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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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 …
- Posted May 20, 2019
- Case Studies
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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 …
- Posted May 20, 2019
- Case Studies
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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. …
- Posted May 20, 2019
- Case Studies
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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 …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Publications
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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 …
- Posted May 17, 2019
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University Student Sustainability Conference
- Universidad de Chile (Region Metropolitana)
The CEUS Congress (for its acronym in Spanish) is a space for convergence of young leaders from all over the country, where discussions are held on the different topics of …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Case Studies
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The McGill Staff Engagement Ladder
- McGill University (QC)
Between 2016 and 2019, the McGill Office of Sustainability developed four separate engagement programs to increase collective sustainability actions for staff, students, and faculty. The programs were strategically developed to …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Case Studies
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STARS Aligned: Higher Education and the SDGs
- Bard College (NY)
- AASHE (MA)
Given the unique position of higher education institutions (HEIs) in society, not only can these institutions model sustainable practices but they can be agents of change themselves in the societal …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Publications
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Demystifying Sustainability Behaviors on College and University Campuses: A Mixed Methods Analysis
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
In response to the growing threat posed by climate change, colleges and universities are implementing interventions to engage students and employees with achieving sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Publications
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Creating a focused Departmental Sustainability Plan for Residence Life
- Texas A&M University (TX)
In 2018, the Department of Residence Life at Texas A&M University sought a new avenue to promote sustainability within the institution and, more specifically, their individual department. Working with Ayers-Saint …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Case Studies
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STARS Report as a Framework for Campus Sustainability.
- The University of Texas at Dallas (TX)
The Eco Rep program at the University of Texas at Dallas expanded campus sustainability efforts by using AASHE STARS reporting as a framework for new student run initiatives and projects. …
- Posted May 17, 2019
- Case Studies
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BCIT’s Sustainable Infrastructure Project wins Envision Gold
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
The North Campus Infrastructure Project (NCIP) at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Burnaby, British Columbia, is an ambitious and forward-thinking initiative that leverages the opportunity of infrastructure …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Case Studies
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University of Houston Tree Inventory
- University of Houston (TX)
There is an old saying that to plant a tree is the most optimistic act a person can do. This is because it takes so long for trees to grow, …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Case Studies
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Addressing Compost Contamination Through Systems Thinking
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
Discover UW-Madison’s compost collection journey! The UW-Madison (UW) began composting its food scraps at its agricultural research station just off campus in 2009. Since then, the UW has overcome contamination …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Case Studies
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The Promotion of Indoor Drinking Water Fountains at UBC
- University of British Columbia (BC)
The University of British Columbia (UBC), located in Vancouver, Canada, offers its students, staff and visitors free tap water through campus-wide drinking fountains (water fountains). However, there are currently no …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Publications
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Sustainable Development in Swedish and Canadian Campus Plans
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology
The concept of sustainable development being integrated into strategic spatial plans has increased in recent years. University campus plans are examples of such spatial plans, and these form the focus …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Publications
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DiLoreto Initiative: Sustainability Decision Support System at Villanova
- Villanova University (PA)
Colleges and universities throughout the world are not only significant consumers of energy and natural resources but also have the social, economic and political impacts of small cities. How can …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Publications
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Sustainability at SIT: a Look at the Past, a Plan for the Future
- School for International Training (VT)
Climate change threatens our world and way of life. Intelligent development and investment could mitigate the worst threats of climate change, while simultaneously providing continuous growth for the global economy. …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Publications
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Management perspectives on campus sustainability in Hong Kong
- University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
This study explores administrative managers’ understanding of sustainability issues and perceptions of stakeholder salience in relation to campus environmental initiatives in the publicly-funded universities of Hong Kong. Universities in Hong …
- Posted May 15, 2019
- Publications
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The Rise of H2Ottawa
- University of Ottawa (ON)
In 2010, the University of Ottawa (hereafter, UO) banned the sale of single-use water bottles. UO decided that the sale of this product ran contrary to their commitments to environmental, …
- Posted May 15, 2019
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Envisioning green solutions for reducing the ecological footprint of a university campus
- Politecnico di Torino
Purpose This paper aims to report strategies towards a green campus project at Politecnico di Torino University, a 33,000-students Italian higher education institution (HEI), and estimate the avoided ecological footprint …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Publications
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A baseline assessment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within European Student Union web environments
- National Union of Students
- University of the West of England, Bristol
The world of student unions is under-researched, particularly relating to global issues and challenges, despite them holding a large proportion of the future workforce. At present, the European Students Union …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Publications
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A High Performance Campus Building at Ozyegin University
- Özyeğin University
- University of Zaragoza
- Bg Mi̇marlik Müşavi̇rli̇k Li̇mi̇ted Şi̇rketi̇ (BDesign)
- Fiba Holding
- Fundacion Circe Centro De Investigacion De Recursos Y Consumos Energeticos (CIRCE)
- DIRCO S.R.L.
- SP Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut Ab (SP)
- Vue Sur Mons S.A (VSM)
- D´appolonia Spa (Dappo)
- Acciona Infraestructuras S.A. (Acciona)
- Université de Mons
- Imprima Costruzioni Srl (Imprima)
- Derome Hus Ab (Derome)
- M5
- Ingenieria Y Control Electronico, S.A. (Ingecon)
- Bureau D'architectes Format D2 Sprl (FD2)
- Intesasanpaolo Eurodesk S.P.R.L. (ISPE)
This AASHE application is about a high-performance energy-efficient sustainable building of The School of Foreign Languages (SCOLA) at the Ozyegin University (OzU) Campus as a sustainability initiative OzU has constructed …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Case Studies
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British Columbia (BC) Cool Campus Challenge
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
- University of British Columbia (BC)
- Selkirk College (BC)
- Thompson Rivers University (BC)
- Simon Fraser University (BC)
- University of British Columbia Okanagan (BC)
The BC Cool Campus Challenge (the Challenge) was launched in 2019 as a province-wide energy conservation challenge led by five post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada. This was the first …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Case Studies
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San Bernardino Community College’s Journey to sustainability and achieving Zero Net Energy
- Arup (NY)
- San Bernardino Community College District (CA)
In San Bernardino Community College District (SBCC) pursuit to lead the journey in sustainability, SBCC committed itself back in 2010 to a “Sustainability Plan”. This commitment started at its Crafton …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Case Studies
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Integrating Sustainability into Regional Accreditation Processes
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
As part of its regional reaccreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission, Johnson County Community College has for the past several years participated in the Academic Quality Improvement Program, or …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Case Studies
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University of Pittsburgh Student Office of Sustainability
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The student office of sustainability was created in 2015, before the university of Pittsbugh had a campus wide sustainability office, which opened in 2018. Not only was the student office …
- Posted May 13, 2019
- Case Studies
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The Carleton Utility Master Plan: Transitioning a 100-year Legacy of Campus Steam to 21st Century Geothermal
- Carleton College (MN)
The last time Carleton College made a major shift in its campus utilities was over 100 years ago with construction of the central plant in 1910. Before that, each building …
- Posted May 13, 2019
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Environmental sustainability features in large university campuses: Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) as a model of green university
- Jordan University of Science and Technology
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe the efforts undertaken to convert the large university campus of Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) into a green, resource-efficient …
- Posted May 7, 2019
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Integrating education for sustainable development into a higher education institution: beginning the journey
- Nottingham Trent University
Much of the current literature on integrating sustainability into HEIs is focussed on why HEIs should embrace sustainable development (SD) and what is still missing or hindering work and the …
- Posted May 7, 2019
- Publications
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Student Engagement in Sustainability at Northern Illinois University
- Northern Illinois University (IL)
The Environmental Studies department and student community at Northern Illinois University have been engaged in a variety of sustainability initiatives. However, even with this focus on sustainability NIU does not …
- Posted May 7, 2019
- Case Studies
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Assessing sustainability on Chinese university campuses: Development of a campus sustainability evaluation system and its application with a case study
- Zhejiang University
- Tongji University
With the vigorous promotion of national policies and funds, green campus construction is booming in Chinese universities. It's in great need to develop an evaluation system, as a long-term mechanism, …
- Posted May 7, 2019
- Publications
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Personal waste management in higher education: A case study illustrating the importance of a fourth bottom line
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Purpose This paper aims to propose a quadruple bottom line approach for higher education leaders who must decide whether to accept sustainability initiatives that do have not have a business …
- Posted May 7, 2019
- Publications
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Social and institutional factors affecting sustainability innovation in universities: A computer re-use perspective
- UNSW Sydney (NSW)
With the wave of digitisation sweeping through the higher education sector, end-of-life outcomes for decommissioned computers will pose a serious sustainability challenge for higher education institutions. This challenge presents an …
- Posted May 6, 2019
- Publications
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Sustainability Strategy in Higher Education Institutions: Lessons learned from a nine-year case study
- University of Minho
Sustainable Development is recognized as one of the biggest societal challenges of the twenty-first century. Higher Education Institutions have the vision, the knowledge and the power to lead this transition, …
- Posted May 6, 2019
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The integration of social responsibility and sustainability in practice: Exploring attitudes and practices in Higher Education Institutions
- Griffith University (Queensland)
- University of Worcester
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Universidade federal de Santa Maria
- University of Chester
- University of Winchester
- University of Milano-Bicocca
The demands placed on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to deliver sustainability initiatives alongside their long-standing social responsibility commitments has been recognised in literature. However, how these interrelate in practice continues …
- Posted May 6, 2019
- Publications
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Universities, industries and sustainable development: Outcomes of the 2017 G7 Environment Ministerial Meeting
- Università di Bologna
During the G7 Environment Ministerial Meeting under the Italian Presidency which took place in Bologna, Italy, 11–12 June 2017, representatives from Universities and Research Institutes and from the major industries …
- Posted May 6, 2019
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Sul Ross State University Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium - Earth Day 2019
- Sul Ross State University (TX)
Sul Ross State University's second annual undergraduate and graduate research symposium was held on Earth Day, April 22, 2019, with special recognition awarded to those presenting on sustainability-related topics. Among …
- Posted May 5, 2019
- Photographs
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Do Codes of Ethics Reveal a University’s Commitment to Sustainable Development? Evidence from Italy
- Università di Verona
Higher education institutions, such as universities, formulate strategies and undertake initiatives to support sustainable development (SD). Scholars draw up and examine sustainability reports as the main institutional documents to assess …
- Posted April 30, 2019
- Publications
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Considering the Anchor Mission Strategy within the Competing “Regimes” of Higher Education Community Engagement
- Marquette University (WI)
- Democracy Collaborative (DC)
The concept of the anchor institution, and its subsequent mission, was first considered in the mid-1990s, a time during which the dominant academic culture of higher education was driven by …
- Posted April 30, 2019
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Building Capacity as Anchor Institutions: Infrastructure, Structure, and Strategy
- Indiana University Indianapolis (IN)
As campuses embrace their role as anchor institutions, considerations should be given to the role of infrastructure, structure, and strategy. This article differentiates between infrastructure and organizational structure then identifies …
- Posted April 30, 2019
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Developing a Resilience Tool For Higher Education Institutions: A Must-Have in Campus Master Planning
- Virginia Tech (VA)
- Hanbury (VA)
Resilience has become a prominent topic in the planning and design industry over the past several years. States, cities and entire regions face an ever-growing threat of environmental and societal …
- Posted April 30, 2019
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An analysis of university sustainability reports from the GRI database: an examination of influential variables
- University of Cadiz
In the business context, many papers have examined whether certain variables can affect sustainability disclosure practices. However, research on universities has mainly been addressed to explore the extent of sustainability …
- Posted April 30, 2019
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Towards a social sustainability in higher education: Enhancing students’ solidarity and togetherness through collaborative projects in racially diverse learning environments
- University of the Free State
One key goal in the mission and vision statement of the University of the Free State is to recruit the best and most diverse students who work in solidarity and …
- Posted April 29, 2019
- Publications
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Biophilic campus: An emerging planning approach for a sustainable innovation-conducive university
- The University of Adelaide (SA)
Universities worldwide are competing to offer attractive learning and research environments to a new generation of skilled and talented students. Governments of the developed world urge universities to foster innovation …
- Posted April 29, 2019
- Publications
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University of Miami Mobility Plan
- University of Miami (FL)
Executive Summary The University of Miami is committed to programs and strategies that reduce single-occupant vehicle trips and maximize efficiency for moving to, from, within, and around its Coral Gables …
- Posted April 29, 2019
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Education for Sustainable Development: Emerging Themes from Adopters of a Declaration
- Auburn University (AL)
- Deakin University
Universities that sign the Talloires Declaration signify their commitment to education for sustainable development. This research explores whether the signification is a strategic desire to be seen to be doing …
- Posted April 29, 2019
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Sustainability Governance at Universities: Using a Governance Equalizer as a Research Heuristic
- University of Vechta
- Freie Universität Berlin
Universities play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development. Accordingly, the project “Sustainability at Higher Education Institutions: develop — network — report (HOCHN)” (2016–2018) aims to facilitate sustainable development at …
- Posted April 29, 2019
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Factors influencing students’ corporate social responsibility orientation in higher education
- University of Beira Interior
- Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Given that the future of corporate social responsibility depends on upcoming generations' attitudes, a better understanding of the relationship between corporate social responsibility orientation and its predictors has significant implications …
- Posted April 29, 2019
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Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development at a Swiss University: Navigating the Traps of Institutionalization
- University of Bern
How far have higher education institutions progressed towards integrating sustainable development at an institutional level and are they responding to the societal need for transformation? Can the pace of transformation …
- Posted April 29, 2019
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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.