process Towards a University in Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the University of Tübingen

  • Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

In order to contribute to sustainable development (SD), complex and heterogeneous institutions such as universities need instruments to define SD goals as well as to assess and to communicate their …

Sustainability at Stanford 2018-19 Year In Review

  • Stanford University (CA)

Explore the 2018-19 academic year milestones, key initiatives, and performance metrics that underscore Stanford's pledge to meaningful progress and applied innovation on sustainability.

SCI 2019 Cover Page

2019 Sustainable Campus Index

  • AASHE (MA)

The 2019 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 …

Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use

  • AASHE (MA)
  • Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus (OR)
  • Root Solutions (CA)

From 2017-2019, Root Solutions trained more than 20 higher education institutions in how to use behavioral insights to save paper. Based on real-world experiences at these institutions as well as …

  • Posted Oct. 24, 2019
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Webinar: Off-Campus Move Outs… Moving in the Right Direction

  • University of Cincinnati (OH)
  • AASHE (MA)

Many colleges and universities have mastered on-campus move-out diversion, but off-campus student move-out is a much less tackled problem. Apartments, condos and single-family homes located off-campus generate different (and often …

  • Posted Oct. 3, 2019
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Webinar: Sustainability Master Planning from All Perspectives

  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • Ayers Saint Gross (MD)
  • AASHE (MA)

Using Texas A&M University as a case study, staff will introduce integrated sustainability master planning from all perspectives: social, environmental, and economic. Both a campus level and department level plan …

  • Posted Sept. 20, 2019
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State of the Recycling Industry

  • University of South Carolina (SC)
  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • College & University Recycling Coalition (DC)

"State of the Recycling Industry: Education & operations best practices for a challenging recycling market"

Originally took place May 30th 2019

Presenters:

Neil Seldman President, Institute for Local Self-Reliance Topic: …

  • Posted Aug. 22, 2019
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Mapping Your Waste Stream and What to Do With It

  • College & University Recycling Coalition (DC)

Part of the College and University Recycling Coalition's free webinar series designed to share technical knowledge between program managers, student interns and others involved with promoting waste reduction on college …

  • Posted Aug. 19, 2019
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STARS Incorporation into Capability-Based Gen Ed Curriculum

  • Eureka College (IL)
  • AASHE (MA)

This session will cover incorporating STARS data collection AND report segments into an introductory sustainability course that fulfills a capability-based general education requirement (Sustainable Practices and Environmental Conscience). We will …

  • Posted Aug. 8, 2019
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Step Away from the Spreadsheet: Online Tools are Making Sustainability Management in Higher Education Easy

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Sustainable Endowments Institute (MA)
  • Second Nature (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • US Green Building Council - San Diego Chapter (CA)

Management of sustainability data in higher education has experienced an exciting evolution over the last few years. Whereas spreadsheets used to dominate, there are now a variety of online tools …

  • Posted Aug. 7, 2019
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Institutional Emissions and Energy Planning: A Practical Guide for Administrators, Managers and DecisionMakers on the Interactions Between Carbon Accounting, Institutional Goal Setting and Energy Procurement

  • Princeton University (NJ)

This report provides a practical guide about institutional emission and energy planning for administrators, managers and decision-makers. A key finding of this report is that institutions require an awareness and …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Climate adaptation planning in the higher education sector

  • RMIT University

Purpose There is a growing interest in climate change action in the higher education sector. Higher education institutions (HEIs) play an important role as property owners, employers, education and research …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Taking stock of sustainability in higher education: a review of the policy literature

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • Dalhousie University (NS)

This paper provides a review of the current literature that examines the uptake of sustainability policies in higher education. Articles were retrieved from both ERIC and Scopus databases and then …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Understanding the limits of assessing sustainability at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Ecuador, while reporting for a North American system

  • Universidad San Francisco de Quito - USFQ (Pichincha)

Purpose Universidad San Francisco de Quito, USFQ, completed an assessment study to understand its performance in sustainability in 2012. This study aims to recognize the limitations of applying a North …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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The state of sustainability reporting in universities

  • University of Leeds (West Yorkshire)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review and assess the state of sustainability reporting in universities.

Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of the performance level of 12 universities sustainability …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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The role of green and Sustainability Offices in fostering sustainability efforts at higher education institutions

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz

Green and Sustainability Offices are special settings which assist initiatives within higher education institutions to coordinate their efforts and work in the field of sustainable development. The set-up of such …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Sustainability assessment tools for higher education: An empirical comparative analysis

  • European University of Madrid

Sustainability assessment tools are currently influencing sustainability strategies and activities in higher educational institutions. Thus, in this paper a short overview of sustainability in universities will be provided, which will …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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How to Assess Transformative Performance towards Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

  • University of Graz

This article highlights the role of sustainability appraisal for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Traditional HEI appraisal systems lack a way to assess the integration of sustainability principles reflecting societal needs …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Sustainability Reporting in State Universities: An Investigation of Italian Pioneering Practices

  • Università di Bologna

Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest towards sustainability reporting from scholars all over the world, especially focusing on large corporations. Research has only recently been carried out regarding sustainability …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Knowledge, agency and collective action as barriers to energy-saving behaviour

  • University of Plymouth (Devon)

Energy saving is becoming a rising priority as a response to climate change and fossil fuel depletion in recent years. However, despite energy-related behaviour change being an important part of …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
  • Publications
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Online disclosure of university social responsibility: a comparative study of public and private US universities

  • Universidad de Granada

Public and private universities tasked with incorporating principles of social responsibility (SR) into their activities face the multiple challenges of addressing expectations of diverse stakeholders, establishing mechanisms for dialogue, and …

  • Posted July 19, 2019
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Leading Deeper Change: The 1st Cohort of AASHE Members Share Their Experience Completing the REFOCUS Applied Learning Program

  • College of William & Mary (VA)
  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
  • University of Vermont (VT)
  • AASHE (MA)

Last August, AASHE hosted a workshop on REFOCUS: a leadership development program designed to enable practitioners to generate deep organizational change and establish sustainability as a strategic priority. The eye-opening …

  • Posted May 30, 2019
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Why and how do universities work for sustainability in higher education (HE)?

  • Lund University
  • Malmö University

The purpose of this paper is to open up a discussion about the roles and responsibilities of universities in society. The vision of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Skane …

Measuring universities’ contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Times Higher Education

An undertaking of the Times Group, the Times Higher Education initiative is the first global attempt to document evidence of higher education sustainability impact and launch the world’s first university …

  • Posted May 22, 2019
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Volunteer handing out re-usable bamboo utensil sets to our students.

Journey to Zero Waste

  • California State University, San Marcos (CA)

This is an annual event, previously celebrated as Thank You for Recycling Day. This year the program was re-branded as Journey to Zero Waste Day to encourage not just recycling …

  • Posted May 22, 2019
  • Outreach Materials
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Green Events Guide

  • California State University, Northridge (CA)

What does it mean to put on a “Green Event”? What does it mean to be sustainable? Greening your event means to incorporate a wide spectrum of environmental, social, and …

  • Posted May 22, 2019
  • Outreach Materials
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A Plan for Plastic Waste Reduction

  • Otterbein University (OH)

Since April 2018, Otterbein University has made steps to become more sustainable by reduce plastic waste and promoting reusable water bottles. The university added 30 bottle fill stations to campus …

UVM Campus Sustainability Commitments

  • University of Vermont (VT)

Gioia Thompson, Director of the Office of Sustainability, discusses policy and action relating to the University's institutional commitments to climate neutrality, clean energy, energy efficiency, and ending sales of bottled …

  • Posted May 22, 2019
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Connecting Artists and Sustainability with the Arts of the Earth Festival at Bemidji State University

  • Bemidji State University (MN)

The Arts of the Earth Festival is a fun event to "Celebrate Art, Honor Mother Earth, and Inspire Community". This year's festival was held on Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, …

CU Boulder Animal Bedding Compost

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

Animal vivariums on college campuses generate a significant amount of animal bedding waste every day. CU Boulder houses only small animal vivariums (mice, rats, etc.). The animal bedding generated at …

Workshop attendees at the SDG Summit 2018

Leveraging student leadership to build campus capacity for Sustainable Development Goals implementation: a case study on the University of Calgary’s Sustainable Development Goals Alliance.

  • University of Calgary (AB)

The Sustainable Development Goals Alliance (SDGA) is a student-led organization at the University of Calgary which seeks to improve campus and community collaboration towards the implementation of the seventeen Sustainable …

Coalition building to create university-wide change

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Camden Campus (NJ)
  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)
  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark Campus (NJ)

Two years ago, we formed the Rutgers Sustainability Coalition, a student-led group of representatives from about 20 student organizations working together to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We …

UW Mailing Services delivery drivers and the electric-assist cargo bikes.

Delivering difference: using e-bikes to deliver mail at the University of Washington

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

With over 80,000 students, faculty, and staff on campus, it's difficult to comprehend the sheer number of packages, textbooks, course packets and dorm mail UW Mailing Services delivers on a …

TRUE Zero Waste Platinum Certification, Chou Hall

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Connie and Kevin Chou Hall is the newest building addition to the UC Berkeley Haas Business School. It is the first academic building in the world to achieve US Green …

Student Leaders Supporting Student Success

  • University of California, Merced (CA)

The Bobcat Pantry serves as a sustainable service addressing food insecurity while combating student huger and malnourishments. The space encourages students to implement health-conscious lifestyles to further their academic success. …

Resilience Planning

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Cornell University (NY)
  • Smith College (MA)

This work initiates an inventory of good practices and introduces a theoretical framework for the assessment of resilience planning in order to guide and support institutions of higher education in …

Campus sustainability in the US: Environmental management and social change since 1970

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Smith College (MA)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

This work establishes the first comprehensive analysis of campus sustainability's development in the U.S. since the early 1970s.

In the US, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have occupied a distinct role …

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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