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Grounds

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Beautiful and welcoming campus grounds can be planned, planted, and maintained in any region while minimizing the use of toxic chemicals, protecting wildlife habitat, and conserving resources.

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UW-Stevens Point Organics Diversion Program

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) has been actively managing its organics for decades. Over the past 10 years, UWSP has managed upwards of 140,000 pounds of organics per ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
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Creating Engaging and Equitable Outdoor Experiences for Students and Staff

  • North Carolina State University (NC)
  • Legrand North America, LLC (CA)

Outdoor spaces are transforming the way we live, learn, work and play. Aside from the many health benefits that being outdoors can bring, people want to be productive outside-and spaces ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
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Protect the Roots: Promoting Sustainability with Policy and Planning that Prioritizes Campus Trees

  • University of Kentucky (KY)
  • University of Louisville (KY)

As the popularity of programs like Tree Campus USA demonstrate, there is widespread agreement that trees provide tremendous value to our campuses across a broad spectrum of key campus metrics ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
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Campus Farmers and Growers Networking Meeting

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)
  • University of Utah (UT)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Join other campus farmers and food system advocates in creating a robust, interdisciplinary network of campus-based growers and partners at our second annual networking meeting. Find someone in your region ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
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Landscape Master Plan

  • California State University, Long Beach (CA)

This Landscape Master Plan provided for CSULB seeks to identify important aspects of the campus landscape and its systems and provide recommendation on how to preserve and enhance the campus ...

GIFT GRANT

  • University of Virginia (VA)

The GIFT (Green Initiatives Funding Tomorrow) Grant is funded by the Student Council’s Sustainability Committee with assistance from the Office of the Dean of Students. GIFT has provided tens ...

  • Posted Sept. 21, 2021
  • Green Funds
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Macalester student volunteers stencil signs near storm drains in Saint Paul, Minn. to raise awareness about runoff pollution in the Mississippi River.

Drains on the System

  • Macalester College (MN)

Macalester student volunteers stencil signs near storm drains in Saint Paul, Minn. to raise awareness about runoff pollution in the Mississippi River. This event was a collaboration between the Civic ...

  • Posted Sept. 20, 2021
  • Photographs
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Principia College students engage in interdisciplinary research to define solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges, such as protecting ocean spaces.

Principia College students routinely participate in multidisciplinary internships that challenge them to develop solutions to complex problems, such as biodiversity loss.

  • Principia College (IL)

Truett Sparkman, an environmental studies major with a minor in sustainability at Principia College, has a passion for the management and conservation of complex ecosystems threatened by inadequate policy regimes ...

FGCU1

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

FGCU photo for 2021 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI)

FGCU2

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

FGCU photos for 2021 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI)

Bates College students working in the organic, no-till student garden.

Bates College students working in the organic, no-till student garden.

  • Bates College (ME)

Bates College students working in the organic, no-till student garden.

A bioswale behind Cassell Hall at American University helps to manage stormwater on campus.

Water Management at American University

  • American University (DC)

Submission for SCI 2021. Top performer in the "Water" area.

West path, passing through our edible forest

HEC Montréal

  • HEC Montréal (QC)

HEC Montréal CSC building is located in an urban area on the iconic Mont-Royal. Even if outdoor space is limited, we take great care of our green spaces by choosing ...

Students shop for fresh veggies and honey harvested on campus while visiting PCC's Portlandia Farmstandia.

PCC Students Visit Portlandia Farmstandia

  • Portland Community College (OR)

Students shop for fresh veggies and honey harvested on campus while visiting Portland Community College's farm stand, also referred to as Portlandia Farmstandia. This photo was taken prior to ...

Farm animals graze between the solar panels at Portland Community College's Rock Creek campus.

Farm Animals Among Solar Panels at PCC Rock Creek

  • Portland Community College (OR)

Talisman the guard llama and other farm animals graze between the solar panels at Portland Community College's Rock Creek campus.

Eric Champagne, McGill's Horticultural Supervisor, showcasing his tree seedlings

Eric Champagne, Horticultural Supervisor for McGill’s Downtown Campus

  • McGill University (QC)

Eric Champagne, the Horticultural Supervisor for McGill’s Downtown Campus, has been indispensable since he joined the Grounds team in 2003. Through his work, a campus that was once filled ...

Volunteers attend to chrysalises at Dawson’s rooftop monarch nursery.

Monarch Nursery Program

  • Dawson College (QC)

The flowers of the Dawson College Ecological Peace Garden and naturalized rooftops are part of a nectar corridor for monarchs flying over Montreal. College students and staff have been rearing ...

R'Garden Field Harvest

The R'Garden

  • University of California, Riverside (CA)

The R'Garden is a community garden at University of California, Riverside that is committed to increasing local food access in Riverside and emphasizing the importance of a sustainable food ...

Alumni Memoria Hall, within the center of Randolph Hall, College of Charleston

Alumni Memorial Hall within Randolph Hall, College of Charleston

  • College of Charleston (SC)

This is the central ceremonial space of the College, within one of its oldest continually used buildings.

Overview of Nittany 1 Solar Farm

Lightsource bp Module Installation

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

70-MW Solar Power Purchase Agreement - Pennsylvania State University partnered with solar developer Lightsource bp on a 70-megawatt, off-site solar energy project to supply about 25% of the University's electricity ...

Southern view of Nittany 3 Solar Farm

Nittany 3 Solar Farm - Southern View

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

70-MW Solar Power Purchase Agreement - Pennsylvania State University partnered with solar developer Lightsource bp on a 70-megawatt, off-site solar energy project to supply about 25% of the University's electricity ...

Overview of Nittany 3 Solar Farm

Nittany 3 Solar Farm

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

70-MW Solar Power Purchase Agreement - Pennsylvania State University partnered with solar developer Lightsource bp on a 70-megawatt, off-site solar energy project to supply about 25% of the University's electricity ...

Working in partnership with grazing and ecology experts, Lightsource bp has introduced a co-located “agrivoltaics” program at the Nittany 1 solar farm. A neighboring farmer grazes over 300 sheep among the solar panels, using a rotational system to feed his herd, maintain the land and enhance soil quality and biodiversity.

Nittany 1 Solar Farm

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

70-MW Solar Power Purchase Agreement - Pennsylvania State University partnered with solar developer Lightsource bp on a 70-megawatt, off-site solar energy project to supply about 25% of the University's electricity ...

The University of Queensland's own residential sheep taking shelter from the rain at our 64MW solar farm.

UQ 64MW Warwick Solar Farm, Relief from the rain

  • University of Queensland (QLD)

The University of Queensland's own residential sheep taking shelter from the rain at the 64MW solar farm. They are on a break from maintenance tasks where they mow and ...

University of Virginia - Memorial for Enslaved Laborers

University of Virginia - Memorial for Enslaved Laborers

  • University of Virginia (VA)

A Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at University of Virginia was completed in 2020. The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers seeks to formally acknowledge the work and the individual lives of the ...

Plant blindness and sustainability

  • Aberystwyth University
  • University of Gothenburg

Abstract Purpose

The present paper aims to examine the concept of “plant blindness” in the context of current sustainability debates. “Plant blindness” was the term introduced in 1999 by the ...

Farming on the Campus Quad

  • Duke University (NC)
  • Green Mountain College (VT)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

This article covers how universities have promoted local and organic farming by giving their students land to grow their own gardens on campus.

Sneed Prairie Restoration Project

  • Austin College (TX)

From website: "In 2001, Austin College initiated an ecosystem restoration project at a former family farm. The Clinton and Edith Sneed Environmental Research Area and Prairie Restoration site, named after ...

  • Posted May 26, 2021
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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The original underutilized space prior to Herbicide Free Emory's project implementation.

Redefining Environmental Aesthetics at Emory University

  • Emory University (GA)
  • Re:wild Your Campus (TX)

Emory defines sustainability as relating to the quality of life, emphasizing the necessity of community health, wellbeing, and happiness. In approaching sustainability, Emory has created a comprehensive strategy to foster ...

Prairie Grass Restoration Project

  • Grinnell College (IA)
  • Re:wild Your Campus (TX)

Located in central Iowa, Grinnell College, once a prairie itself, is now indistinguishable from any other college, its land covered in swaths of fresh cut, herbicide-coated sprawling green lawns. In ...

Summer 2019 Student Researchers

New Ways to Love Trees

  • Hope College (MI)

As urbanization rapidly replaces natural forest cover, urban forests are becoming increasingly important because of the ecosystem services they provide. Through the development of the TreeSap app and corresponding educational ...

Auraria Campus Sustainable Development Handbook

  • Auraria Higher Education Center (CO)

Auraria Campus Sustainable Development Handbook Maintenance, Design, & Construction Guidelines for Campus Operations & Planning

The Sustainable Development Handbook for Auraria Campus synthesizes the existing sustainability goals of Auraria Campus ...

Solar Farm 2.0 as seen through landscape buffer

UIUC Solar Farm 2.0: Ultra-Sustainable on-campus solar array

  • University of Illinois University Administration (IL)
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

Referred to as “Solar Farm 2.0,” a new 54-acre, 12.32 megawatt (MWdc) utility-scale array is located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus, north of Curtis Road ...

A view of the Food Forest sign and growing space

Cascadia Cornucopia Food Forest as a prototype for food permaculture areas on campuses

  • Cascadia College (WA)

The Cascadia Food Forest is an example of an integrated learning project at Cascadia College. It was designed to facilitate learning opportunities outside the classroom. The food forest is a ...

University of St. Thomas Stewardship Garden

  • University of St. Thomas (MN)

The Stewardship Garden (SG) at the University of St. Thomas (MN) is an innovative urban agriculture project that combines undergraduate-driven research, teaching, and community engagement. Established in 2010, the SG ...

President's Sustainability Research Fellowship Cohort

Crum Woods ROW Restoration

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Project Name: Crum Woods Sewer Line Right of Way (ROW) Restoration Name: Chelsea Semper Project Mentors: Jeff Jabco and Lars Rasmussen Project Board Members: Jake Grossman, Sue MacQueen, Chloe Klaus ...

Organic University Landcare Management with Sustainability Professionals

  • Seattle University (WA)
  • University of Tennessee System Office (TN)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Re:wild Your Campus (TX)

As we look to the future of making universities a safe space for all–students, groundskeepers, community members and more–we discuss the ways university staff and students are creating ...

  • Posted May 12, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Brown University (RI)

With a lack of United States federal policy to address climate change, cities, the private sector, and universities have shouldered much of the work to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and ...

sustainNU and Partners Host Tree Planting

  • Northwestern University (IL)

In celebration of Arbor Day, Northwestern University's Office of Sustainability (sustainNU) hosted a tree planting with the City of Evanston and Chicago Gateway Green to plant ten trees with ...

Ecological Restoration of Parking Lot O looking south.

Ecological Restoration on BCIT Burnaby Campus

  • British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)

The ecological restoration of Parking Lot O on the BCIT Burnaby campus is well under way. What was a gravel parking lot is being transformed into a landscaped natural area ...

  • Posted April 30, 2021
  • Photographs
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Newly added plants from the OSU-Cascades soil erosion service project.

Soil Erosion Service Project

  • Oregon State University-Cascades Campus (OR)

Students, staff, and faculty at the OSU-Cascades participated in an erosion control service project lead by OSU-Cascades Sustainability Program on a construction site on Oregon State University's campus in ...

  • Posted April 29, 2021
  • Photographs
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Climate & Sustainability Ambassador with saplings.

Saplings for Earth Day

  • Ohio University (OH)

For the second consecutive year Ohio University's Office of Sustainability has partnered with the local Arbor Day Foundation chapter to collect and test acorns in the fall from a ...

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Photographs
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Students Celebrate the Earth with Tree Plantings at Bowling Green State University

"When it Comes to Sustainability, the Earth is Our Nest," say BGSU Falcons

  • Bowling Green State University (OH)

In celebration of Earth Month and sustainability on campus, students from Bowling Green State University came together to plant trees for the benefit of the University community. BGSU's Office ...

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Photographs
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A group photo of DIU Rover Scout Group worked Earth Day initiative

DIU, Bangladesh observed Earth Day 2021 with an initiative of Tree Plantation

  • Daffodil International University (Dhaka)

Air Rover Scout Group of Daffodil International University (DIU), Bangladesh observed Earth Day 2021 with an initiative of tree plantation on campus as well as the nearby community. The motto ...

  • Posted April 23, 2021
  • Photographs
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Spatial distribution of urban vegetation: A case study of a Canadian University Campus using LiDAR-based metrics

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Planners and urban managers design green spaces according to established standards, aspiring to create green spaces within and around the built environment. However, when building density is extremely high, it ...

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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How An Arboretum Outreach Activity Changed Students’ Attitudes Towards Sustainable Development

  • Penn State Brandywine (PA)

In Fall 2017, Penn State Brandywine kicked off an initiative titled Sustainovation, emphasizing programming and community collaborations through sustainability and innovation. The campus identified Tyler Arboretum as a community partner ...

  • Posted April 21, 2021
  • Publications
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University campuses can contribute to wildlife conservation in urbanizing regions: a case study from Nigeria

  • American University of Nigeria (Adamawa,)

Globally, colleges and universities are increasingly mandating sustainability and environmental protection into their practices. To date, such institutions have focused their efforts on recycling and energy-use reduction and less on ...

  • Posted April 8, 2021
  • Publications
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The Buzz about Bee Campuses: Student Thoughts Regarding Pollinator Conservation

  • Louisiana State University (LA)
  • The Ohio State University (OH)
  • University of Kentucky (KY)
  • USDA (IL)

The decline of insect pollinators in North America is alarming because it may have broad effects on multiple industries and ecosystem health (Gallai et al. 2009, Potts et al. 2010 ...

  • Posted April 8, 2021
  • Publications
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Webinar: Greenspace Town Halls and Make-A-Thon

  • University of Central Florida (FL)
  • AASHE (PA)

This event is part of the AASHE Award Winner Webinar Series, featuring a presentation of the Student Sustainability Leadership Award winning project.

This webinar will outline the Greenspace Sustainability Design ...

  • Posted March 25, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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Sustaining a Community Garden

  • Palo Alto University (CA)
  • AASHE (PA)

In 2016, Palo Alto College launched a survey campaign to identify the most pressing issues for student retention and learning. The results showed that one of the most pressing issues ...

  • Posted March 10, 2021
  • Videos & Webinars
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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. Additional content and advanced benchmarking tools will be added to this tab over time.

Programs and Initiatives

The following links connect to specific Content Displays on the STARS website (AASHE membership and log-in required).

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Grounds Partners

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