Public Engagement

Introduction

Engagement in community problem-solving is fundamental to sustainability. By engaging with community members and organizations in the governmental, non-profit and for-profit sectors, institutions can help solve sustainability challenges. Community engagement can help students develop leadership skills while deepening their understandings of practical, real-world problems and the process of creating solutions.

2946 resources

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
  • Course Materials
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Not Business as Usual: Fostering Civic Engagement on Climate Change

  • AASHE (PA)
  • U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
  • Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)
  • Citizens' Climate Lobby (CA)

Scientists are in consensus that the world needs to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and this cannot be accomplished by ...

  • Posted July 13, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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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 ...


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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The University and the Moral Imperative of Fair Trade Coffee

This paper examines the relationship between the university and fair trade coffee campaigns in North America. In recent years, fair trade coffee sales internationally have increased substantially but have still ...

  • Posted June 20, 2017
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Strengthening Knowledge Co-Production Capacity: Examining Interest in Community-University Partnerships

Building successful, enduring research partnerships is essential for improving links between knowledge and action to address sustainability challenges. Communication research can play a critical role in fostering more effective research ...

  • Posted June 20, 2017
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Maximising the local economic, environmental and social benefits of a university: Lancaster University

The paper presents the main conclusions from an in-depth study of the local economic, social and environmental impacts of Lancaster University in 1991/92. The likely impacts of further expansion ...

  • Posted June 20, 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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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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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
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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 ...


Put a Price on It: Bringing Higher Education into the Carbon Pricing Dialog

  • Swarthmore College (PA)
  • AASHE (PA)

This webinar explores the role of institutions of higher education in the emerging national carbon pricing dialog. Institutions of higher education have an immense capacity to educate a broad audience ...

  • Posted May 25, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Six: Scientists really aren't the best champions of climate science

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the sixth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 25, 2017
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Santa Fe College Party for the Planet 2017

  • Santa Fe College (FL)

The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo celebrated Earth Day 2017 by hosting the annual Party for the Planet on April 1 and 2 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m ...


NYU Celebrates Earth Month

  • New York University (NY)

Natural Herbicides Project

  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)

The Natural Herbicides Project focuses on addressing the issue of the usage of chemical herbicides with detrimental health and environmental impacts on- and off-campus. Our team developed an effective natural ...


Art as the Catalyst for Critical Sustainability Conversations

  • University at Albany (NY)

The University at Albany is proud to submit an application that illustrates our use of art as the catalyst for critical sustainability conversations. This was accomplished via two main projects ...


McGill University’s Fairtrade Campus Commitment: Roddick Roast Coffee

  • McGill University (QC)
  • Fairtrade Canada (ON)
  • The Canadian Fair Trade Network (BC)

In June 2013, McGill University was given the designation of Fair Trade Campus by the Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN). This means that 100% of coffee sold on campus is ...


Sustainability Weekend Conference, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

‘Sustainability Weekend’ is a student-initiative held on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh, PA, with the goal to promote inter-disciplinary conversations to raise awareness about the many sustainability issues surrounding ...


Black Hills Food Hub: rural food hubs serving a wider demographic

  • Black Hills State University (SD)

Black Hills State University (BHSU) and Spearfish community partners are seeking to create a culture that supports and values local food in order to expand the reach and depth of ...


Making Local, Healthy, Sustainable Delicious: The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators is a manual for restoring real food and regional food systems to the right place in our society. The guide documents UMass Dining’s ...


SFU’s 20-Year Sustainability Vision and Goals Case Study Submission

  • Simon Fraser University (BC)

On the 50th Anniversary of the institution, SFU launched an ambitious engagement process to map out and envision what a “sustainable SFU” would look like in 20 years. The yearlong ...


Revisiting Service Learning Through Food Equity, One Outcome from the Chemeketa - Marion Polk Food Share Youth Partnership

  • Chemeketa Community College (OR)

Chemeketa Student Retention and College Life (SRCL) periodically offers free leadership courses to students. Chemeketa’s dreams of a student farm for the Agricultural Sciences program are still a few ...


The New Eco-Rep Model: Unifying Campus Audiences in Co-Curricular Sustainability Programming

  • Dickinson College (PA)

Dickinson College has innovatively reformed its Eco-Rep model into a combined student and employee peer-to-peer sustainability education program that creates co-curricular learning experiences aimed at unifying campus stakeholders while increasing ...


Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding

  • Clark University (MA)
  • University of Tokyo
  • University College London (London)
  • United Nations University

Universities are under mounting pressure to partner with societal stakeholders and organizations to collaboratively create and implement sustainability-advancing knowledge, tools, and societal transformations. Simultaneously, an increasing number of societal organizations ...


Enhancing climate change adaptation: strategies for community engagement and university-community partnerships

  • Antioch University, New England (NH)

This paper discusses current opportunities for universities to partner with local governments and NGOs to support local level adaptation to climate change and a proposed ten-stage model which delineates the ...


Relocating Education for Sustainability: From the campus to the community

  • Kent State University (OH)

For 25 years, higher education has been challenged to provide a path toward sustainability. This challenge is both lofty and necessary. During this time, higher education has yet to make ...


Solar Garden Partnership: A Renewable Energy Innovation

  • Grand Valley State University (MI)
  • Consumers Energy

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) began a renewable energy project in partnership with its local utility, Consumers Energy, after the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a Solar Garden program. This ...


Cowbell Cleanup

  • Mississippi State University (MS)

Cowbell Cleanup is an initiative that was started by the Office of Sustainability on Mississippi State University's campus. The University faces a large influx of guests during home football ...


Does Social Justice Knowledge Matter in Sustainable Business Education?

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

There is a growing social justice movement in the United States in response to perceptions of increasing inequality, as illustrated by recent minimum wage protests and the Occupy Wall Street ...


Fix It Friday

  • Illinois State University (IL)

Fix It Friday is a program in which fashion students set up sewing machines in various places within the Illinois State University campus and the surrounding Bloomington-Normal community and offer ...


GreenApps Eco-Reps Sustainability Leadership and Engagement Course

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

The GreenApps: Eco-Reps Program was developed in order to recruit on-campus students to join the Office of Sustainability team to assist with education and promotion of campus sustainability through a ...


Applying a transportation rating system to advance sustainability evaluation, planning and partnership

  • James Madison University (VA)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot application of the Sustainable Transportation Analysis & Rating System (STARS), and highlight how a sustainability rating system can be ...


Campus Sustainability: A Lightbulb Moment | Caitlin Marsh | TED x Alma College

  • Alma College (MI)

As a sustainability expert, and Alma College alum, Caitlin opens up the conversation about what sustainability looks like on a college campus. And brings forward fresh implementation ideas.

After pursuing ...

  • Posted May 15, 2017
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Questions of Waste

  • University of Georgia (GA)

A unique and creative video documenting the waste habits of one student for a week. The video documents a friend of the videographer as she collects her waste for one ...

  • Posted May 15, 2017
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Integrating Sustainability with Education and Community Engagement at USF

  • University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)

The University of South Florida's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has created several community and international programs for students to engage in sustainability projects. Three projects explored in ...

  • Posted May 15, 2017
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Leveraging college sports to advance campus sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and community inclusion

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Bonneville Environmental Foundation (OR)

By launching from collegiate sports’ high profile platform, sustainability efforts have the reach to more broadly engage stakeholders on and off campus and enhance sustainable behaviors among fans such as ...

  • Posted May 15, 2017
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Sustainability Showcase at Family Earth Day Celebration

  • California State University, Northridge (CA)

The CSUN Institute for Sustainability hosted a "sustainability fair" as part of a grant we receive from LADWP. The event was designed to honor students who participated in a program ...


CING, CSMM and the Municipality of Saint Dometios joined forces with Let’s Do it Cyprus to clean two local parks!

  • The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING) and its postgraduate school, the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine (CSMM) together with the local Municipal Council of Saint Dometios in Nicosia ...


The Urban Agriculture Community-based Research Experience (U-ACRE) Project

  • California State University, Fullerton (CA)
  • Fullerton College (CA)
  • Santa Ana College (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

In Orange County, 36% of low-income households experience hunger at least once a day and well over 1/3 are children. Engaging students in experiential learning that addresses sustainability in ...


Promoting Sustainable Transportation with Campus Car Policies and Public Outreach

  • California State University, Monterey Bay (CA)

In fall of 2016 at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), the Environmental Studies undergraduate program began offering its first group-based capstone course that was based on its first Projects ...


Helping Others, Helping Myself: Collegiate Experiences and Graduates’ Altruistic and Wealth Aspirations

  • Niagara University (NY)
  • Georgia Gwinnett College (GA)

National statistics disclose that college graduates are more prone to volunteerism than nongraduates. These statistics motivate the question of exactly what college experiences are most likely to change a student ...


Arts and humanities inquiry in the Long-Term Ecological Research Network: empathy, relationships, and interdisciplinary collaborations

  • Michigan State University (MI)
  • Oregon State University (OR)
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks (AK)

The Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network is a collection of 25 National Science Foundation-funded sites committed to long-term, place-based investigation of the natural world. While activities primarily focus on ecological ...


Surveying employment listings to inform curricula of environmental science degree programs

  • Brigham Young University (UT)

Environmental Science has emerged as a common bachelor’s of science (B.S.) degree at colleges and universities throughout the USA, with growing enrollment and more than 1100 degrees offered ...


Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future: student research, social media, and suburban sustainability

  • Roosevelt University (IL)

The Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future (SSF) online social media project is a student-faculty collaboration at Roosevelt University that addresses sustainability issues, challenges, and solutions in the northwest suburbs of Chicago ...


Is Going Green Worth It? Assessing Fan Engagement and Perceptions of Athletic Department Environmental Efforts

  • North Carolina State University (NC)
  • Ohio University (OH)
  • Seattle University (WA)

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which environmentally themed activities within an intercollegiate sport context impact fan engagement. A total of 557 fans responded to ...


San Jose State University Earth Day

  • San Jose State University (CA)

University at Buffalo-Sustainability Month 2017

  • University at Buffalo (NY)

At UB, Earth Day is celebrated all month, with dozens of sustainability events highlighting our commitment to critical issues like climate neutrality and publicly funded science.


Earth Day 2017 - Chemeketa Community College

  • Chemeketa Community College (OR)

Students at Chemeketa Community College made paper cranes to represent their vision for a sustainable future and their love for Mother Earth. The paper cranes are going to be on ...


University at Buffalo-Sustainability Month 2017

  • University at Buffalo (NY)

At UB, Earth Day is celebrated all month, with dozens of sustainability events highlighting our commitment to critical issues like climate neutrality and publicly funded science.

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.

EN 10: Community Partnerships

EN 11: Inter-campus Collaboration

EN 12: Continuing Education

EN 13: Community Service

EN 14: Participation in Public Policy

EN 15: Trademark Licensing

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Public Engagement Partners