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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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Curriculum gaps for adult climate literacy

  • Smith College (MA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • Delta Stewardship Council (CA)

Conservation scientists need to advance climate literacy so that people understand how climate affects all of life, acquire the skills to communicate about climate change, and become aware of ways …

Transactional learning and sustainability co-creation in a university – business collaboration

  • University of Helsinki
  • Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) (Uusimaa)

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the learning outcomes of the project-based learning in a Master Class programme on sustainability carried out in collaboration by the University …

Best practices for teaching green invention: Interviews on design, engineering, and business education

  • Dartmouth College (NH)
  • Alula Consulting (MT)

This study investigated best practices in teaching environmental responsibility to inventors and innovators. Because successful invention includes engineering, design, and business, best practices in all three disciplines were investigated, as …

Empirical evidence that concept mapping reduces neurocognitive effort during concept generation for sustainability

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

Sustainable development is a systems problem that requires a shift in thinking from individual parts to the relationships between them. Enabling those involved in the development process to more quickly …

Phosphorus – a “political” element for transdisciplinary chemistry education

  • University of California, Davis (CA)
  • Universität Bremen

The paper describes a curriculum innovation project for integrating the sustainability-oriented socio-scientific issue of phosphate recovery into undergraduate chemistry education. Justification for the topic is derived from the importance of …

Towards an Education for the Circular Economy (ECE): Five Teaching Principles and a Case Study

  • Utrecht University

The circular economy (CE) concept is seen by many as a novel pathway to sustainable development. A few scholars have started outlining educational approaches and tools that lecturers can use …

“Future-proof your Degree”: Embedding sustainability and employability at Nottingham Business School (NBS)

  • Nottingham Trent University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how a UK business school has explicitly linked sustainability to employability and embedded these into all levels …

Classroom collaborations: Enabling sustainability education via student-community co-learning

  • De Montfort University

Purpose This study aims to explore co-learning classes, a novel approach to leveraging universities’ capacity to contribute to the local sustainable development agenda whilst enhancing students’ learning. These participatory classes …

Learning for Transdisciplinary Leadership: Why Skilled Scholars Coming Together Is Not Enough

  • University of Calgary (AB)
  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) (ON)

Transdisciplinary research is an emerging new normal for many scientists in applied research fields, including One Health, planetary health, and sustainability. However, simply bringing highly skilled students (and faculty members) …

Integrating Green and Sustainable Chemistry into Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories: Closing and Assessing the Loop on the Basis of a Citrus Biorefinery Approach for the Biocircular Economy in Brazil

  • Universidade Federal de São Carlos
  • University of York

One of the keys to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education is to introduce novel pedagogical strategies into university curricula in order to promote an enhanced …

The assessment of graduate sustainability attributes in the workplace: Potential advantages of using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB)

  • RMIT University

Sustainability in higher education aims to educate learners, as both citizens and future professionals, to build capacity to bring about a more sustainable future. As such, sustainability education can be …

Analysing the factors affecting the incorporation of sustainable development into European Higher Education Institutions' curricula

  • Gävle University College

There has been an increase in sustainable development (SD) integration into Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) curricula. Several tools have been developed to assess SD in HEIs; however, only a few …

Teaching Urban Sustainability: A Study Abroad Perspective

  • Ohio University (OH)
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Exeter (Devon)

Since 2011 more than 100 students from Ohio University have travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland, to study history, urban planning, and sustainability. In this paper we recount the genesis of this …

The End of Simple Problems: Repositioning Chemistry in Higher Education and Society Using a Systems Thinking Approach and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a Framework

  • University of Bristol
  • Technical University of Crete

The purpose of this paper is to discuss ways that a chemistry course could reposition itself by adopting interdisciplinary approaches based on systems thinking and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) …

Organizational hypocrisy in business schools with sustainability commitments: The drivers of talk-action inconsistency

  • University of Bath

Business schools are criticized for not walking-the-talk given their sustainability rhetoric and the expectation they educate future managers to act responsibly, balancing economic aims with the social and environmental impacts …

Including aspects of sustainability in the degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics: An evaluation based on student perceptions

  • Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (Bizkaia)

Education is progressing towards having a more sustainable outlook. Numerous approaches to sustainability teaching have been conducted at different educational stages, but few studies have used quantitative methods to measure …

Bridging sustainability science, earth science, and data science through interdisciplinary education

  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)
  • University of Texas at El Paso (TX)
  • University of Vermont (VT)

Given the rapid emergence of data science techniques in the sustainability sciences and the societal importance of many of these applications, there is an urgent need to prepare future scientists …

Systems thinking approaches for international green chemistry education

  • University of York

This overview outlines the recent progress made in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through educators incorporating systems thinking approaches within green and sustainable chemistry education. A blend of …

Integrating the Molecular Basis of Sustainability into General Chemistry through Systems Thinking

  • Iowa State University (IA)
  • Dalhousie University (NS)
  • The King's University (AB)
  • Imperial College London

The flow of materials and energy through society is an integral but poorly visible element of global sustainability agendas such as the Planetary Boundaries Framework and the UN Sustainable Development …

Perspectives of scholars on the nature of sustainability: a survey study

  • Michigan State University (MI)

Purpose This paper aims to investigate different ways in which faculty members of sustainability-related departments in universities across the world perceive, understand and define sustainability and how these definitions are …

Preaching to the choir or composing new verses? Toward a writerly climate literacy in introductory undergraduate biology

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • University of Michigan (MI)

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing society today, yet a wide range of misconceptions exist in society about whether or why climate change is happening, what …

Professional Aspirations as Indicators of Responsible Leadership Style and Corporate Social Responsibility. Are We Training the Responsible Managers that Business and Society Need? A Cross-national Study (Las aspiraciones profesionales como indicadores del estilo de liderazgo responsable y de la responsabilidad social corporativa. ¿Estamos formando a los directivos responsables que necesitan las empresas y la sociedad? Un estudio entre países)

  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)

The relationship between responsible leadership (RL), identified from achievement expectations, and the importance attached to corporate social responsibility (CSR) was analyzed. In a survey of 1,833 business management undergraduates in …

Using research methods courses to teach students about sustainable development – a three-phase model for a transformative learning experience

  • Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart/University of Applied Sciences (HFT) (Stuttgart)

Purpose Learning about sustainable development in dedicated curricula can be beneficial for students’ personal and professional development and societies alike. However, for various reasons the implementation of sustainable development modules …

Circular Economy Competencies for Design

  • Technische Universiteit Delft

This study addresses what competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) designers need in order to successfully design products and services for a circular economy. Existing literature, though sparse, has identified a …

Are the sustainable development goals being implemented in the Portuguese higher education formative offer?

  • Polytechnic Institute of Santarém
  • University of Aveiro

Purpose The study aims to examine the vertical integration of the sustainable development goals (SGDs) in Portuguese public higher education institutions, namely, at the level of undergraduate and master’s degrees, …

Teaching Sustainability in Fashion Design Courses Through a Zero-Waste Design Project

  • Illinois State University (IL)
  • University of North Texas (TX)

With the increased importance of learning about sustainability in fashion design curriculum, this article reports the teaching zero-waste design in existing fashion design courses that teach skills needed to create …

Greenhouse Gas Footprints for Physicists

  • University of Hawaii at Hilo (HI)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Virginia (VA)

Our aim in this paper is to describe an opportunity for physics students and faculty to learn about an environmental issue of much current interest: the quantification, or footprint analysis, …

Integrating perspectives from indigenous knowledge and Western science in secondary and higher chemistry learning to contribute to sustainability education

  • Universität Bremen
  • Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa (Banten)

In this paper, we suggest integrating perspectives from indigenous and Western science into chemistry learning. Doing so is suggested to enhance students' views on sustainability issues. Integrating indigenous and Western …

A fragility approach to sustainability – researching effects of education

  • Wageningen University
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
  • WSB University in Wrocla (Wrocław)

Purpose Management education trainers are increasingly called upon to train students to devise interventions for sustainable development in business settings. Due to the dominant reductionist paradigm, these interventions may lead …

Developing Students’ Action Competence for a Sustainable Future: A Review of Educational Research

  • National Taiwan Normal University
  • Taichung Municipal Dali High School (Taichung County)

The goal of education for sustainable development is to develop future citizens who can make informed decision and take responsible action to solve the problem. The concept of action competence …

Achieving and Monitoring Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship: A Systematic Review of the Literature

  • University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College (HI)
  • Waseda University (Tokyo)

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of literature (56 studies) related to Sustainable Development Goal 4.7. The goal of the research reported on here is to contribute …

Insertion of Photovoltaic Solar Systems in Technological Education Institutions in Brazil: Teacher Perceptions Concerning Contributions towards Sustainable Development

  • Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
  • Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
  • Electric Energy Research Center (CEPEL)
  • Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) (RN)

Teaching spaces are seen as institutions presenting relevant power to promote sustainability. Thus, in addition to knowledge (re)producers, they must also assume ethical obligations to incorporate daily sustainability-oriented actions. In …

Assessment of the Development of Professional Skills in University Students: Sustainability and Serious Games

  • Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (Bizkaia)
  • Camara Bilbao University Business School (Vizcaya)

In this study, we analyze the development of key professional skills for sustainability (KPSS) in university students using serious games (SG) from a sustainability perspective. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were …

Implementing the UN SDGs in Universities: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned

  • RMIT University

The education sector is one of the few sectors that can support, promote, and contribute to achieving all of the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Universities, in …

Educating for sustainable development: Cultivating creativity through mindfulness

  • Bowling Green State University (OH)

The emotional and cognitive benefits of creativity and mindfulness on the learning process are well documented. However, research on the role of creativity and mindfulness in higher education for sustainable …

Morphological box for ESD – landmark for universities implementing education for sustainable development (ESD)

  • Munich University for Applied Sciences (Oberbayern)
  • Wilhelm Büchner Hochschule/Mobile University of Technology

Universities have various options to implement higher education for sustainable development (ESD) into curricula and syllabi, and incorporate sustainability into students’ daily routine and life on campus. Despite considerable progress …

Sustainable construction in Turkish higher education context

  • Middle East Technical University

As the construction industry is one of the dominant contributors to the world’s total CO2 emissions and it has huge negative impacts on the environment, sustainable construction has become a …

Weather Wizard

From Weather Wizard to Cloud Man: Sustainability Education & Outreach with a Fun Approach

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • American Meteorological Society (DC)

The goal of this project is to educate young students about sustainability and create a passion for the environment. Frequently, schools wait until middle school to introduce environmental topics. My …

Equitable Pathways to 2100: Professional Sustainability Credentials

  • ESDI Green Teach for Opportunity Project (DC)

Across numerous industries and occupations, professional associations are contributing to knowledge and skills for sustainability by offering new credentials. This represents an opportunity to increase students’ career preparedness for clean …

In search of healthy policy ecologies for education in relation to sustainability: Beyond evidence-based policy and post-truth politics

  • Wageningen University
  • Mana College

There is a rational assumption built into some research projects that policy contexts are influenced by the quality of the evidence. This is, at best, only somewhat true some of …

Reducing carbon emissions in business through Responsible Management Education: Influence at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels

  • Nottingham Trent University
  • Keele University
  • Northumbria University (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
  • NetPositive Ltd.

There has long been an understanding that to achieve meaningful progress against sustainability challenges, action is required at multiple levels. With regards to education initiatives, these levels range from macro-level …

The seven sustainability competences according to the RESFIA+D Model. Part A: conceptual background

  • Miami Dade College (FL)
  • Roorda Sustainability

Aim: The article describes the origins, structure and validation of a model for professional competences for sustainable development, called RESFIA+D. The model provides an assessment and policy instrument that …

Assessment of sustainability competencies: a literature review and future pathways for ESD research and practice

  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • Universidad Camilo José Cela (Madrid)

Aim: This paper aims at reviewing existing theoretical frameworks in sustainability competencies and identifying suitable evaluation strategies and instruments for sustainability competencies assessment in the context of Education for …

International Perspectives on Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education via Systems Thinking

  • Universidad de Córdoba

Various international perspectives from selected regions where substantial work is being done on green and sustainable chemistry education emphasize a systems thinking framework. Common to most of the perspectives is …

Sustainability in higher education from the perspective of business ethics and corporate sustainability

  • KU Leuven
  • University of Antwerp

Aim: In this epilogue to the special issue, the author provides a reflection on the commonalities between the origins of business ethics and corporate sustainability on the one hand, and …

Geography Education for Sustainable Development

  • University of Cape Town
  • Zhejiang University
  • East China Normal University

Increased pressure on the earth's resources has led to what is increasingly referred to as the climate crisis. While a whole range of environmental parameters have been transformed through such …

  • Posted April 17, 2020
  • Publications
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Energy engineering curricula for sustainable development, considering underserved areas

  • Carlos III University of Madrid

This paper focuses on the need for sustainable energy engineering degrees and the problems found in establishing appropriate curricula contents. Proposals are made for developing adapted energy engineering degrees. Relevant …

  • Posted April 17, 2020
  • Publications
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Design Responsibility and Sustainability in Education

  • University of Sharjah

Preparing students for a real-world profession is an essential element of the design education process. These students often question their abilities and power to successfully join the industry, especially when …

  • Posted April 17, 2020
  • Publications
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Becoming a competent teacher in education for sustainable development: Learning outcomes and processes in teacher education

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

This paper aims to provide a holistic approach to assessing student teachers’ competence development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This is to provide evidence on which teaching and learning …

  • Posted April 17, 2020
  • Publications
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Party for Animals: Introducing Students to Democratic Representation of Nonhumans

  • The Hague University of Applied Science

This article aims to gauge students’ perceptions of the Dutch Party for Animals (PvdD) in order to reflect on the political representation of nonhumans (animals). The support for political representation …

  • Posted April 17, 2020
  • 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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