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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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Using role-playing games to broaden engineering education

  • Chalmers University of Technology

Purpose: In today’s complex society, there is an increasing demand to include a wider set of skills in engineering curricula, especially skills related to policy, society and sustainable development. …

An auto-photographic study of undergraduate students’ conceptions of ocean sustainability

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ understandings of ocean sustainability and the pedagogical influence of higher education on those conceptions.

Design/methodology/approach: The conceptions of …

Assessment of undergraduate students’ environmental stewardship reasoning and knowledge

  • James Madison University (VA)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a public university’s design and implementation of an assessment approach that measures the change in undergraduate students’ environmental stewardship reasoning …

Linking Sustainability with Study Abroad

  • Delta College (MI)

This project describes the planning, development, and implementation of integrating sustainability into study abroad in existing travel and through establishing new destinations. It also constructs a model that includes a …

University Colloquium | Service Learning Project

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

This video was created by students for a colloquium class project to address some of the projects and initiatives FGCU does to decrease our carbon footprint within the energy sector. …

  • Posted May 15, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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The Roles of Policy, Conceptualizations, and Pedagogical Methods in Teaching about Sustainable Consumption in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)

This study sought to understand how sustainable consumption (SC) is taught within Canadian post-secondary education (PSE) institutions. More specifically, this study investigated how faculty define and conceptualize SC, both personally …

NCSU Initiatives for Faculty Participation in Sustainability Efforts

  • North Carolina State University (NC)

This project seeks to understand the perspectives of faculty members as it relates to sustainability at North Carolina State University. Specifically, an online survey of randomly selected 500 faculty was …

Content trends in sustainable business education: an analysis of introductory courses in the USA

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)

Purpose - This study aims to identify the content in introductory business sustainability courses in the USA to determine the most frequently assigned reading material and its sustainability orientation.

Design/methodology/approach …

An Assessment of Sustainability Integration and Communication in Canadian MBA Programs

  • Saint Mary's University (NS)

This paper explores how sustainability has been integrated into and communicated in Canadian Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) programs. We content analyzed university, business school, and MBA program mission and …

Love and social justice in learning for sustainability

  • University of Edinburgh

The planet seems to be heading into an ecological catastrophe, in which the earth will become uninhabitable for many species, including human beings. At the same time we humans are …

Analysing the inclusion of stand-alone courses on ethics and CSR: A study of the MBA curricula of the Financial Times top-ranked business schools

**Purpose: ** This paper aims to examine how the Master of Business Administration (MBA) curricula of top-ranked business schools are offering stand-alone courses on ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). …

Temple Tiny House

  • Temple University (PA)

The Temple University Tiny House project is a student designed and student constructed sustainable building located at Temple Community Garden on main campus. Completed in spring 2017, the 175 square …

The Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience (U-ACRE) Project

  • California State University, Fullerton (CA)
  • Fullerton College (CA)
  • Santa Ana College (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

In Orange County, 36% of low-income households experience hunger at least once a day and well over 1/3 are children. Engaging students in experiential learning that addresses sustainability in the …

Student Created Iconography Set

Sustainability Marketing, Messaging and Design for Good at Chemeketa Community College

  • Chemeketa Community College (OR)

Chemeketa Sustainability served as a client to the college's Visual Communications program to create cohesive marketing for use in future sustainability campaigns and promotions.

Sustaining education for sustainability in turbulent times

  • James Cook University (Queensland)

A study of two schools in northern Australia demonstrated the impact on Education for Sustainability (EfS) initiatives of a disruptive policy environment set in motion by neoliberal reforms focused on …

Surveying employment listings to inform curricula of environmental science degree programs

  • Brigham Young University (UT)

Environmental Science has emerged as a common bachelor’s of science (B.S.) degree at colleges and universities throughout the USA, with growing enrollment and more than 1100 degrees offered. Many B.S. …

Shared place and space: a comparison of two interdisciplinary graduate programs

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Interdisciplinary training has an important role to play in environmental research, but what aspects of interdisciplinary training are most helpful for graduate students as they seek to define themselves as …

Integrated traditional and applied education—exploring sustainable cities and regions in classrooms and communities

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)

The most effective and promising models for teaching sustainability sciences and studies in a university setting are a topic of vigorous debate. This paper discusses an integrated sustainability curriculum at …

Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future: student research, social media, and suburban sustainability

  • Roosevelt University (IL)

The Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future (SSF) online social media project is a student-faculty collaboration at Roosevelt University that addresses sustainability issues, challenges, and solutions in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and, …

Applying the process of backward design in revising an environmental science program

  • Georgia College & State University (GA)

The purpose of this article is to share our model of a successful curriculum reform process and provide an overview so that it can be replicated by other programs. The …

Fostering STEM literacy through a tabletop wind turbine environmental science laboratory activity

  • University of Southern Maine (ME)

Increasingly, national education policy is focusing on improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) literacy by using energy as a subject matter. In particular, The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS …

From polyps to politics: using a coral reef living laboratory in a politics of sustainability course

  • Rosemont College (PA)

Teaching Global Environmental Politics faces several challenges to meet student learning objectives. For one, the interdisciplinary nature of global environmental politics requires significant knowledge of environmental issues, as well as …

Re-imagining environmental science and policy graduate education for the twenty-first century using an integrative frame

  • Clark University (MA)

To meet society’s need to better understand and respond to ever-more complex, interwoven problems of environment, development, and society - including environmental health risks, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development …

Teaching Social Research Methods on an International, Collaborative Environment & Sustainability Degree Programme: Exploring plagiarism, group work, and formative feedback

International collaboration is central to the Sustainable Development agenda given environmental challenges that span national boundaries. Education for Sustainability therefore needs to account for international/intercultural understandings, such as though international …

The Future of Sustainability in Higher Education

  • Bowling Green State University (OH)

In this article, I explore the future of higher education within the context of teaching and learning for sustainability. Challenges currently facing sustainability education are identified along with opportunities to …

Sustainable knowledge transformation in and through higher education: A case for transdisciplinary leadership

  • Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway (Co. Galway)

This article explores inter- and transdisciplinarity, given the need for more complex, relevant, and transformative knowledge to shift society towards more sustainable futures. It connects practical questions about economic, societal, …

Is Education for Sustainable Development the means to bring about inclusive development? Between idealist and alternative positions

  • Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

‘Adjectival educations’, include a great diversity of proposals within which Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) features prominently. ESD has enjoyed privileged attention from international organizations, in order to move political …

Higher Education in the Environmental Century

The environmental crisis that threatens the future of our species is unprecedented as we begin the “environmental century.” Natural conditions that were favorable for the development of civilization have been …

An On-Campus Botanical Tour to Promote Student Satisfaction and Learning in a University Level Biodiversity or General Biology Course

  • Xavier University of Louisiana (LA)

Outdoor, hands-on and experiential learning, as opposed to instruction-based learning in classroom, increases student satisfaction and motivation leading to a deeper understanding of the subject. However, the use of outdoor …

High Performance Education Fails in Sustainability? - A Reflection on Finnish Primary Teacher Education

  • Åbo Akademi University (Varsinais-Suomi)
  • University of Helsinki

Sustainability is internationally often emphasized as an essential aim of higher education, but more as a principle than on the practical level. This is also obvious in the academic education …

Critical Thinking and Normative Competencies for Sustainability Science Education

  • Hokkaido University (Hokkaido)

In this paper, we extend the competencies framework of education for sustainability development (ESD) to argue that critical thinking should be taught as a core competency and that normative dialogue …

Community-level environmental projects as learning tools for planners: a case study of graduate planning students

Despite the potential environmental impact of urban planning, there is little research on Environmental Education (EE) in the context of urban planning curricula. This study follows graduate planning students’ learning …

Alive, Survive, Strive, Thrive: A Grounded Conceptual Sustainability Taxonomy

  • Bowling Green State University (OH)

A conceptual sustainability taxonomy has been needed to better communicate the value of sustainability, to align sustainability scholars’ theories and sustainability educators’ practices, and to develop curriculum, teaching, learning, and …

A Rubric to Analyze Student Abilities to Engage in Sustainable Design

  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • James Madison University (VA)
  • The Citadel (SC)

As engineering programs have begun to infuse sustainability into their undergraduate curricula, assessment tools are needed to further inform these reform efforts. The goal of this project was to demonstrate …

Showing the effect of heat/cold on air using a balloon

UAlbany's Annual Family Earth Day

  • University at Albany (NY)

The University’s 5th Annual UAlbany Family Earth Day, organized by the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES), Atmospheric Science Research Center, Office of Sustainability and UAlbany Students for Sustainability, …

Student line up at the Office of Sustainability's booth at the Earth Day Expo to plant succulents.

Succulents at the Earth Day Expo

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Close-up shot of succulents that were made available for students to plant at the Earth Day Expo at the University of Minnesota. The Office of Sustainability challenged students and staff …

Finance and Curriculum

  • Texas A&M University-Commerce (TX)
  1. Relating the assignment to the University Mission
  2. Answering student demand
  3. Addressing programmatic structure
  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Mark Welch '17 President of Environmental Action Club blends up smoothies using Wheely Good Smoothie's pedal power blender bike at Evergreen Fest: Science and Climate Change Festival

Evergreen Fest 2017: Science and Climate Change Festival at Loyola University Maryland

  • Loyola University Maryland (MD)

Loyola University Maryland's Environmental Action Club hosts a full day of teach-in style presentations and interactive activities to celebrate the Earth with ACTION! The day was filled with opportunities to …

  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Photographs
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FIE Presents Re-imagining Sustainability: Creating Our Future

  • FIE: Foundation for International Education (London)

As a higher education teaching tool, this video takes a journey through the myths, the truths, and the reality of sustainability in our world.

As an articulated value, the Foundation …

  • Posted April 27, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Bike-Powered Smoothie Maker

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

During our Earth Day event, students had the opportunity to make their own bike-powered smoothie. Our engineering students built the system, as a part of their class project.

  • Posted April 27, 2017
  • Photographs
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Captain Planet joins The GREEN Program Team for the Philadelphia Science March

  • The GREEN Program (PA)

Saturday, April 22, Earth Day 2017, The GREEN Program team, partners and GREEN Alumni (with honorary team member, Captain Planet), took to the streets of Philadelphia to join our city …

  • Posted April 27, 2017
  • Photographs
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Strategies Toward the Inclusion of Environmental Education in Educator Preparation Programs: Results from a National Survey

  • Trinity University (TX)
  • University of Texas at San Antonio (TX)

A national study was conducted to investigate the inclusion of environmental education (EE) into educator preparation programs across the United States. Responses from teacher educators in institutions of higher education …

  • Posted April 27, 2017
  • Publications
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Infusing Education for Sustainable Development into University Academics, Research, and Engagement through Faculty Training Programs

  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
  1. Participants will be able to identify the impact of sustainability education and apply lessons learned to their programs
  2. Participants will be able to communicate the intended outcomes for their program …
  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Integrating Education for Sustainable Development through Tree Campus USA

  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
  1. Participants will be able to identify the advantages of including credit-based learning in the project versus hiring consultants
  2. Participants will be able to extrapolate and apply a plan for implementation …
  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Bringing Nature Back to Campus

  • Houston Community College (TX)
  • Rice University (TX)

I want to encourage other institutions to consider designing courses or other activities that give students an opportunity to participate in authentic, urban conservation efforts.

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Embracing Sustainability at Alamo Colleges

  • Alamo Community College District (TX)

Alamo Colleges is a network of five community colleges serving San Antonio, TX and surrounding areas. As a signatory in one of Second Nature's three Climate Leadership Commitments, Alamo Colleges …

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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The Green Labs Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Best practices for implementing a Green Labs program into a university.

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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"Staffulty”: When Sustainability Staff Take on Faculty Roles

  • Rice University (TX)
  1. Attendees will develop a rich understanding of the “staffulty” position.
  2. Attendees will learn the variety of ways that sustainability staff can engage with what is traditionally the faculty realm, including …
  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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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 heavily on professional skills in effective and compassionate communication, collaborative teamwork, or impactful stakeholder engagement, …

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Publications
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In what ways are teacher candidates being prepared to teach about the environment? A case study from Wisconsin

There is an urgent need for primary and secondary students to develop awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and an environmental ethic necessary to undertake environmental issues and problems. The need to adequately …

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • 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.

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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