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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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Processes, strategies and practices for turning the University of Crete into a sustainable university

In this paper, we look at the University of Crete experience to integrate the concept of sustainable development across all its operations. Through a review of current sustainability practices of …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2017
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The Students’ Survey of Education for Sustainable Development Competencies: A Comparison Among Faculties

  • Universita degli Studi di Padova

The paper reports research employing a quantitative approach to investigating the competences of university students about educating for sustainable development (ESD). Participants were 467 bachelor students of the following five …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2017
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Assessing sustainability in higher education curricula: A critical reflection on validity issues

While curricular assessments can give insight as to the extent sustainability is integrated into higher education study programs, issues remain regarding how assessments are conducted. Previous research has identified and …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2017
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Greening Technical and Vocational Education and Training: A practical guide for institutions

  • UNESCO

This Guide is designed to help leaders and practitioners of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in improving their understanding and implementation of education for sustainable development (ESD) using …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2017
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Opportunity and Obligation: A Role for Outdoor Educators in the Sustainability Revolution

A primary educational challenge of the 21st century is to inspire students to become socially and ecologically conscientious citizens who are empowered, responsible members of the larger world. Outdoor educators …

  • Posted Aug. 18, 2017
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Sustainability, Green IT and Education Strategies in the Twenty-first Century

  • Curtin University

This work presents and discusses the latest approaches and strategies for implementing Sustainability and Green IT into higher education and business environments. Following the global financial crisis in 2007/2008, businesses …

  • Posted Aug. 17, 2017
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Sustainability at Work: Finding Purpose and Profit in Your Career

  • AASHE (MA)
  • Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)

This webinar provides career guidance for pursuing sustainability in every imaginable career. Using the SURF Framework that the presenter developed, and professional narratives from various sectors (agriculture, health, science & …

  • Posted Aug. 17, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Sustainability Practice and Education on University Campuses and Beyond

  • University of Toledo (OH)

Campus activities for sustainable development are an effective way of learning and implementing sustainability in surrounding communities and industry. A college campus is an ideal place to practice and test …

  • Posted Aug. 14, 2017
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Greening the Heart of Postsecondary Education

  • Royal Roads University (BC)
  • AASHE (MA)

What does “greening the heart of education” look like at the postsecondary level? What are the big questions we must pose — and answer — if colleges and universities are …

  • Posted Aug. 3, 2017
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Sustainable Business Courseware

  • Point B (WA)

AASHE has partnered with Sustainable Business Consulting to provide plug-and-play online sustainable business courseware to help members accelerate the integration of sustainability into their curriculum. The content is consistent with …

  • Posted Aug. 2, 2017
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Sustainable Business Certificate

  • Point B (WA)

This program has been created to bring students the leading skills and tools for integrating sustainability into any organization - current or future. It is designed to prepare students for …

  • Posted Aug. 2, 2017
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Professional Science: Environmental Geographic Information Science

  • Unity Environmental University (ME)

Often, environmental scientists can analyze and interpret environmental data while GIS scientists can manage and manipulate data. Unity College’s 100% online GIS degree, the Master’s in Professional Science in Environmental …

  • Posted Aug. 2, 2017
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An interdisciplinary approach to environmental and sustainability education: developing geography students’ understandings of sustainable development using poetry

  • Anglia Ruskin University

Education for sustainable development (ESD) persists as an important concept within international policy and yet, despite considerable debate, there remains a lack of consensus as to a pedagogy for ESD …

Employable graduates for responsible employers

  • Higher Education Academy (York)

This report explores links between sustainability and employability in the graduate job market in relation to higher education teaching and learning. This was achieved in two ways - firstly, by …

  • Posted July 28, 2017
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The World Climate Simulation

  • University of Massachusetts Lowell (MA)

The importance of sustainability will only grow during our students’ lifetimes, as will the need for sustainability-literate citizens and professionals of all types. We have developed an interactive and engaging …

  • Posted July 21, 2017
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Living Labs Research

  • Environmental Association for Universities & Colleges (EAUC) (Gloucestershire)

A university or college living lab is where real-world institutional problems are addressed in new dynamic partnerships between all the institution's stakeholder groups. A living lab facilitates a bridge of …

  • Posted July 13, 2017
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Study Guide Questions for Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce Revised Edition

  • Oklahoma State University (OK)

This interactive workbook is a study tool to accompany Paul Hawken's book “The Ecology of Commerce: Revised Edition: A Declaration of Sustainability” (published in 2010). It transforms reading about sustainability …

  • Posted July 13, 2017
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The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions

Current anthropogenic climate change is the result of greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere, which records the aggregation of billions of individual decisions. Here we consider a broad range of …

  • Posted July 13, 2017
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Breaking Through Gridlock: The Power of Conversation in a Polarized World

Think about the last time you tried to talk with someone about political, social, or environmental issues who didn’t already agree with you. How well did it go?

All too …

Education for sustainability in higher education: a multiple-case study of three courses

Education for sustainability (EfS) in higher education is an emerging specialisation within the general field of EfS. EfS encompasses cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects, and aims at enhancing a variety …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
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Educating the Future of Sustainability

  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • University of New Haven (CT)

The future of global environmental sustainability is contingent upon educating the next generation of environmental stewards. Critical elements of training such an interdisciplinary workforce include mentoring and experiential learning in …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
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What are the key elements of a sustainable university?

Nowadays, the principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly important and universities are acting as agents in promoting these principles within society. In the future, universities will inevitably play crucial …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
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Toward sustainable educational travel

  • Southwestern University (TX)
  • Franklin University Switzerland (Ticino)

In the past decade, sustainability and global citizenship have emerged as two of the most prominent themes in contemporary higher education. Literature that specifically merges the two themes has, however, …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
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Participants in Dickinson College's Valley and Ridge 2017 workshop got out into the field to learn how to weave sustainability into education.

Setting a Sustainability Standard

  • Dickinson College (PA)

Dickinson takes leadership role in helping faculty across a wide-range of disciplines prepare students to tackle tomorrow's sustainability challenges.

Energy Economics and Policy

  • University of Rhode Island (RI)

This certificate program provides intensive training in energy economics, management, and policy. It is designed to address energy management issues at scales ranging from the individual building, to the microgrid, …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
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Preparing British Design Undergraduates for the Challenge of Sustainable Development

The first part of this paper argues that higher education (HE) institutions have an obligation to nurture sustainable development awareness. This is viewed against the UK Government's recommendation and guidance …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
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Metaphors of Nature and Economic Development: Critical Education for Sustainable Business

Neoliberal discourse often conceptualizes nature in relation to its market utility and economic development. This article will address the role of metaphors in shaping neoliberal discourse in business education. The …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
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Learning for change: an educational contribution to sustainability science

Transition to sustainability is a search for ways to improve the social capacity to guide interactions between nature and society toward a more sustainable future and, thus, a process of …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
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Influences on Student Intention and Behavior Toward Environmental Sustainability

As organizations place greater emphasis on environmental objectives, business educators must produce the next set of leaders who can champion corporate environmental sustainability initiatives. However, environmental sustainability represents a polarizing …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Explicitly linking pedagogy and facilities to campus sustainability: lessons from Carleton College and the University of Minnesota

  • Carleton College (MN)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Campus sustainability projects provide an opportunity to explicitly link campus operations and academics. College and university buildings and grounds offer the potential for numerous hands‐on sustainability projects. Few schools explicitly …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Experiences of environmental professionals in practice

  • Utrecht University

The purpose of this paper is to explore the labor market position of environmental science graduates and the core competencies of these environmental professionals related to their working practice.

The …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Essential Ecoliteracy, or “earth smarts”: Defining and validating a pragmatic educational construct based on quality of life.

This study began with an attempt to find a definition of ecological literacy that was flexible enough to be useful in variety of contexts, but also included components that were …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Environmental sustainability in higher education: how do academics teach?

The concept of sustainability can be controversial and difficult to define. As a result, it has been suggested that there should be specific pedagogies and teaching methods for education for …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Employers Expectations of Graduates of Environmental Programs: An Australian Experience

The graduates of Australian tertiary environmental programs have been finding employment, yet there is little information about whether their tertiary experiences were related to the actual needs of their employers. …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Education for sustainability in university studies: A model for reorienting the curriculum

A decisive factor for achieving a culture of sustainability is university training for future professionals. The aim of this article is to bring new elements to the process of reorienting …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Curriculum Change in Universities: Conditions that Facilitate Education for Sustainable Development

Many universities have begun to introduce curriculum innovation and change to facilitate the curricular integration of generic skills underlying education for sustainable development (ESD). However, the literature and research in …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Creation of an Innovative Sustainability Science Undergraduate Degree Program: A 10-Step Process

  • Kean University (NJ)

This publication explains the process used at Kean University (New Jersey) to create an innovative undergraduate degree program in sustainability science. This interdisciplinary program provides students with the strong science …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
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Master of Science in Product Stewardship

  • Indiana University Indianapolis (IN)

The Master of Science (MS) in Product Stewardship is an entirely online and interactive, 30-credit program, which includes public health fundamentals (PH), environmental health science fundamentals (EHS), and specialized product …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
  • Academic Programs
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Rethinking Thinking about Sustainability Curriculum

  • AASHE (MA)

“You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it.” Albert Einstein

If a snap of the fingers could reverse the environmental destruction of the past …

  • Posted June 9, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Urban Design for Sustainability Syllabus

  • Lesley University (MA)

What would a truly sustainable society look like? We will address that question, starting with a look at the rise and decline of societies and how the ideas of sustainability …

  • Posted June 9, 2017
  • Course Materials
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An Introduction to Sustainability Service-Learning Course for the Creation of Sustainable Citizens to Engage Wicked Problems

The current era of American discourse and dialogue is increasingly characterized as becoming less civilized. This lack of civility, whether real or perceived, negatively impacts our ability as a society …

MPH Environmental Health Promotion and Policy

  • University of Michigan (MI)

The Environmental Health Promotion and Policy program provides the foundation for understanding and anticipating environmentally- and occupationally-related health impacts, the skills for using this knowledge and available policy and health …

  • Posted June 7, 2017
  • Academic Programs
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A history of the future of higher education for sustainable development

Thirty years of academic dialogue and reinvention about environmental and sustainability education conceals the consistency of rhetoric that literature holds. This paper argues that higher education for sustainable development does …

What elements in a sustainability course contribute to paradigm change and action competence? A study at Lincoln University, New Zealand

  • Lincoln University, New Zealand

A significant shift in the dominant paradigm governing the relationship of humans with nature and society is crucial in order to change the current unsustainable practices. This article describes a …

Personal authenticity and political subjectivity in student deliberation in environmental and sustainability education

This study problematizes what is meant when one talks about classroom activities concerning environmental and sustainability issues as being authentic or not. It reports excerpts from three classroom discussions which …

Examining Interdisciplinary Sustainability Institutes at Major Research Universities: Innovations in Cross-Campus and Cross-Disciplinary Models

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • Cornell University (NY)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Duke University (NC)
  • Columbia University (NY)
  • Northwestern University (IL)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • Princeton University (NJ)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
  • Brown University (RI)
  • Boston University (MA)
  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • Vanderbilt University (TN)
  • Johns Hopkins University (MD)
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

This is a study of the disctintive characteristics, activities, challenges and opportunities of a specific type of sustainability institute, one that spans the many disciplines of the university and, to …

Curricula for Sustainability in Higher Education

This book presents the curricula necessary for sustainability in higher education. It shows how the learning process is transforming in order to promote sustainability. It prepares administrators, teachers and students …

Challenges in Higher Education for Sustainability

This book presents the latest advances on the incorporation of sustainability in higher education. Different aspects such as the environmental, economic and social are here discussed. Several examples illustrating how …

The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy: Skills for a Changing World

  • University of Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire)

In this book, leading sustainability educators are joined by permaculturists, literary critics, ecologists, artists, journalists, engineers, mathematicians and philosophers in a deep reflection on the skills that people need to …

Teaching for EcoJustice: Curriculum and Lessons for Secondary and College Classrooms

  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)

Teaching for EcoJustice is a resource for exploring the social roots of environmental problems in humanities-based educational settings and a curriculum guidebook for putting EcoJustice Education into practice. It provides …

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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