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
Designing An Energy Management Strategy for Campus Residence Halls: The View from the Trenches
- James Madison University (VA)
Residence halls can account for significant proportions of campus energy use. Strategically managing this building portfolio is a challenge, and encompasses behavioral, operational, and technical management. This paper reports on ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Case Study: Measuring and Assessing Sustainability at Lakeland Community College
- Lakeland Community College (OH)
This case study explores the value associated with conducting a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Assessment and Greenhouse Gas Inventory to identify the opportunities, challenges, and resources necessary to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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2% through behavior: The Inside Scoop on one College's Ambitious Energy Conservation Goal
- Luther College (IA)
In addition to aggressive energy efficiency upgrades, one small college has committed to reducing energy consumption 2%/year through behavior change. This is am ambitious goal, but through creative programming ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Student Worker Network
- Macalester College (MN)
The initiative for sustainability at Macalester College took an unusual institutional turn in 2008, with the formation of the Sustainability Student Worker Network. The Network is a working group composed ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero Waste at Macalester College
- Macalester College (MN)
To fulfill Macalester College's Zero Waste by 2020 goal, Macalester College has completed a waste sort, developed a work plan for the college, as well as developed a vermiculture ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Who's Responsible for My Waste - Part II
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (MO)
Effects of Changing Behavior
At Missouri University of Science & Technology
Responsible Waste Management
Changing behavior requires a change of attitude. A change of attitude comes from heightened awareness and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Regionally Organizing for Sustainability, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium (SMHEC)
- Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
A regional consortium of 12 higher education institutions, representing non-profit, private, for-profit and four year and two year universities and colleges organized a 2-day workshop bringing 100+ participants from multiple ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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STARS Advanced Workshop (2011)
- Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
This workshop will feature STARS representatives from institutions that have completed their STARS Report and achieved a STARS Rating. The focus will be on discussing best practices and lessons learned ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Climate Neutrality, Zero Net Energy Campuses, and Climate Action Plans - OH MY!
- Mount Wachusett Community College (MA)
As the number of signatories to the American College and University President's Climate Commitment increases and Sustainability Teams effectively strengthen the trend for Climate Action Plans that target Carbon ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cogeneration: Creating Sustainable Energy for the Future at NYU
- New York University (NY)
College campuses have a major opportunity for energy use reductions: district heat and power, also known as cogeneration. This presentation will examine NYU's new cogeneration power plant located underneath ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Why Your Campus Needs a Distributed Network of Sustainability Advocates
- New York University (NY)
Improving the environmental performance of higher education institutions is not only a question of infrastructural development through decisions made in the upper echelons of university administration; it is also intimately ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Native Woodland Garden: The New Paradigm in Ecology Takes Root on Manhattan Island
- New York University (NY)
Does the high density of our cities mean that we have to leave the city center to experience biodiversity? Do we have to sacrifice aesthetics for the sake of ecological ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Meaningful Advocacy in the Age of Permanent Crisis: Strategies for Preventing Burnout and Creating Sustainable Change
- New York University (NY)
This dynamic workshop aims to explore the "binary star system" represented by a pair of interrelated challenges that confront all leaders and advocates working to advance sustainability in higher education ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Strategies for Environmental Assessment: Leveraging Sustainability Reporting to Engage Change
- New York University (NY)
From the first Environmental Assessment (EA) that our university performed half a decade ago through the process of institutionalizing assessment using STARS 1.0, our university's Office of Sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Study Abroad: Acting locally, Connecting globally
- New York University (NY)
Study abroad is at the heart of an increasingly globalized and experiential higher education learning strategy, as students get to experience life in an entirely different cultural and ecological context ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bike Sharing and the Urban Campus
- New York University (NY)
In 2008, inspired by the municipal bicycle sharing programs in many European cities and bike rental programs available at some small campus-oriented schools, an independent student team began designing America ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Energy Analysis: Supply and Demand, Trending and Exception Reporting
- North Carolina State University (NC)
In a university setting, the Energy Management Unit is responsible for all utility metering data for the 13 million square foot campus. This data includes the natural gas (NG), fuel ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Analysis, Energy Consumption Analysis, and Sustainability Reporting for Higher Education
- North Carolina State University (NC)
In order to analyze our GHG inventory, energy data from the central utility plants, building meters, transportation data, and carbon offset data is uploaded to an online system. The data ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Eating our way to Carbon Neutral
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
At Northern Arizona University, Campus Dinning and the Office of Sustainability are teaming up with students, faculty, and staff to create a culture of food sustainability engrained into our curriculum ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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No Impact Jack: A "Green Room"" Certification Process"
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
This new residence life program will be launched in the fall of 2011, and it will be a twist on the idea of encouraging students to complete an online Sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student-Powered Sustainability, Successes and Challenges of Our First Year
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Student members of The Green Fund reflect upon the issues and challenges that arose during their first year as a committee and present details of their plans for the future ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Banning Bottled Water on Your Campus is Not Impossible
- Pacific Lutheran University (WA)
This panel would consist of three representatives from very different universities across the US and Canada, all of whom have banned the sale of bottled water at their institution. This ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Changing Behaviors on Campus through Green Team and Office Certification Programs
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Universities and corporations across the United States are establishing "green teams" in order to engage their employees in weaving sustainability into operations and services. These teams are groups of employees ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Equity and Ecology: Incorporating Environmental Justice into Campus Sustainability
- Pomona College (CA)
Equity is as important an aspect of sustainability as ecology - so why have campuses had such difficulty including these concepts in sustainability programming and planning? This session provides an overview ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Citizens, Governments, and Colleges 2.0: Engaging in the Twitterverse and Beyond
- Presidio Graduate School (CA)
"Creating Sustainable Campuses and Communities" goes far beyond student recycling campaigns, and Earth Day fairs; nowadays, social media is engaging others in the best sustainability practices. This study summarizes the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Evaluating Your University's Waste and Recycling Billing Rates
- CHA (NY)
Today, universities are grappling with how to fund ever expanding and much sought after recycling programs. As university waste management programs grow to include larger volumes and additional types of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Revamping Your University Waste and Recycling Program
- Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) (MI)
Creating sustainable waste and recycling operations throughout large universities is a daunting task as you deal with a variety of audiences and system users. This task can be especially challenging ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Gateway to Green: Sustainability Transformation at the Speed of Light
- Saint Louis University (MO)
For nearly 200 years, Saint Louis University has played a role as Wal-Mart-like greeters in the "Gateway to the West". Unfortunately, those welcomed were actually entering the "show me" state ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Sustainability and student engagement: how to institutionalize and grow student engagement in the campus sustainability movement; and why we must.
- Simon Fraser University (BC)
Achieving campus sustainability is a complicated objective, and it involves major shifts in the traditional framework within which these institutions are set. One of the most important factors in achieving ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Tracking Campus Energy Use: Building a Database from the Ground Up
- Skidmore College (NY)
Some college campuses use networked electricity meters, so that power consumption data can be read online. However, at the presenters' institution, the system was fraught with multiple problems: memory space ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Opportunities for Engagement While Conducting a GHG Inventory: Learning More Than Just Carbon Calculations
- Slippery Rock University (PA)
In this paper we will discuss some of the unexpected lessons learned and opportunities leveraged during the GHG data gathering and analysis process. The processes of performing GHG inventories and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Implementing a Sustainable Campus Master Plan
- SmithGroup (MI)
A major state university's 2010 Campus Master Plan establishes an innovative approach to environmental stewardship that minimize the effects on natural resources by mandating sustainable design strategies for all ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing a Framework for Sustainability Literacy Assessments in Higher Education
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)
Higher educational institutions continue to expand the scope at which sustainability is addressed within the campus community. Interdisciplinary programs developed within academic institutions to address complex systematic socio-ecological problems have ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Connecting Campus and Community: The Nature Preserve at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (IL)
In the Fall of 2009, the new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUe) launched a new initiative to create a space where ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Saving Paper with LEAF: Creating and Implementing a Green Education Program
- Southern Methodist University (TX)
What do a cardstock placard, a one-hour discussion, and a "green certification" all have in common? They are all simple ways to transform your campus into a sustainable community. An ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cardinal Green Campaigns: Tackling Environment, Economy and Social Engagement at Stanford
- Stanford University (CA)
Behavior-based conservation programs with attractive incentives and attainable goals yield impressive results. Stanford's Office of Sustainability has formulated an annual series of goal driven campus campaigns in a 6-pack ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Are Green Campuses Walking the Talk? Providing Underrepresented Students with Access to Sustainability
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
Have you had a difficult time articulating why sustainability assessments such as STARS include diversity as an indicator? This presentation will offer a few explanations through a brief review of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Reaccreditation at its Best - Completing a Special Focus on Sustainability in Tandem with STARS
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) is currently undergoing a reaccreditation effort through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. As part ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using Planning to Integrate Sustainability across the Campus
- Stockton University (NJ)
The submitting College, located in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey near the Atlantic shore, has had a distinct sustainability orientation since its founding in 1969. For example, the College ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Overcoming Challenges in Capturing & Collecting GHG Data and Streamlining the ACUPCC Reporting Process
- Stony Brook University (NY)
At Stony Brook University, responsible environmental stewardship is in its DNA. As an early reporting member of the ACUPCC, Stony Brook University has completed comprehensive inventories of all greenhouse gas ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Expanding the STARS 1.1 Technical Manual - Re-evaluating "Design" in Category 2: Operations (OP)
- Technische Universiteit Delft
Category 2 of the STARS 1.1 Technical Manual provides a total of 100 points towards a Universities Operations (OP) and a total of 13 credits towards buildings. In general ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Turnkey: Creating a Green Fund
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Student-led green funds are on the rise at institutions across the nation. There are many green fund models to study and select a best fit for creating your campus green ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students Take the Lead for Innovative Sustainability Programs at America's most Northern University
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (AK)
The students of University of Alaska Fairbanks, in 2009 voted a $20 dollar sustainability fee, which is matched by the Chancellor and anticipated to raise $5,000,000 over its ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Going carbon neutral: What an experience!
- University of Alberta (AB)
Becoming a carbon neutral campus not only demonstrates excellent progress towards sustainability but is also a phenomenal learning tool for students, faculty, staff and the greater University community. Energy management ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Embedding Sustainability into Institutional Governance
- University of Calgary (AB)
In four short years the University of Calgary has evolved from implementing ad-hoc green initiatives to embedding sustainability into institutional governance and emerging as one of Canada's leaders in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Making Short Work of a Tall Order: Maximizing Resources with STARS
- University of Calgary (AB)
How nice would it be to deliver STARS with no deadlines and unlimited resources? We all know, however, each institution is faced with its own unique constraints when implementing STARS ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Role of the LEED Rating System in Higher Education: Recent Trends and Status
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
This study is an update to the report, "To LEED or Not To LEED," published in August 2009, and examines the degree to which various top universities in the United ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Crisis Into Opportunity: Can sustainability programs and budget cuts be mutually supportive?
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
When budget cuts are a university's priority in a time of fiscal crisis, how can sustainability programs turn that crisis into an opportunity? Doing so not only is necessary ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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UC, Santa Cruz: Sustainabilty Project Clearinghouse 1.0
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
The web-based Sustainability Project Clearinghouse 1.0 was created to track completed, ongoing, and proposed high quality sustainability projects that have been vetted by UCSC faculty and staff. The creation ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Capacity: Attracting and Retaining a Network of Sustainability Project Mentors
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
IDEASS (Impact Designs: Engineering and Sustainability through Student Service) is an upper-division university program that supports collaborative service-learning projects. IDEASS students learn not only about the technical, humanistic and societal ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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.