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.
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Natural Dye Campus Garden: Art and Permaculture
- University of North Texas (TX)
Funded by the environmental services fee, the University of North Texas Natural Dye Garden is a student initiated project in the College of Visual Arts and Design. Inspired by a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing a Sustainability Degree with minimal resources
- University of Northern Colorado (CO)
The University of Northern Colorado developed an Environmental Studies Minor program in 1970. In 2011 it launched an interdisciplinary Environmental & Sustainability Studies Program B.A degree. While it was initially …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Graduate Attribute Development at the University of Saskatchewan
- University of Saskatchewan (SK)
The School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) at the University of Saskatchewan, located in Saskatoon, Canada, is home to a thriving community of eighty-five graduate students, a dozen post-doctoral fellows, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Framework for Systematic Learning for Sustainability Science
- University of Saskatchewan (SK)
The urgency of global problems including growing income inequality, climate change, threats to water security, loss of species and the intensification of urbanization suggest that the aspirations for sustainable development …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Life Cycle Analysis of Food at University of Washington
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
In spring 2014, twenty-five students in the class Sustainability Studio (in the undergraduate Environmental Studies program) partnered with University of Washington Housing and Food Services to assess the environmental impacts …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Campus Sustainability Planning Studio
- Western Washington University (WA)
This session will cover the Campus Sustainability Planning Studio (CSPS), a hands-on, problem-based learning class that has been taught at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment since 1999. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Learning How to Apply Social Science Research by Solving Campus Sustainability Challenges
- University of Michigan (MI)
“Social Sciences and Environmental Problems,” a 75-student class at taught annually at the University of Michigan (U-M), introduces six social sciences and how each can help understand and address environmental …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Show Me the Learning!
- Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
Over the past four years, over 60 faculty across the disciplines participated in a series of 9-20 hour long workshops internalizing the key concepts of sustainability and unearthing the connections …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Sustainable Business 101: Required Readings
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock (AR)
If you teach introductory sustainable business, you need to hear to this presentation. Based on a review of 96 introductory courses representing 63 universities, the most common reading assignments and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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STARS Curriculum: Trends, Challenges and a Proposed Solution
- East Tennessee State University (TN)
STARS Curriculum: Trends, Challenges and a Proposed Solution
M. Moin Uddin, Ph.D., East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
STARS (The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) curriculum subcategory recognizes …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Case Studies in Educating for Sustainability Across the Curriculum: Liberal Arts Edition
- Dickinson College (PA)
- Furman University (SC)
- Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)
Small colleges possess a unique opportunity to infuse sustainability across the curriculum. Dickinson College, Furman University, and Sewanee: The University of the South will share three case studies that demonstrate …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Libraries as Partners Around the University Table
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
- University of Florida (FL)
- University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)
The university table where sustainability campus initiatives and academic programs are discussed is relatively busy. Seats are filled by representatives from academic and student affairs; buildings and grounds; housing services; …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Assessing Undergraduate Sustainability Knowledge Campus Wide: From design to implementation and analysis
- The Ohio State University (OH)
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
Many universities and colleges have adopted goals to increase the knowledge and awareness of sustainability concepts and issues among their student populations. To this end, more and more sustainability themed …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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GS3: Developing Sustainable Business Leaders
- University at Albany (NY)
The proposed workshop will provide an in-depth review of the unique Going Green Globally program, or G3, designed for the first year MBA students at the University at Albany. The …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Four Approaches to Sustainability Education: One Degree
- Prescott College (AZ)
A look at doctoral programs across the United States reveals there is only one focused specifically in Sustainability Education. In its 9th year of operation, Prescott College’s Sustainability Education PhD …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Partnerships for Youth Development: Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE)
- Missouri State University (MO)
The Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE) is a week-long academy for high school students sponsored by the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society, Missouri State University, Missouri Department of Conservation …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging Students in Climate Research with High Altitude Stratospheric Balloons
- Trevecca Nazarene University (TN)
For the last four years, Trevecca Nazarene University has been using small-scale high altitude balloon flights to engage students in climate research and raise awareness of that research within the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Incubation of a New Suite of Courses in Food Systems
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Five innovative new courses at the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities focus on issues of changing food systems and global sustainability. Responding to student interest, the courses developed independently. Even as …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating Sustainability Initiatives and Green Energy Infrastructure on Engineering College Campuses
- Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)
Emphasis on sustainability in higher education over the last decade prompted the formation of nonprofit organizations, like the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which administers …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A holistic approach to culture change on campus: a new model of liberal arts education
- Green Mountain College (VT)
Making the transition to sustainability in higher education will require a significant culture change across the campus. The current approach in which sustainability is pursued as a collection of isolated …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Literacy & Pro-Environmental Behavior -a comparison across domestic and international students at Ohio State Univ
- The Ohio State University (OH)
The Ohio State University (OSU), one of the nation’s largest public universities, ranks among the top 10 nationally for international student enrollment. As per the findings of the Open Doors …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating Sustainability Sciences into a Social Science Discipline: An Exploration in the Fiber, Textile & Clothing Field
- Oklahoma State University (OK)
Climate change is a multifaceted global issue that is transforming Earth’s surface and atmosphere in response to human influences. The $2 trillion fiber, textile, and clothing (FTC) industry contributes significantly …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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So, You Think That's a Sustainability Course?!?
- Portland State University (OR)
- Alfred State College (NY)
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)
Considerable uncertainty haunts university sustainability officers when developing sustainability-focused and -related course identifiers. It seems everyone has an opinion about which courses qualify for the different categorizations, and why. Unresolved …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Wholly Frijoles! Teaching Sustainability Through Interactive Systems Thinking Education
- University of Arizona (AZ)
This presentation will be highly interactive and begin with participants playing and discussing “Wholly Frijoles” for about 40 minutes. The “Wholly Frijoles” simulation focuses on the use (and abuse) of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Next Wave Workshop: UVM Sustainability Faculty Fellows
- University of Vermont (VT)
Many sustainability initiatives on college campuses do not seem to be grounded in theory, but rather appear to be practices drawn from a toolkit or grab bag—in effect, practices in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Library and You: Sharing Our Vision
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Are you a faculty member frustrated with the lack of reliable information in your students’ papers and projects? Are you a librarian seeking ideas for integrating your expertise into the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Connections for Sustainability: Creating a Sustainability Affiliate Faculty Program at Furman University
- Furman University (SC)
Questions of sustainability are inherently interdisciplinary and must be examined from a variety of perspectives to ensure a comprehensive solution or answer. At the faculty level, however, devoting time to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Disciplinary Trends in Sustainability Education: Preliminary Results
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)
This study examines disciplinary impacts and trends of sustainability education in the United States using data from AASHE STARS and the National Council for Science and the Environment. Current community …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From the Bayou to our Campus: Immersive Experience as an Opportunity for Student Leadership
- University at Buffalo (NY)
Over the last two years, our students have travelled to southern Louisiana as part of our Alternative Winter Break program to help transform and adapt the landscape into one that …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Institutional Change for Sustainability in Higher Education: United Kingdom University Experiences of the Green Academy Program
- University of Southampton
The United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education Academy (HEA) leads a university change management programme in sustainability in partnership with UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) entitled ‘Green Academy: curricula for tomorrow’. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond Carbon Offsetting: Making a Sustainable Living Class Carbon Conscious
- Living Routes, Inc. (MA)
This Case Study will report on how a university class measured and managed its carbon footprint in a way that directly supported campus sustainability projects. It’s clear that climate change …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Does experiential student learning lead to more sustainable lifestyles outside the classroom?
- St. Edward's University (TX)
Experiential learning is increasingly promoted as a means of enhancing student learning, especially for Millennial students (Brown, Hansen-Brown and Conte, 2011). Although the applied focus of sustainability courses seems ideal …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Literacy: A Lifelong Learning Approach
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
As higher education institutions endeavor to prepare students for the future, environmental literacy is increasingly important. In addition to educating students, universities play a significant role in engaging the broader …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Sustainability Education: Institutional and Intragroup Challenges and Opportunities
- Colorado Mountain College (CO)
In order to most effectively contribute to creating adaptive and resilient socio-ecological systems appropriate for an uncertain future, educators must develop transdisciplinary sustainability education praxis. This presentation is about collectively …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Designing for Sustainability: Project-based Seminar Series
- Daemen University (NY)
As we encourage students to address sustainability-related issues, we need to have an effective strategy for empowering them to be creative and successful. We have structured our curriculum to include …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Access to Local Food in the Carolinas Program: Campuses to Communities
- Davidson College (NC)
- Duke University (NC)
- Furman University (SC)
- Johnson C. Smith University (NC)
The Duke Endowment (TDE) schools, Davidson College, Duke University, Furman University, and Johnson C. Smith University, all have significant interest in promoting sustainable farm and food systems in the Carolinas …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Experiential Learning Lab: LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
- Heapy Engineering (OH)
- Purdue University (IN)
In order to achieve the short-term goal of piloting a LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB:O+M) project on campus, an office of sustainability initiated such a project with …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Next Wave - Faculty Development for Sustainability Across the Curriculum
- Dickinson College (PA)
- Emory University (GA)
- San Diego State University (CA)
The Ponderosa Project of Northern Arizona University and Piedmont Project of Emory University provide a model of faculty development that has been widely emulated. The model has been effective at …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Plenary: Sustainability and Sound
- Brown University (RI)
- Florida State University (FL)
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro (NC)
This plenary will provide a brief introduction to the emerging field of ecomusicology followed by a discussion of some key issues as they relate to higher education. The three expert …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Intersection of Sustainability Education and the Job Market
- Lipscomb University (TN)
- Footprint Talent (GA)
The Intersection of Sustainability Education and the Job Market session will educate university staff and students on what employers are looking for from recent sustainability graduates.
Eryn Emerich of Footprint …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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[eco]logical Succession: Cultivating Learning in Place
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
- Purdue University (IN)
Living buildings often rely on the Integrative Design Process to effectively gather information from a diverse ecosystem of project participants. This presentation will provide methods that leverage the design and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Faculty Development Workshops: Planning, Implementation & Outcomes
- Middlebury College (VT)
- Skidmore College (NY)
Two liberal arts colleges will offer their experiences in offering faculty development workshops for sustainability. These workshops are a structured way to work within the academic setting to offer the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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LEED Laboratory: Training Students to Sustainably Transform the Built Environment
- The Catholic University of America (DC)
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
In 2012 the Catholic University of America, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) entered into a formal collaboration to create a pilot studio, the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Case Study in Building Sustainable Partnerships: Fair Trade Learning in Vieques, Puerto Rico
- University of Mount Union (OH)
- Susquehanna University (PA)
Prescott College’s limited-residency Ph.D. program in Sustainability Education allows students to design and lead their second year fall residency. In order to enhance the experiential and transformative nature of the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond the Classroom: Experiential Learning and Students as Agents of Change within Local Communities
- Hillsborough Community College (FL)
- University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)
Through innovative partnerships, students at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) are extending their education beyond the classroom by providing community-wide leadership in the field of sustainability. In 2012-2013, examples of student-led …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Nature of Sharing: Collaborating across Universities to Develop Education for Sustainability Certificate Programs
- Manhattanville College (NY)
- Webster University (MO)
AASHE Proposal for 2013, Nashville, TN
Short Title: Developing EfS certificate programs
Title: The nature of sharing: Collaborating across universities to develop Education for Sustainability certificate programs
--With universities struggling …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Embedding Ecological Footprinting into Curriculum as a Tool to Engage Students
- Macquarie University (NSW)
The Department of Environment and Geography and the Sustainability Unit at Macquarie University, Sydney, collaborated to develop and investigate the effectiveness of environmental education pedagogy. A central sustainability goal in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Re-growing the Penn State Student Farm: Designing a Living Lab Experience by Bringing All Partners to the Table
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
In response to the need for greater integration of sustainability in higher education, many institutions have created student farms on their campuses. Founded originally as an agricultural college, The Pennsylvania …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Behavior Change for Energy Efficiency: A Literature Review
- Western Michigan University (MI)
The first Earth Day in 1970 spurred a heightened interest in environment-focused behavior change research among social scientists. Psychologists, in particular, enthusiastically rose to the challenge. Multiple review papers have …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Five Years of an Integrated Approach to Campus Sustainability: Linking Academics, Operations and Student Life
- Dalhousie University (NS)
At the 2008 AASHE Conference, [X] University presented two ambitious campus sustainability initiatives, one academic and one operational, and an overarching sustainability framework. The university has since put these initiatives …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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
- Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Website URL - Sustainability course offerings
AC 2: Learning Outcomes
- Description of institution level sustainability learning outcomes
- List of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability
- Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of sustainability
- Website URL - Sustainability learning outcomes
AC 3: Undergraduate Program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
AC 4: Graduate Program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
AC 5: Immersive Experience
- Description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s)
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (upload)
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability literacy
AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses
- Description of the course development incentives
- Website URL - Incentives for developing sustainability courses
AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.