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.

2945 resources

Networking to collaborate with UC-CSU NXTerra: California's new Climate Emergency Teaching Tool

  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

Presenters Dr. John Foran and Richard Widick will introduce UC-CSU NXTerra and discuss our strategies for scaling up the urgency of climate change education. NXTerra is an interdisciplinary network collaboration ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) Networking Session

  • Central College (IA)

This is an opportunity to network with others from the Upper Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Learn about upcoming regional events and discuss regional collaborations ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Inspiration from signatories of the SDG Accord

  • Environmental Association for Universities & Colleges (EAUC) (Gloucestershire)

The SDG Accord is a HESI initiative and AASHE is a supporting partner. The session will include a brief overview of the SDG Accord and will bring together signatories to ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Faculty Networking Meeting hosted by Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (SCC)

  • Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (MD)

This Faculty Meet-up will serve as a networking opportunity for those faculty attending the Global Conference, complementing the curriculum track being co-presented by AASHE and the Sustainability Curriculum Consortium. This ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Invitation to NXTerra California's new Climate Emergency Teaching Tool

  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

Join us for an introduction to UC-CSU NXTerra - a Knowledge-Action Network (KAN) and Digital Platform for climate educators, developed by faculty from the University of California (UC) and California State ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Optimization of Environmental Communication Through the Analysis of Media Engagement

  • Hope College (MI)

This presentation aims to explore the relationship between communication medium and effectiveness in the digital landscape during COVID-19. The presentation explores video, graphic, and photo as communication methods for different ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

What is 'Sustainability' in the Time of Anti-Racist Uprising & a Global Pandemic?

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • Ithaca College (NY)

In the wake of George Floyd's murder and in the throes of a deadly pandemic, sustainability, as it's traditionally practiced, has become all but irrelevant as social unrest ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

(Some of the) Surprising Findings About Living Wages in Higher Education During a Global Pandemic

  • Saint Joseph's University (PA)

Between the global pandemic, broadening awareness of racial inequalities, and intensifying financial pressure, American higher education institutions are having to revisit their core beliefs, implicit assumptions, and day-to-day operations. During ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Community College Networking Meeting

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)

This annual networking session will encourage community college staff/students/faculty to share their accomplishments from the previous year. Further, structured networking around certain topics will encourage practitioners to share ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Your Values at Work - How YOU Can Drive Corporate Action on Climate Change

  • Environmental Defense Fund (DC)

Young people today are increasingly aligning their lifestyles and career choices with their values, especially when it comes to sustainability. With their futures ahead of them, students and young professionals ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Mobilizing to VOTE: Climate 2020

  • Our Climate (OR)

Our Climate's workshop will highlight our voter registration and Get Out The Vote campaign. Young people are the largest voting bloc in this country, we can have a tremendous ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

We are Uprooted and Rising: The Fight for Food Sovereignty in Higher Ed

  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

What does it look like to have a future that nourishes and sustains all of us for generations to come? How can colleges and universities support that future for their ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Green Career Planning Workshop with the National Wildlife Federation

  • National Wildlife Federation (VA)

A goal without a plan is merely a wish - start writing your green career plan today in this interactive workshop, utilizing the National Wildlife Federation's Career Center resources and ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Advancing Sustainable Development Goals by Committing to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

In 2019, the University of Colorado Boulder became the first US university to commit to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. The UN effort now includes major international/national ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Student Healing in a Time of Climate Crisis

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Against a global backdrop of climate strikes in the Fall of 2019, students and youth everywhere are demanding an immediate shift toward climate change solutions and policies that address the ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Examples and Conversation about Elevating Equity and Justice in Sustainability Literacy

  • Agnes Scott College (GA)
  • Emory University (GA)
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • Spelman College (GA)

This workshop will provide participants with opportunities to explore a diverse set of strategies for elevating equity and justice components of sustainability across the college curriculum and through co-curricular opportunities ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

The Power of Multistakeholder Collaborations in Centering Equity and Working for a Just Transition

  • Coastal Carolina University (SC)
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • Georgia State University (GA)
  • Middlebury College (VT)
  • University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

Universities and community, government, and business stakeholders are uniting - through a variety of different networks and collaborations to achieve Agenda 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) in ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

How to Ban Fracking, Divest, and Win a Green New Deal - 5 Successful Steps for Leaders to Win Change

  • Elected Officials to Protect America (SC)

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win - Gandhi Led by a nationally-renown changemaker and former elected official, this dynamic, interactive ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Another Just Transition: Community-Engaged Research and Learning for Environmental Justice

  • Santa Clara University (CA)
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)

To contribute to a just transition to a regenerative economy and an equitable society, academia can accelerate its own shift toward conducting more community-engaged research (CER) for environmental justice (EJ ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Beyond Campus Boundaries: Transferring your Skills to Support Climate Action in Local Government

  • Hampshire College (MA)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA)

The climate crisis and lack of national-level action has left many of us feeling like we need to do more - both on campus and beyond. As students, staff, and faculty ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Lots of Watts: Four Campuses Join Forces to Build a Giant Solar Farm

  • Dickinson College (PA)
  • Lafayette College (PA)
  • Lehigh University (PA)
  • Muhlenberg College (PA)
  • Coho Climate Advisors (MD)

Large-scale renewable energy power purchase agreements can eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from purchased electricity, while saving money and mitigating energy price risk over time. However, most campuses are too small ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Investing in the Just Transition: How to Leverage Your Institution's Endowment

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Intentional Endowments Network (MA)
  • RBC Global Asset Management
  • Low Income Investment Fund (CA)

When exploring how to finance the just transition, the over half-trillion dollars in endowment funds invested by the nation's higher education institutions represent a relatively untapped resource containing immense ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Bold Leadership and the Refugee Crisis

  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • Minnesota State University Moorhead (MN)

Bold leaders are needed to address the current global refugee crisis. Through our interactive presentation we will provide attendees the information they need to become those leaders. We will walk ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Facilitation for Organizational Change

  • Trust (MA)

One of the most important, yet often underappreciated, skill sets of any profession is the ability to be a strong group meeting facilitator. Whether it is a small staff meeting ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

The Offset Network: Campus-driven Carbon Offset Projects

  • Duke University (NC)
  • Hamilton College-Clinton.NY (NY)
  • Second Nature (MA)

Most campuses need to use some amount of carbon offsets to meet climate goals. However, few options through traditional carbon markets are affordable and provide the local co-benefits and connection ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

The Union of the Preposterous: Playfully Engaging with Climate Change

  • Western Technical College (WI)

We are entering a decade in which the world requires massive climate action. Yet, as sustainability professionals we still struggle to engage people to take meaningful climate action. Equally problematic ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Applied Sustainability: Leadership Lessons From the Field

  • Ohio University (OH)
  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • Local Government Commission (CA)

In order to empower leaders and build momentum for the sustainability movement, we need to embrace the full leadership pathway before, during and after the higher education experience. While much ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Transforming Sustainability Storytelling Through GIS: an Introductory Learning Lab

  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a tool traditionally associated with the management and display of geospatial data. The tool is very prevalent, in both the academic and professional realm, with ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Teaching Learners, Preparing Leaders: Using Peer Education to Complement the Academic Experience

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • Ithaca College (NY)

Grappling with the effects of the climate crisis will require new and innovative ways of teaching, learning, and leading to ensure emerging leaders are equipped with the skills necessary to ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Developing Sustainability Internships Through an Employer Relations Lens: A Pilot

  • The College of Saint Scholastica (MN)

A brief talk on how grant funding and new academic programming in sustainability fostered a pilot to increase experiential learning opportunities. This session presenter is not a subject matter expert ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

A Community College Partnership: Forty-Eight Members in One State

  • Illinois Green Economy Network (IL)

The Illinois community college system is the third largest in the United States, educating nearly one million students each year. The Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) is a consortium of ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Visualizing sustainability: building a robust online sustainability dashboard

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

The University of Washington's recently redesigned its sustainability dashboard. Starting with a group of static graph images presented largely without context, we moved all of our data into Tableau ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Enhancing Sustainable Approaches to Food Security and Community Engagement through Design of Space

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

The Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky (CKUK) is a student-led service organization that is a partner agency of God's Pantry Food Bank within the Feeding America's ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Green Advisors, Sustainability Advocates, and More: Building Engaged Community

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

This session will focus on innovative, action-oriented engagement opportunities in sustainability for a diverse range of stakeholders at the college and university level. At Swarthmore College, more than 80 faculty ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Using Hand-crafts to Engage a Campus on the Climate Crisis: 50 Years of Tempestries & a Sketch-crawl

  • University of California, Davis (CA)

For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in April 2020, the UC Davis Office of Sustainability coordinated a master list and website (https://earthday.ucdavis.edu/) of more than 60 ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Skill Development Workshops for Impact at UC Berkeley‚ Green Initiative Fund

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Established in 2007, The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UC Berkeley provides funding, via grants, for projects that improve and support UC Berkeley's campus sustainability efforts. TGIF allocates funds ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Creating a Sustainability Professional Learning Network

  • Colorado State University (CO)

Professional Learning Networks are commonly used by educators to share innovative and unique teaching and learning ideas. In this presentation I will build from the idea of a professional learning ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Food Waste Warriors: Combating Food Waste with Strong Relationships and Education

  • University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)

Through strong partnerships with community members both on and off campus, UNC Asheville Dining Services continues to reduce waste, while increasing educational opportunities around food waste. UNC Asheville Dining Services ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Land Acknowledgements

  • Bemidji State University (MN)

A Land Acknowledgement is a statement that 'recognizes the Indigenous peoples who have been dispossessed from the homelands and territories upon which an institution was built and currently occupies and ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Leveraging Town Gown Relationships to Promote Community Sustainable Development Initiatives

  • Denison University (OH)

Colleges and Universities are uniquely positioned to leverage resources to drive sustainable development initiatives in their respective communities. These efforts can and should be mutually beneficial to the school and ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Implementing the Renewable Energy Rider Program

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

In 2020, the University of Wisconsin-Madison partnered with its electric utility, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), to invest in a 10 megawatt (MW) solar development through the Renewable Energy Rider ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Just Transition in Action: Lessons from Freiburg, Germany and New York

  • Elected Officials to Protect America (SC)

This dynamic workshop inspires participants with detailed case studies of just transition in action. It challenges participants to engage in practical solutions in ways that build economic and community solidarity ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Climatepedia.org: A Nationwide Student Effort to Spread Climate Change Information

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)
  • Climatepedia (CA)

Over 97% of publishing climate scientists agree that climate change is a real, anthropogenic threat to all life on earth. However, various polls show that amongst the American public, there ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

EchoWorks: a Cooperative e-Recycling Program

  • Western Dakota Technical College (SD)

Globally, electronic waste is the fastest growing segment of municipal waste. Unfortunately, there is a widespread lack of availability of safe disposal options for the often-toxic e-materials. To provide this ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

A Communiversity Resiliency Mobilization

  • Indiana University South Bend (IN)
  • University of Notre Dame (IN)

In response to partisan and divisive politics and relationships in our nation and our communities, the University of Notre Dame, in partnership with Indiana University South Bend and the city ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Teaching the UN SDGs: Developing local goals in the classroom

  • Central Community College (NE)

In 2015, Central Community College (CCC) developed a faculty-driven program to incorporate sustainability issues across the curriculum. The presenter is co-chair of the Environmental Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ESATC) committee ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

From Dissonance to Harmony: Transforming Campus Events to Align with Institutional Priorities

  • Colgate University (NY)

Campus events bring together students, faculty, staff, and community members together; while they often build community and enhance academics, they also frequently diverge from institutional wellness and sustainability goals. Hundreds ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Empowering Underserved Populations Through Community Programs

  • Weber State University (UT)

Learn about Weber State University's focus on sustainability-forward community programs over the last five years and how they have become more focused on serving underserved and underrepresented populations over ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Building Campus-Community Relationships and Resilience

  • Bemidji State University (MN)
  • Precipitate, PLLC (MN)

Located in Northern Minnesota, Bemidji State University (BSU) operates within a dispersed, rural, and diverse community. Bemidji State staff and faculty will be joined by planning consultant Precipitate to share ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Veterans and Sustainability Education: Why Aren't we Taking Better Advantage of it?

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

While many veterans take advantage of the educational benefits provided by the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the number of student veterans participating in the earned benefit by the Veterans ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

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