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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Finding the Sustainability Sweet Spot: Where Operations and Education Converge
- Portland Community College (OR)
- University of Calgary (AB)
Education for sustainable development requires an interdisciplinary approach. Yet, few organizations are ready to embrace the dynamism that breeds collaborative academic success. Like academic disciplines, college operations are too frequently …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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A Relay-Race, not a Sprint: Advancing Campus as Lab in Solidarity
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
- Princeton University (NJ)
- University of Calgary (AB)
Campus as a Living Laboratory' is a rapidly evolving strategy for deploying innovative and utilitarian sustainability strategies. Presenters from diverse geographic locations and institution types examine the differences and similarities …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Supporting Students' Sustainability Learning and Emotional Resilience with Reflection and Contemplation
- Peninsula College (WA)
- Evergreen State College, The (WA)
- Western Washington University (WA)
How do we foster the cognitive complexity, ethical development, and personal resolve required for this 'sustainability century?' Tackling complex, systemic problems requires nuanced interdisciplinary understandings and the ability to engage …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Catch: A Face-to-Face Dynamic Simulation Game for Teaching About Renewable Natural Resource Management and Sustainability
- Western Michigan University (MI)
Catch© is free, fun and innovative, face-to-face systems dynamic simulation game that responds to the need for new, core-competency based pedagogical resources for teaching about the challenges of transformative change …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Building Our Capacity for Taking Action Together
- Daemen University (NY)
- Green Mountain College (VT)
Sustainability education needs more emphasis on developing skills necessary for students to engage in effective collective action (CA). This presentation will showcase coursework and projects at Green Mountain College and …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Longitudinal Sustainability Literacy and Culture Assessment for Students, Faculty, and Staff - Lessons Learned and Results
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Michigan State University (MI)
- University of Michigan (MI)
As more institutions increase their focus on sustainability both academically and operationally, the need for measurement increases. Currently, there is no common tool for measuring sustainability literacy, the culture of …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Breaking Boundaries in Sustainability Education
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
What brings together faculty in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Sports Management and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies? A new cohort-based fellowship program, hosted by the University of Minnesota's Institute on …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Teaching Climate Change Across the Curriculum
- Southwestern University (TX)
- Trinity University (TX)
The complexities of climate change can only be understood through multiple disciplinary lenses. Faculty at Southwestern University and Trinity University have developed curricula that promote interdisciplinary student learning about this …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Prioritizing Sustainable Learning
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
- University of South Alabama (AL)
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
- CannonDesign (NY)
Many of today's colleges and universities have prioritized sustainability and, as a consequence, highly sustainable buildings and landscapes. And, without a doubt, both prospective and current students have expressed a …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Advancing ESD Curriculum Development & Faculty Development through a Consortium Approach
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
- Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ)
- Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (MD)
- Green Whys Consulting (TX)
At AASHE 2015, we convened a dialogue to identify sustainability educators' challenges and recommendations to address critical needs. That successful workshop informed the launch of the Sustainability Curriculum Consortium. At …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Incorporating Sustainability in Traditional Writing and Humanities Courses
- Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TX)
- University of Arkansas (AR)
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
In this session, participants will learn about two different approaches to incorporating sustainability in First-Year Composition courses. The first presentation will report on a pilot project that aimed to model …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Multiple Approaches to Successfully Sustaining Your Campus as a Teaching and Living Laboratory
- Duke University (NC)
- Furman University (SC)
- North Carolina State University (NC)
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
- University of Georgia (GA)
The concept of using campus buildings, grounds, infrastructure, resources, and systems to support research and learning in sustainability is widely accepted and recognized by assessments like STARS. This workshop will …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Engaging Tech-Savvy Students in Curricular and Co-Curricular Sustainability Programs for Social and Environmental Change
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- HTS Enterprise, LLC (GA)
Sustainability education can meaningfully build and enhance relationships with diverse stakeholders while engaging students in learning that promotes social and environmental change. Leaders from Georgia Tech will share their experiences …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Sustainability Academic Programs Database
- AASHE (MA)
AASHE’s academic programs listing is among the largest and most comprehensive public databases of academic programs in sustainability and related fields. It includes everything from professional certificates to doctoral degrees.
- Posted Nov. 30, 2017
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Implementing Sustainability in the Curriculum of Universities: Approaches, Methods and Projects
This book presents sustainable development themes across universities and introduces methodological approaches and projects to the teaching staff.
It has been prepared against this background, to identify ways to better …
- Posted Nov. 30, 2017
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Sustainability: Designing Interdisciplinary Opportunities for Teaching
- Dallas College (TX)
The workbook is not just about sustainability, in and of itself. It is part of a larger sustainability process that: 1) illustrates how sustainability correlates with current courses; 2) provides …
- Posted Nov. 30, 2017
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Spreadsheet: Publications related to the role of access to nature in education
- Princeton University (NJ)
- University at Buffalo (NY)
- AASHE (MA)
- Dallas College (TX)
Response to a 11/6/17 GreenSchools listserv request for Academic literature concretely linking access to the natural environment and enhanced educational outcomes (e.g., an evidence-based assessment of correlations between exposure to …
- Posted Nov. 16, 2017
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The impact of development education and education for sustainable development interventions: a synthesis of the research
- University of Limerick
The Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations advocate that all learners will have the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. Development education, education for sustainable …
- Posted Nov. 7, 2017
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Is students’ energy literacy related to their university’s position in a sustainability ranking?
- University of Plymouth (Devon)
University rankings are increasingly important internationally, and in the UK include a sustainability ‘Green League’. However, there is little evidence about experiences of studying in ‘sustainable universities’. We report an …
- Posted Nov. 7, 2017
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Art and Science Collaboration: The Key to a Sustainable Future
- Antioch College (OH)
- Pacific Northwest College of Art (OR)
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Camden Campus (NJ)
- AASHE (MA)
This webinar is dedicated to art and science collaboration. As this topic has increased in importance to both artistic and scientific communities, Art and Science Collaboration: The Key to a …
- Posted Nov. 2, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Learning Our Way Toward Resilience
- Island Press (DC)
- Post Carbon Institute (OR)
This is an excerpt of Chapter 14 from The Community Resilience Reader: Essential Resources for an Era of Upheaval. Resilience education is about building our individual and community capacities …
- Posted Nov. 1, 2017
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Engaging Stakeholders in Education for Sustainable Development at University Level
This book discusses the role of ESD stakeholders at university level, involving civil society and the private sector and public sectors (including local, national and intergovernmental bodies). In particular, it …
- Posted Nov. 1, 2017
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Education for Sustainable Development
- AASHE (MA)
Article recaps a survery co-sponsored by Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), that found that 75 percent or more believed strongly that the curriculum should include coursework on environmental sustainability, …
- Posted Nov. 1, 2017
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Handbook of Sustainability Science and Research
This multidisciplinary handbook explores concrete case studies which illustrate how sustainability science and research can contribute to the realization of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It …
- Posted Oct. 23, 2017
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Handbook of Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development
- University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
This book focuses on lifelong learning for sustainable development, an aspect that has been rarely explored in great detail. It also discusses methodological approaches and experiences deriving from case studies …
- Posted Oct. 23, 2017
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Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research
In this handbook social science researchers who focus on sustainability present and discuss their findings, including empirical work, case studies, teaching and learning innovations, and applied projects. As such, the …
- Posted Oct. 23, 2017
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Three Views of Systems Theories and their Implications for Sustainability Education
- University of Maine (ME)
- University of London
Worldwide, there is an emerging interest in sustainability and sustainability education. A popular and promising approach is the use of systems thinking. However, the systems approach to sustainability has neither …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2017
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Teaching sustainability in a global MBA: insights from the OneMBA
- Erasmus University Rotterdam
This paper reports on a module designed to deliver education for sustainability within the framework of the new generation of global executive MBAs. The module described was taught as part …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2017
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Sustainability Science and Engineering: The Emergence of a New Metadiscipline
- American Chemical Society (DC)
A case is made for growth of a new metadiscipline of sustainability science and engineering. This new field integrates industrial, social, and environmental processes in a global context. The skills …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2017
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Overcoming Silos: The Role of an Interdisciplinary Course in Shaping a Sustainability Network
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
In fall 2009, seven faculty members from different disciplines partnered to develop and teach a 15-week undergraduate course on sustainability. These disciplines are family and consumer sciences, geography, management, political …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2017
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Public-Public Partnerships for a New Paradigm in the Civic Role of the University
- California State University, Chico (CA)
Recognizing the need to proactively prepare engaged citizens for the dynamic socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the 21st century, the Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University (CSU), Chico, …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2017
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Concordia Sustainability Action Fund and the Faculty of Arts & Science Sustainable Curriculum Project
- Concordia University (QC)
Sustainability Curriculum Co-Creation Teaching & Learning Festival
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
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The Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program at Fleming College, Lindsay, Ontario
- Fleming College (ON)
The Fleming College Salmonid Hatchery aims to ensure the future sustainability of Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario by maximizing genetic diversity in stocked fish. The Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program has …
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
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Sustainability in the Curriculum at Humboldt State University
- Cal Poly Humboldt (CA)
Humboldt State University is among the first institutions to be recognized in STARS for sustainability course designation in standard course catalogs or listings. A committee of faculty and staff first …
- Posted Oct. 12, 2017
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Leadership in Environmental Stewardship E-badge at Central Community College, NE
- Central Community College (NE)
Speech faculty Brent Adrian showing students the campus bee hives.
- Posted Oct. 11, 2017
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Leadership in Environmental Stewardship E-badge at Central Community College, NE
- Central Community College (NE)
Leadership in Environmental Stewardship E-badge at Central Community College on campus Central Community College in Grand Island, NE
- Posted Oct. 11, 2017
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Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): The turn away from ‘environment’ in environmental education?
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
This article explores the implications of the shift of environmental education (EE) towards education for sustainable development (ESD) in the context of environmental ethics. While plural perspectives on ESD are …
- Posted Oct. 9, 2017
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Core Concepts for Teaching Sustainability: Using “Tips” to Deepen Learning across the Disciplines, Grade Levels and Cultures
- Colorado State University (CO)
- AASHE (MA)
Sustainability is one of those big, complex concepts that defy easy definition or simple responses yet demand attention to our collective well-being. Some Native Americans would judge the worth of …
- Posted Sept. 28, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Global Citizenship Education: Preparing learners for the challenges of the 21st century
- UNESCO
This publication explores the concept of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), which it argues has a critical role to play in equipping learners with competencies to deal with the dynamic and …
- Posted Sept. 28, 2017
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Educating For Sustainability: Developing Critical Skills
- Massey University
- University of Waikato
This article explores the contribution a pedagogical approach based in critical theory can make to education for sustainability in business schools. In addition to the regular business and environmental management …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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The Relationship Between Academic Major and Environmentalism Among College Students: Is it Mediated by the Effects of Gender, Political Ideology and Financial Security?
- Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (PA)
Several studies have found a relationship between college students’ academic majors and their environmental attitudes and behaviors. Results from this study of incoming first-year students at a medium-sized public university …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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Careers in Sustainability: Current Job Trends and Future Growth
This report, based on interviews with 658 Canadian organizations, provides insight on key sustainability employment trends in Canada. It finds that over 50,000 professionals spend 50% or more of their …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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Careers in organic food production
This article describes the workers who are involved in producing organic food, certifying it, and bringing it to consumers. Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not collect …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report
- United States Department of Energy (DC)
The 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) finds that the Traditional Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors today employ approximately 6.4 million Americans. These sectors increased in 2016 by just …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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Now Hiring: The Growth of America’s Clean Energy & Sustainability Jobs
- Environmental Defense Fund (DC)
This report examines the growth of sustainability jobs in the United States. Key findings include:
- Sustainability jobs represent a large and growing portion of the U.S. workforce across multiple sectors. …
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
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Integrating Sustainability Into Management Education: A Dean's Perspective
- Michigan Technological University (MI)
The integration of sustainability and environmental ethics into management education has improved in the past decade. This is partly a response to external pressure, as societal concerns about sustainability grow …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2017
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Environmental education for the masses: lessons from a large, general enrollment environmental studies course
- University of Florida (FL)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
One critical tool for creating an environmentally literate citizenry is to reach students other than those in environmental-related majors in the form of the university-level large introductory environmental studies course. …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2017
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Writing to learn ecology: a study of three populations of college students
- Colorado State University (CO)
- Minnesota State University Moorhead (MN)
- White Earth Tribal and Community College (MN)
Being an ecologically literate citizen involves making decisions that are based on ecological knowledge and accepting responsibility for personal actions. Using writing-to-learn activities in college science courses, we asked students …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2017
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Environmental literacy, ecological literacy, ecoliteracy: What do we mean and how did we get here?
- University of Montana (MT)
Numerous scholars have argued that the terms environmental literacy, ecological literacy, and ecoliteracy have been used in so many different ways and/or are so all-encompassing that they have very little …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2017
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Teaching with principles: Toward more effective pedagogy in ecology
- Colorado State University (CO)
- Hampshire College (MA)
Ecology is a complex and dynamic field and, as communicators of our discipline, faculty should be able to define a set of core principles that underpin and create ecological pattern …
- Posted Sept. 20, 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
- 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.