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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.

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Minor in Environmental Science and Studies

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)

The minor is designed for students wishing to remain in another discipline but having an interest in the environment as an area of application. Students in the minor in environmental …

  • Posted Jan. 17, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Implementing a Sustainability Internship Program at Siena Heights University

  • Siena Heights University (MI)

Michigan is experiencing numerous environmental health threats, and the SHU Sustainability Internship Program was created to engage students to address environmental challenges. Using the AASHE Guide to Creating & Managing …

Towards a Theory-Based Framework for Assessing the Mainstreaming of Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Teacher Education Institutions in Botswana

This article presents the development of a theory-based framework for exploring the ways in which different teacher education institutions in Botswana have worked towards the infusion of education for sustainable …

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
  • Publications
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Rogative Learning in Education for Sustainable Development: Environment, Human Rights and Democracy

  • University of Gothenburg

The question underlying the investigation in this paper is how within a context of education for sustainable development it is possible to learn about the environment, human rights and democracy …

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change

  • RMIT University

Education for sustainability (EfS) is widely supported and researched; however, the broad and deep implementation of EfS in universities that is needed lags behind the goals of change agents. This …

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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Adoption of sustainable development reporting by universities: An analysis of French first-time reporters

  • National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts

The purpose of this paper is to study the issuance of sustainable development reports by French universities, based on two dimensions proposed by Ansari et al. (2010): extensiveness and fidelity.Three …

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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Why It Matters How We Frame “Education” in Education for Sustainable Development

  • University of Otago (Otago)

We analyzed two educational frameworks that seek to embed “education for sustainable development” into higher education (HE). Both identify that HE is failing to educate graduates able to address the …

  • Posted Dec. 22, 2017
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"Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get At It!" Climate Change Education in Teacher Education

  • Lakehead University (ON)

We present findings from research on a nine-week elective course, Climate Change Pedagogy, taught for the first time in the Bachelor of Education program at Lakehead University in Winter 2014. …

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2017
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Radically different learning’: implementing sustainability pedagogy in a university peer mentor program

  • Portland State University (OR)

Sustainability education is a growing field within higher education that fosters personal and intellectual engagement with the interconnected tensions of pressing social, ecological, economic, and political issues. Sustainability education aims …

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2017
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Fostering connectedness to nature in higher education

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Environmental thinkers and educators have argued for the importance of celebrating our connectedness to nature, or the perception of being part of, rather than separate from, the natural world. Using …

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2017
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Environmental sustainability in higher education: What do academics think?

  • Deakin University

The slow uptake of Education for Sustainability (EfS) curricula in universities has, partly, been attributed to academics’ perceptions that EfS has little relevance within some disciplines. Understanding teaching academics’ attitudes, …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Education for sustainable development in higher education: evaluating coherence between theory and praxis

  • Universidade Aberta

Universities are an important part of the process of change taking place in society. However, this is often overshadowed by these institutions giving priority to technocratic models in the relationship …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Ecological literacy and beyond: Problem-based learning for future professionals

  • University of São Paulo
  • Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS
  • Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia (Itabuna - BA)
  • Technical University Munich
  • Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
  • University of Campinas

Ecological science contributes to solving a broad range of environmental problems. However, lack of ecological literacy in practice often limits application of this knowledge. In this paper, we highlight a …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Designing and Teaching Business & Society Courses From a Threshold Concept Approach

  • The University of New Mexico (NM)

This article examines the redesign of an undergraduate course in Business & Society using a threshold concept approach. Business & Society courses may be troublesome for students because they depart …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Complex matrix for the analysis of sustainable transformative learning: an assessment methodology of sustainability integration in universities

  • Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS

Several papers propose analytical methods relating to the inclusion of sustainability in courses and universities. However, as sustainability is a complex subject, methodological proposals on the topic must avoid making …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Are geography students good “environmental citizens?” A comparison between year of study and over time

  • Keele University

Are geography students good “environmental citizens?” Has this improved over time with increasing emphasis on sustainability within higher education? This paper compares environmental attitudes and behaviours of geography students at …

  • Posted Dec. 12, 2017
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Assessment and evaluation of higher education in business management: an analysis of the Brazilian case in the light of social learning theory for sustainability

  • Mackenzie Presbyterian University
  • Centro Universitário da FEI
  • FUCAPE Business School

This article presents an analysis of Brazilian National System of Higher Education Assessment (SINAES) in the light of social learning for sustainability theory. The aim is to contribute to the …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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Toward conservational anthropology: addressing anthropocentric bias in anthropology

  • Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Anthropological literature addressing conservation and development often blames ‘conservationists’ as being neo-imperialist in their attempts to institute limits to commercial activities by imposing their post-materialist eco-ideology. The author argues that …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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If a tree falls: business students' reflections on environmentalism

  • The Hague University of Applied Science

Environmental advocacy has a difficult position within environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). Proponents of pluralistic approaches to education see advocacy as a form of indoctrination. However, …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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Universities as sustainable communities: a prospectus for people and places

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of universities as sustainable communities and to identify the requirements for achieving this role. The paper outlines the evolution of …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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The green campus is also a virtual one

  • Aston University

This paper analyses the role of education for sustainability as enabling future sustainability practitioners to become key change agents and leaders. It is important that generic skills and understandings are …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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‘Doing the Sustainable Development Dance’: Tracing a Critical Route from the Education for Sustainable Development Movement to Environmental Justice in Legal Education

  • University College London (London)

The UN’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) (2005–14) is nearly over. This has triggered a range of initiatives in schools and, increasingly, in higher and further education. In …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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Restorative Counter-Spacing for Academic Sustainability

  • Robert Gordon University

By combining pertinent theories from environmental psychology and human geography, this article proposes a socio-spatial framework of principles, which could be used by academic actors, to reflexively embody and critically …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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A Failure Reveals Success

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

Although environmental education and education for sustainable development have become well-established areas of scholarship and practice, there has not been a similar development focused on “industrial ecology education.” A review …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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RESPONDING TO THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS: TRANSFORMATIVE PATHWAYS FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

  • James Cook University (Queensland)

The nature and extent of the current ecological crisis raises the question: Does social work have a contribution to make in addressing the social and environmental changes required if we …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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The relationship between social work and environmental sustainability: Implications for interdisciplinary practice

  • City University of New York, College of Staten Island (NY)
  • University of North Carolina, Greensboro (NC)

The Brundtland Commission, formally the World Commission on Environment and Development, established by the United Nations in 1983, links peace, security, development and the environment claiming that war, poverty and …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
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Revisiting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Examining Anthropocentric Bias Through the Transition of Environmental Education to ESD

  • Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Environmental education scholars have hailed the emergence of the discourse of education for sustainable development (ESD) as a progressive transition in the field. The author argues that there are some …

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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Redefining Success: Integrating Sustainability into Management Education

Redefining Success: Integrating Sustainability into Management Education advocates incorporating sustainability concepts that go beyond the financial ‘bottom line’ into management education and business practice. Highlighting the UN Global Compact (UNGC), …

Examining the literature to reveal the nature of community EE/ESD programs and research

  • Denison University (OH)

Interest in community environmental education (EE) and community education for sustainable development (ESD) is increasing, as evidenced by the increase in studies examining community EE/ESD approaches and NAAEE’s current development …

Student and Staff Sustainability Surveys - expectations being met? An Australian example.

  • University of Tasmania (TAS)

Traditional approaches to teaching sustainability have been through including the topic in geography and science curriculums. More recently, we have seen an expansion of Education for Sustainability across discipline areas …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Operations Research Applications in Sustainability Coursework Design

  • Wichita State University (KS)

Four major topics are listed for coursework design across academic departments (1) prairie restoration (2) plant-based industry (3) clean energy (4)population growth rate. Climate change adaptation may include: increased O2 …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Promoting and Assessing Sustainability Literacy as a Learning Outcome in Education Abroad

  • The Education Abroad Network (IL)

If education abroad is to fulfill its promise of fostering intercultural awareness and global citizenship, then sustainability learning must be at its core, with outcomes assessed in terms of altered …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Higher Education for Sustainability in Asian Contexts

  • Nanyang Technological University

This poster reviews recent work developments in Higher Education for Sustainability (HEfS) and Education for Sustainable Development in monsoon Asia. Monsoon Asia accounts for over half the world's population, and …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Innovatively Adding The Skills That Tomorrow's Workers Need, Into Today's Curriculum

  • Sustainable Design Consulting (VA)

Sustainability is a topic that is constantly changing. Regulations are changing constantly and the market is moving so fast that the skills that entry level employees need is shifting so …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainable Entrepreneurship into the Universidad EAN (Colombia)

  • Universidad EAN

This proposal arises from the need to study the new entrepreneurship in the modern world and the factors for to obtain the sustainability as an attribute into the educational process …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Environmental Education from the Caribbean to the Carolinas

  • University of South Carolina (SC)

I have compared environmental education (EE) programs at USC, the greater Columbia area, and at tourist sites in St. Lucia in order to determine what methods of EE most effectively …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Beyond Interpersonal Competence: Teaching and Learning Professional Skills in Sustainability

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Successful careers in sustainability are determined by positive real-world change towards sustainability. This success depends on professional skills in effective and compassionate communication, collaborative teamwork, or impactful stakeholder engagement, among …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Building a community of practice for applied learning for sustainability practitioners

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

This meeting brings leaders and stakeholders interested in applied learning programs for sustainability outcomes together-catalyzing the development of a group of peers interested in collaborating on this topic. The meeting …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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The Applied Sustainability Collaborative: A Virtual Mechanism for Interdisciplinary Engagement with Community

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

This proposal discusses a virtual web-based mechanism that connects existing interdisciplinary campus resources with external partners for building collaborative teams to develop and implement solutions to sustainability problems. Through virtual …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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The Psychology of Sustainability and Social Movement: Student Ecological Citizenship Through a Study Abroad to Malta

  • James Madison University (VA)

For the past three years, a multidisciplinary group of first and second year honors students have participated in a month-long Psychology of Sustainability trip to Malta. The pre-departure curriculum includes …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Exploring the Presence of the Economic and Social Dimensions of Sustainability Within Higher Education Classrooms

  • Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)

Sustainability is commonly comprised of three main dimensions: environmental, economic, and social. The environmental dimension, sometimes referred to as the ecological dimension, concentrates on the reduction of negative human impact …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Towards a Broader Conceptualization of Education for Sustainability

  • Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)

Formal teaching and learning devoted to sustainability is referred to as Education for Sustainability (EfS). EfS is the study of humans' relationship with the resources that support life on this …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Integrating Sustainability Learning Outcomes Into a University Curriculum - A Case Study of Institutional Dynamics

  • University of Vermont (VT)

The University of Vermont (UVM) adopted a learning-outcomes-based general education sustainability requirement in Fall 2015. The requirement is unique because sustainability is a non-traditional general education theme, and general education …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Familismo Teaching: Promoting Sustainable Development and Social Justice in a Hispanic Serving Institution

  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)

Higher education (HE) has started taking responsibility in teaching, training, and researching for sustainability. Thus, sustainability and the scholarly environments have become the basis of academic practice since the initial …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Relocating Education for Sustainability: From the Campus to the Community

  • Kent State University (OH)

This session offers a thoughtful critique of dominant education for sustainable development by exploring the limitations of sustainability as we often conceptualize it and the contextual limitations of the higher …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Depth and Breadth of Sustainable Business MBA Programs

  • University of Redlands (CA)

Even though many business schools realize the importance of sustainability not only from a societal but also from a business standpoint, the question remains whether or not the available programs …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Community Engagement and Sustainable Buildings: A New Course from Pima Community College, Tucson 2030 District, and ENERGY STAR

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

This session will explore a recent successful collaboration between three entities to create a new community-focused sustainability course in Tucson, AZ: 'Sustainability and Building Performance - Foundations, Best Practices, and …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainability in Italy: a Short-Term Study Abroad Program with Focus on Language, Environment, Culture, and Food

  • Dickinson College (PA)

Sustainability in Italy: Environment, Culture, and Food' is a short-term study abroad program in Italy connected to an Italian language course taught on the Dickinson College campus. Through fieldwork and …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Lorax 2.0: Twenty Questions for Standing in Solidarity with Living Systems in Sustainability Research in Higher Education

  • Prescott College (AZ)

Ethical alignment and systems thinking are at the core of sustainability considerations. How can colleges apply sustainability approaches to the process of academic research itself? Researching sustainability similarly invites ethical …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sustainability Education for Public Two-Year Colleges

  • Seminole State College of Florida (FL)

Even as an increasing number of employers seek personnel skilled in renewable energy technologies and sustainable design, companies overwhelmingly hire individuals for 'green jobs' who possess that knowledge within the …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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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.

AC 1: Academic Courses

AC 2: Learning Outcomes

AC 3: Undergraduate Program

AC 4: Graduate Program

AC 5: Immersive Experience

AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses

AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

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