Curriculum
Introduction
One of the primary functions of colleges and universities is to educate students. By training and educating future leaders, scholars, workers, and professionals; higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to understand and address sustainability challenges. Institutions that offer courses covering sustainability issues help equip their students to lead society to a sustainable future.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Four participants of the Barefoot College display their projects.
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
For the Barefoot College image, please include this in the description in a separate paragraph:
The Barefoot College in northern India teaches women skills to bring solar power to their ...
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
- Photographs
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The Under-Told Stories team interviewing a community activist after the murder of George Floyd.
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
Under-Told Stories is a journalism project at University of St. Thomas’ Center for the Common Good. The project uses high quality video storytelling to help students understand and engage with ...
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
- Photographs
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The Under-Told Stories team reporting on an effort to clear mine fields in Cambodia.
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
Under-Told Stories is a journalism project at University of St. Thomas’ Center for the Common Good. The project uses high quality video storytelling to help students understand and engage with ...
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
- Photographs
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Sterling College: Southwest Field Semester
- Sterling College (VT) (VT)
Students participating in class in the Southwest Field Semester of Sterling College, a 12-credit course that provides students 84 continuous days in the field and affords them an immersive learning ...
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
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Sterling College: Wetland Ecology
- Sterling College (VT) (VT)
Wetland ecology students at Sterling College visit all the major wetland types occurring in Vermont. At the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge they learn about managing wetland habitat for migratory birds ...
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
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Sterling College: Field Ecology at The Farm Between
- Sterling College (VT) (VT)
Students enrolled in Field Ecology explore plant systems and insect populations at Sterling's instructional site at The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, Vermont, with Dr. Laura Spence, Dean of Academics.
- Posted Aug. 30, 2021
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Odeyto Indigenous Centre - Seneca College
- Seneca College (ON)
Odeyto Indigenous Centre - Seneca College built and opened a new indigenous centre at its Newnham Campus in 2018. Odeyto, the new home of First Peoples@Seneca, means “the good journey ...
- Posted Aug. 23, 2021
- Photographs
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Minor in Sustainability
- Queens University of Charlotte (NC)
Requirements for a Minor in Sustainability Note: This minor is not available to Environmental Science majors.
Required Courses: Introduction to Geospatial Sciences
Environmental Economics
Sustainability and Society
Environmental Sustainability
Legal ...
- Posted Aug. 23, 2021
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Sustainability Science BS
- Queens University of Charlotte (NC)
Sustainability science studens will learn in small class sizes and conduct independent research with award-winning faculty. We are dedicated to active learning and field based instruction.
Research Students will be ...
- Posted Aug. 23, 2021
- Academic Programs
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Sterling College EcoGather
- Sterling College (VT) (VT)
Place-Based, Community-Focused Education - Sterling College is in the process of developing EcoGather, a higher education platform designed to advance ecological thinking and action as a foundation for building regenerative communities ...
- Posted Aug. 20, 2021
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Climate Solutions 101
- Project Drawdown (CA)
Climate Solutions 101 is a series of six short (10- to 30-minute) videos that not only explain the challenge of climate change but also introduce Project Drawdown's signature set ...
- Posted Aug. 17, 2021
- Course Materials
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M.S. in Environment and Sustainability Management
- Georgetown University (DC)
The Georgetown Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management (MS-ESM) is a jointly offered degree that blends scientific knowledge with business principles—a powerful combination that will enable you ...
- Posted Aug. 11, 2021
- Academic Programs
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Archiving the Campus as Living Laboratory : Preserving a long memory for transformative change
- University of Utah (UT)
This is part of the Campus as Lab webinar series. To see the full series visit our YouTube Channel.
Sustainable change on campus is often driven by student-led projects, project-oriented ...
- Posted July 26, 2021
- Videos & Webinars
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How to Create a Culturally Inclusive Course and Beyond
- Duke University (NC)
Overview The goal of this document is to provide resources and ideas for creating a culturally inclusive learning environment. This is also referred to as “culturally sustaining pedagogy,” “diversifying the ...
- Posted July 15, 2021
- Course Materials
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Campus as Lab Webinar Series - 2021-5-14 - Archiving Campus Sustainability Efforts
- University of Utah (UT)
This Campus as Lab webinar focuses on the University of Utah's efforts to create a campus wide hyper-local archive for sustainability knowledge that is available to all campus and ...
- Posted July 14, 2021
- Videos & Webinars
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How Can Sustainability Education More Effectively Equip Students to Become Change Agents?
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- AASHE (PA)
Advancing sustainability, whether in one’s dorm, on a college campus, in a community, or at national and global levels, means enabling change, and educating change agents. Many sustainability competencies ...
- Posted June 11, 2021
- Videos & Webinars
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Embedding sacred ecology in sustainability solutions: The role of post-secondary environmental science programs
- Central European University
There is increasing attention to the potential contribution of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to addressing an unprecedented crisis in social-ecological systems. Approaches to the bridging of scientific and indigenous knowledges ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Designing a Regenerative Future: Higher Education as a Driver of Change
- OCAD University (ON)
Many Ontario colleges continue to educate students in the traditional mechanistic fashion of the linear economy. Graduates in search of a career are equipped to perpetuate the take-make-waste economic system ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Affecting Sustainable Changes in the Individual Through Landscape Architecture: A Case Study of the University of Virginia
- University of Virginia (VA)
In the long trek towards creating a sustainable society, universities play one of the most significant roles. They serve as laboratories for defining what it means to be a sustainable ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Environmental Justice Ethnography in the Classroom: Teaching Activism, Inspiring Involvement
- Allegheny College (PA)
- Rhode Island College (RI)
- San Francisco State University (CA)
- University of North Carolina, Wilmington (NC)
- University of South Florida (FL)
In this era of industry deregulation, gutting of environmental protections, and science denial, environmental justice applied anthropology is more important than ever. There is growing ethnographic research into the ways ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Towards an equity competency model for sustainable food systems education programs
- Columbia University (NY)
- Middlebury College (VT)
- Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
- Tufts University (MA)
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of British Columbia (BC)
- American Museum of Natural History (NY)
Addressing social inequities has been recognized as foundational to transforming food systems. Activists and scholars have critiqued food movements as lacking an orientation towards addressing issues of social justice. To ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Discourse of ‘helping the poor’: rethinking global poverty and its pedagogical possibilities in higher education
- Xiamen University
As the global community strives for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly, the first goal of ‘ending poverty in all its forms everywhere’, university students’ learning experiences and understanding about ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Increasing University Competitiveness through Assessment of Green Content in Curriculum and Eco-Labeling in Higher Education
- University of Novi Sad
- Educons University
Growing environmental problems and increasing requirements of green jobs force universities around the world not only to transform their curricula but also to enrich existing ones with contents related to ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Teaching the “how” of transformation
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Central Office (NJ)
- University of Oslo
College and university students are eager to engage with transformative solutions to the climate crisis, but often struggle to see openings or possibilities where they can leverage their actions and ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Key experiences for the transdisciplinary approach: fieldwork-based training in sustainability science education
- University of Tokyo
- National University of Singapore
- University of the Free State
- International Christian University
This paper aims to describe how a sustainability-focused program in higher education can provide training and key experiences for implementing transdisciplinary approaches. The case is a fieldwork-based training course called ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Inner Transformation for 21st-Century Futures: The Missing Dimension in Higher Education
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
We live in times of great global risks and problems that pose multiple wicked, interdependent challenges, such as climate change, environmental degradation, social inequalities, geopolitical tensions ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Towards a common future: revising the evolution of university-based sustainability research literature
- University of Beira Interior
- University of Passo Fundo
- University of Campinas
- Hiroshima University
- Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
- Universidade Federal Fluminense
- University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
- Bournemouth University (Dorset)
- University of Wroclaw/Uniwersytet Wrocławski (Wrocław)
- University of Minho
- Universidade federal de Santa Maria
- University of Belgrade
- University of the Aegean (Lesvos)
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
The field of sustainability has evolved considerably since the report “Our Common Future” was published in 1987. Whereas matters related to sustainable development used to be of marginal interest in ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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Students’ Innovation in Education for Sustainable Development—A Longitudinal Study on Interdisciplinary vs. Monodisciplinary Learning
- University of Hamburg
- Goethe University Frankfurt
Innovative ideas are essential to sustainable development. Students’ innovative potential in higher education for sustainable development (HESD) has so far been neglected. Innovation is often associated with an interdisciplinary approach ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
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Impact of sustainability-focused learning intervention on teachers’ agency to teach for sustainable development
- University of Education Lahore (Punjab)
- Beaconhouse National University
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been identified as a key enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Considering the vital role of ESD, a framework ‘ESD for 2030ʹ has ...
- Posted May 28, 2021
- Publications
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BS Sustainability Studies
- University of California, Riverside (CA)
The Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Studies program at UC Riverside offers a social justice approach to environmental sustainability and climate change. This interdisciplinary degree program explores interactions between human ...
- Posted May 27, 2021
- Academic Programs
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Sustained Relevance Through Elegance: Redesigning Higher Education from Within
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Universities and colleges in the United States (U.S.) are in a period of rapid transformation. Driven by the need for an educated workforce, higher education institutions are responding to ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Publications
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Defining Social Change as Social Action: HE's Role in Addressing Social Change
- University of Greenwich
Recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement across the world is a reminder for HE institutions that we have a key role to play in enabling that our graduates ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
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The effect of information source on higher education students’ sustainability knowledge
- Michigan State University (MI)
- University of Michigan (MI)
When it comes to what higher education students know about sustainability, where they learn matters. In this study, we explore the extent to which students’ level of sustainability knowledge differed ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
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Undergraduates in a Sustainability Semester: Models of social change for sustainability
- Michigan State University (MI)
This was a qualitative case study aimed to understand the impact of sustainability education on undergraduate students after one term of course enrollment. It was found that while students’ models ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Publications
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Will We Learn from COVID-19? Ecopedagogical Calling (Un)heard
- Beijing Normal University
‘(Un)heard’ in the title questions if we will learn from experiencing COVID-19 to counter unrestrained environmental devastation occurring, or will we remain largely untaught? I argue the need for ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
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CGHE 2020 Annual Conference webinar panel: Higher education and sustainability
- University of Bristol
- University College London (London)
- International Association of Universities
Higher education institutions both impact and are impacted by global climate change and the environment. In this conference hosted by the Centre for Global Higher Education, a panel of professors ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Videos & Webinars
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The Inclusive Sustainability Initiative at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM)
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
The Inclusive Sustainability Initiative (ISI) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is an example of innovation and investment connecting inclusive excellence and sustainability. The term inclusive sustainability whether applied ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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California State University System-wide Climate Justice and Intersectional Sustainability Speaker Series
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
- California State University, Channel Islands (CA)
- California State University, East Bay (CA)
- California State University, Chancellor's Office (CA)
- California State University, Chico (CA)
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
- California State University, Long Beach (CA)
- California State University, Los Angeles (CA)
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
- Humboldt State University (CA)
- San Diego State University (CA)
- California State University Stanislaus (CA)
During the 2020-21 academic year, Sustainability Officers from across the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system, the largest public university system in the U.S., joined forces to coordinate a ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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Integrating racial equity, social justice, and sustainability through general education learning outcome assessment
- University of Utah (UT)
In 2014, the University of Utah administration received a poignant letter from a group of passionate students suggesting that granting an undergraduate degree to any student without ensuring that they ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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Infusing Sustainability into the Curriculum
- Swarthmore College (PA)
Name: Colin Donahue Project Mentors: Carr Everbach Project board Members: Carr Everbach, Aurora Winslade, Joy Charlton, Betsy Bolton, James Padilioni, Jason Martin
The climate crisis represents one of the greatest ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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Virtual Energy Treasure Hunt Event
- Suffolk County Community College (NY)
In April 2021, Suffolk County Community College hosted our first US Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Treasure Hunt Event. The DOE describes the Treasure Hunt as “One of the best ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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President's Sustainability Research Fellowship 20-21: ChesterSemesters
- Swarthmore College (PA)
The 2020-2021 President's Sustainability Research Fellowship ChesterSemester project was conducted by Ananya Bhattacharya '21 over the 2020-2021 Academic Year. The purpose of the project was to support the the ...
- Posted May 26, 2021
- Case Studies
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What makes an effective campus climate action plan?
- Montana State University (MT)
Over the course of Spring Semester 2021, eight undergraduate students from a wide variety of majors and disciplines enrolled in a 3 credit directed independent study course in Human Geography ...
- Posted May 25, 2021
- Publications
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Mitigating Carbon Emissions While Staying In Business: A Case Study of Longview Farm
- Smith College (MA)
Smith College has aggressive goals for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and local food procurement. In an effort to understand supply chain emissions associated with food, students in the Environmental Science ...
- Posted May 21, 2021
- Publications
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Cascadia Cornucopia Food Forest as a prototype for food permaculture areas on campuses
- Cascadia College (WA)
The Cascadia Food Forest is an example of an integrated learning project at Cascadia College. It was designed to facilitate learning opportunities outside the classroom. The food forest is a ...
- Posted May 21, 2021
- Case Studies
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Climate Action Plan Sustainability Ambassador Course
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) ambassador course was piloted in the spring 2021 semester as an opportunity for students to have a direct role in assessing and recommending building-level ...
- Posted May 21, 2021
- Case Studies
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Planting the Pond
- Western Dakota Technical College (SD)
For this project, Western Dakota Tech formed an interdisciplinary team comprised of Environmental Engineering, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Electrical Trades, Computer-Aided Design, and Farm and Ranch Management students to design and ...
- Posted May 18, 2021
- Case Studies
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Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education
- University of Western Sydney (NSW)
- Australian National University
Higher Education around the world is at a cross-road as a wide range of change forces bear down upon it. These include a complex, interlocked and rapidly unfolding set of ...
- Posted May 13, 2021
- Publications
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The Futility and Fatality of Incremental Action: Motivations and Barriers among Undergraduates for Environmental Action that Matters
- Ithaca College (NY)
Monty Hempel was deeply engaged with the impact of sustainability education on student values and behavior. An important question that he posed was How can sustainability education provide a sound ...
- Posted May 10, 2021
- Publications
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Adventuring into Complexity by Exploring Data: From Complicity to Sustainability
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania (PA)
Problems of sustainability are typically represented by major present-day challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental and social injustice. Framed this way, sustainable lives and societies depend on ...
- Posted May 5, 2021
- Publications
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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. Additional content and advanced benchmarking tools will be added to this tab over time.
Programs and Initiatives
The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
- Sustainability course inventories
- Sustainability literacy assessments
- Sustainability-focused immersive educational study programs
- Programs that offer incentives for faculty to develop sustainability courses
Scores
The following link connects to the Score Display on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).
Curriculum Partners
Bound International
San Antonio, TXBusiness Affiliate
FIE: Foundation for International Education
London, LondonBusiness Affiliate
Strategic Energy Innovations
San Rafael, CABusiness Affiliate
Sustainability Curriculum Consortium
Bethesda, MDBusiness Affiliate
The GREEN Program
Philadelphia, PABusiness Affiliate