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
Aligning Sustainability Commitments with Actions at A Wild West University
- New Mexico State University (NM)
This is a panel on how to encourage a university to align stated sustainability commitments with actions. Four faculty at a Wild West University (hereafter WWU, not its real name ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
University of Minnesota System-Wide Sustainability
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Put a cougar, a bulldog, a gopher, and an eagle in one room - do you find sustainability? You betcha!
The University of Minnesota community has created new, regional models of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How We Live and How We Learn: Sustainability at U.Va.
- University of Virginia (VA)
U.Va.'s Presidential Committee on Sustainability, Office of the Architect and Utilities staff focus on achieving university-wide curricular and operations goals. Simultaneously, individual Schools have set sustainability goals, such ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Recreation as a viable Partner in Sustainability Efforts
- Washington State University, Pullman (WA)
Over the last 10 years the Student Recreation Center at Washington State University (WSU) has been utilized over 6 million times by students, staff, and faculty. 89% of the freshman ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Feeding Innovation in Sustainability: Ithaca's Comprehensive Dining Energy Plan
- Ithaca College (NY)
Sodexo's Facility Management team approached Ithaca College with a proposal to conduct a comprehensive energy audit of all food service facilities on campus (3 board dining halls, 1 food ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
From Red To Green: Sustainability Planning In A Shifting Environment
- North Carolina State University (NC)
Many colleges and universities are beginning the task of creating formal plans for how they will reach their sustainability, energy and climate neutrality goals. Many campuses are also still creating ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Canadian Universities and Colleges Advance Tomorrow's Low Carbon Economy
- Okanagan College (BC)
- EY (VA)
Canadian universities and colleges, from St. John to Victoria are playing an instrumental role in not only demonstrating steps towards a low carbon economy, but also helping communities to adapt ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Pulling it all together: a comprehensive approach to climate neutrality
- University at Buffalo (NY)
Reaching the goal of climate neutrality requires universities to do many things at once. As such, the University at Buffalo has chosen an explicitly comprehensive and integrated approach to climate ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Ideas to Implementation-Catalizing Student, Staff and Faculty Sustainability Efforts
- University of British Columbia (BC)
This session will describe a decade-long award-winning initiative that partners students, faculty and students to catalyze sustainability efforts on our 60,000 person campus. Using the campus as a living ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Relationship Economics: Causal Measurement Connects Sustainability Initiatives to Critical Outcomes
- University of Chicago (IL)
To establish the first comprehensive and fully integrated university-wide sustainability system, a robust causal measurement system was created to guide strategic decision making, prioritizing the implementation of sustainability programs and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Navigating by the STARS: Using STARS to Re-Organize Campus Decision-Making
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
This session examines the evolution of sustainability efforts in higher education from principle-based proclamations such as the Talloires Declaration, to goal-based agreements such as the Presidents Climate Commitment, to metric-based ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Regional Sustainability Index
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)
ABSTRACT: The Regional Sustainability Index
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor in the economic development of regions in many states. However, there is not a tool available to assist ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Service Learning Involving Community Partnerships and Community Sustainability Planning
- Acadia University (NS)
In Canada, communities are increasingly developing sustainability plans in order to access federal funds made available through a municipal gas tax rebate program. While larger communities are well positioned to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Campus sustainability initiatives: what helps, what hinders?
- Antioch University, New England (NH)
As more and more campuses become increasingly adept at measuring their progress toward sustainability, it is just as important to also track a variety of institutional factors that might help ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Reporting or Auditing: The Challenge of Implementing STARS
- Ball State University (IN)
During the pilot development phase of STARS, much of the threaded e-mail exchange focused on the difficulty of the post-facto gathering of information needed to report and audit institutional achievements ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Best practice in UK HE sustainability implementation
- Bradford University (West Yorkshire)
To present leading work from UK HEis on the implementation of sustainability focussing on large scale curriculum, student engagement, outdoor classroom and cultural change. Specific feature on host institutional programme- ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
An Integral Approach to Institutionalizing Sustainability: A Case Study of Colorado College
- Colorado College (CO)
Recently, institutions of higher education (IHE) have moved toward greening their campuses and incorporating sustainability principles into strategic planning, operations, education, research, and public engagement. While many IHE have some ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Beyond GHG Reduction. Climate Change adaptation for Dalhousie University.
- Dalhousie University (NS)
Global and local environmental and sustainability challenges such as energy security, efficiency, and climate change are compounding. Universities across the world have responded by signing commitment statements, conducting GHG inventories ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Survey of Water Management at University and College Campuses
- Duke University (NC)
The effective management of water is necessary as water resources become increasingly scarce and variable through inefficient consumption, pollution, and climate change. Integrated water resource management is recommended to sustainably ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Go Green: Institutionalizing Sustainability at Eastern Michigan University
- Eastern Michigan University (MI)
The purpose of this presentation is to examine efforts to start a campus sustainability drive at a mid-sized university. This talk will present the ongoing efforts to institutionalize sustainability at ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Innovative Campus Sustainability Initiatives at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Eckerd College (FL)
Eckerd College signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007. The College has data on campuswide greenhouse gas emissions since 2002. We will present this data ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Planning sustainable campus urban forests: Indiana University-Bloomington and Tree Campus USA.
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Many universities are creating or updating their campus master plans with an eye toward sustainability, going beyond traditional development-based plans centered on new building construction and instead focusing on protecting ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How to Launch an Office of Sustainability at Warp Speed
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
How does one start an office of sustainability at a Big Ten university campus with 40,000 students? This paper will describe how one director of sustainability catalyzed change through ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Involving the Entire Community: Missouri State University and Sustainability
- Missouri State University (MO)
On June 15, 1995, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan signed into law Senate Bill 340 which gave Missouri State University a statewide mission in Public Affairs. In late 2007 the University ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Kick-Start Your Sustainability Program Using Student Funding and Energy!
- North Seattle College (WA)
North Seattle Community College (NSCC) has burst on to the college sustainability scene over the last year by establishing a model for a vigorous Sustainability Program. While other programs boast ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability Coordinators in Higher Education - Research and Solutions
- Oklahoma State University (OK)
Environmental sustainability is a growing subject at universities across the United States. Many universities have decided to hire a "Sustainability Coordinator" as a full-time faculty position in order to maximize ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Campus Sustainability Programs: A Case Study of Historical Fragmented Campus
- Savannah College of Art & Design (GA)
For more than 30 years, SCAD has transformed historic properties into thriving environments for students, including former hotels, a hospital, a prison, a synagogue, a convent, a department store, a ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How Three Institutions Achieved Progressive Measures of Environmental Sustainability
- South Dakota State University (SD)
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a comparative case study to examine how higher education institutions achieved progressive measures of environmental sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach: The study ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Symphony of Green Inititatives on College and University Campuses
- The Ohio State University (OH)
A Symphony of Green Initiatives on College and University Campuses
Brett Mayo, Director of Energy Management & Sustainability, Office of Student Life, The Ohio State University
Abstract:
Background
Colleges and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Setting Ambitious Climate Action Targets
- University of British Columbia (BC)
UBC adopted a Climate Action Plan in 2010 to advance towards a low-carbon future, committing the university to aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Compared to 2007 levels, GHGs will ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Performance Matters, Tangible Progress on Mitigating Climate Change
- University of Calgary (AB)
The University of Calgary (U of C) is a signatory to the University and College Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada. This session will highlight how the U ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Critical Analysis of Social Sustainability and University Adaptation
- University of Denver (CO)
Increasingly, colleges and universities in the United States are adapting toward a model of behavior that incorporates issues of sustainability. This adaptation in universities and in society has implications on ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Building iCAP: The University of Illinois Climate Action Planning Experience
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
We need visions of the future in order to plan. With a clear vision, campus leaders can guide our Universities toward becoming healthier, cleaner, safer, and more prosperous places. Most ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Administrative advocacy: fostering sustainability champions at the top
- University of Missouri (MO)
Having administrative champions on your side can help your campus sustainability efforts to move faster, receive more support, and be more effective. But how do you develop a rapport with ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Collaboration among higher educational institutions for increased sustainability in Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The City of Pittsburgh has a climate initiative which outlines goals and directions to reduce emissions and increase economic and societal sustainability in the region. Pittsburgh has become one of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
SustainaUnity: Campus Collaboration with Sustainability
- University of Virginia (VA)
In 2008, University Unity Project was started by Student Council to bring the University of Virginia together. Each year the student body voted on a theme around which to unite ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability-Based Integrated Planning: Indicators & Alignment of Values, Principles, & Practices
- University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI)
S-BIP is a holistic, systems thinking approach to the alignment and application of sustainability-based values, principles, and practices with that of integrated planning (IP - as advanced by the Society for ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability Programs in Higher Education: Finding the Common Ground
- American University (DC)
Within the past decade, sustainability has gained immense popularity within the higher education realm. From pledging to reach carbon neutrality, to participating in a national recycling competition, colleges and universities ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Re-invigorating sustainability programs by learning to see value vs. waste
- Boston College (MA)
Many institutions have established sustainability programs: from recycling to dining to green cleaning. But what happens when the initial success has slowed and a program needs improvement? A collaborative method ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Corporate Climate Responsibility: Why Competition Will Save the World
- Climate Counts
Benefiting from worldwide media coverage, the Climate Counts Company Scorecard has rapidly emerged as a credible measure of corporate climate responsibility. The Scorecard is driving stakeholder dialogue and soul-searching in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Implementing Sustainability Teaching, Research, and Service at Florida A&M University
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FL)
The Environment and Sustainability Council is embarked on a comprehensive and integrated approach to institutionalize sustainability at Florida A&M University (FAMU), an 1890 land-grant institution dedicated to the advancement of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Furman University's Approach to Integrating National and Campus Assessment Methodologies
- Furman University (SC)
With the advent of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Ratings System (STARS) as an increasingly standard assessment protocol for campuses across the country, integrating national or external assessment protocols with ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
We're on board with ACUPCC: Now what?
- Hillsborough Community College (FL)
Almost 700 institutions of higher education are signatories to the ACUPCC and it is encouraging to note that this momentum appears to be building. Community or 4-year colleges, that have ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Predictive Modeling of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Oregon Institute of Technology (OR)
Climate action plans currently developed by institutions of higher education across the country need to provide various mitigations strategies to achieve carbon neutrality in the "near future". These strategies are ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A business case for developing transformative sustainable education
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Colleges and Universities have obvious financial incentives to invest in sustainability objectives that reduce the costs of campus operation. Similarly, investments in research infrastructure in topics of energy and sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Institutionalizing sustainability in community colleges: role of the college president
- Spokane Community College (WA)
The purpose of this completed doctoral research study was to describe and improve understanding of the meaning of institutionalized sustainability and the role that a college president plays in institutionalizing ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Structuring Campus Sustainability Programs to Foster Sustained Student Leadership
- University of Arizona (AZ)
This paper details the recent creation of a self-sustaining environmental initiative undertaken at the University of Arizona to transform the campus through collaborative projects and programs and foster the continued ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Thinking Globally and Acting Locally: Sustainability Vision for Higher Education
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
Many universities are undertaking sustainability initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of their activities, but a major challenge is defining what would be required for an institution to become sustainable ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
ROOTS in Sustainability: Research, Outreach, Operations, and Teaching Students
- University of North Texas (TX)
As the University of North Texas implements more sustainable decision making policies and practices concerning academic research, undergraduate and graduate level curriculum, and daily operations of campus life, the Office ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Integrating Teaching, Research and Operational Sustainability: Utilization of Bio-Energy at UNBC, Canada's Green University
- University of Northern British Columbia (BC)
Located in the centre of Canada's most western province, the University of Northern British Columbia is poised to be a leader in demonstrating and developing renewable energy technology. To ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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.