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.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Justice-Oriented Learning: Reconfiguring Experiential Education with a California Farmworker Community
- Nova Southeastern University (FL)
- San Francisco State University (CA)
This community-based research project examines a land-based education program which creates opportunities for contextualized learning, acknowledging the value of immigrant farmworkers’ lived experiences. The study highlights how this culture of ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Authentic assessment targeting sustainability outcomes: a case study exploring student perceptions
- Victoria University of Wellington
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand student experiences of authentically assessed community partnership projects and reflect on authentic assessment from a social and environmental sustainability perspective. Design ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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The development of high leverage practices in environmental sustainability-focused service learning courses: applications for higher education
- University of Connecticut (CT)
- University of Maine (ME)
High Leverage Practices (HLPs), as a core set of teaching practices, represent important instructional priorities and provide instructional guidance for students’ engagement in practice-based instruction. The goals of this research ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Key insights from climate communication – and how they can inspire sustainability in higher education
- Hochschule Konstanz für Technik, Wirtschaft und Gestaltung
Purpose: To combat climate change and safeguard a liveable future, humanity needs fundamental and rapid social change. The purpose of this paper is to show, why and how climate communication ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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What can Sustainability Schools Learn from the Career Services Offered at Business Schools?
- University of Michigan (MI)
Increasingly, the importance of sustainability as a goal for different sectors in society is becoming paramount. Given the importance and urgency of this, the objective of this paper is to ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Social Capital, Indigenous Storytelling, and Fish Diversity: Learning Together Through Community-university Partnerships in Downeast Maine
- University of Maine (ME)
Not only can community-university partnerships be vehicles for mobilizing community resources and affecting change, they also have high potential to produce useful, nuanced research and enable renewed visions of trust ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Understanding Environmental Justice Instruction in Higher Education: Activist Epistemic Orientations and a Continuum of Community Engaged Curricular and Pedagogical Practice
- University of Massachusetts Boston (MA)
Starting in the early 1980’s, the environmental justice (EJ) movement was critical in drawing much needed attention to how communities of color, low-income groups, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Understanding the impact of state-level financial incentives on the deployment of renewable energy at colleges and universities
- Georgia State University (GA)
Over 400 colleges and universities have signed carbon reduction pledges through Second Nature. Nonetheless, a review of their greenhouse gas inventories shows that many universities continue to show limited or ...
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Fahy Commons for Public Engagement and Innovation Open House
- Muhlenberg College (PA)
On January 31st, the campus community filled the halls of the new Fahy Commons, visiting the academic and program spaces getting an up-close look at its remarkable sustainability features. Sustainability ...
- Posted June 7, 2023
- Photographs
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Endicott College Sustainability Office 2022-2023
- Endicott College (MA)
Endicott College full-time Director and Coordinator (far right, far left respectively) with 2022-2023 student staff.
- Posted June 7, 2023
- Photographs
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Resilience Cohort, Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
The Resilience Cohort (RC) is a program of the Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) at Indiana University (IU) that helps Indiana city, town, and county governments to measure and reduce local ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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The Community Action Center Project: Where Food Shelves Meet Carbon Offsets
- Carleton College (MN)
In the city of Northfield, MN, uneaten food typically ends up as waste in the landfill. As this food decomposes, it releases methane—a greenhouse gas far more potent than ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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"Food Waste Prevention Week"
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced's (UC Merced) Sustainable Food Programs is focused on and committed to surplus food recovery, food waste awareness and prevention, food security and more. UC ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Sustainability into Action: Undergraduate Certificate Catalyzes Sustainability Progress
- University of Saskatchewan (SK)
A generation of students faced with a sustainability crisis have the appetite to learn how to "do sustainability" and put their learning into action. We developed an innovative interdisciplinary program ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Earth Fest
- University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI)
Earth Fest, a free and inclusive community celebration of the past, present, and future sustainability efforts in River Falls and the surrounding area. This family friendly event was held for ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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"Improv to Improve the Earth"
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) in partnership with Quarantine Improv (QI) hosted its second annual Earth Day event, "Improv to Improve the Earth". The goal was to bring ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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WSU Office of Campus Sustainability
- Wayne State University (MI)
The Office of Campus Sustainability holds around 25 engagement events throughout the year and reaches around 350 students and countless community members. Each of the student leaders within the Office ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Cities Need Trees
- Boston University (MA)
Over the past year, I have dedicated myself to promoting sustainability in Boston, Massachusetts by advocating for an increased urban forest to combat climate change and rising summer temperatures. The ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Eco Film and Media Arts Festival
- University of Southern California (CA)
The inaugural Eco Film and Media Arts Festival was designed to bring together student filmmakers and artists engaged in climate storytelling and activism. The festival featured 11 student films that ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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USC Trojan Shop Local Initiative
- University of Southern California (CA)
Certainly, since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and the pandemic years through recent months, the focus upon opportunities to close racial economic wealth gaps has heightened throughout Los ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Supplier Diversification program: Increasing procurement spending with diverse businesses
- Seattle University (WA)
Seattle University wants to lead a paradigm shift in how local, large institutions do business. The university specifically intends to address the gap between businesses in the local Black community ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Unanue Scholars Program: Improving College Access for Local Latina Students
- Catawba College (NC)
The Unanue Scholars Program serves junior Latina students from public high schools in Rowan County, North Carolina. Recipients of the scholarship are provided with a cost-free course at Catawba College ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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USC Urban Trees Initiative
- University of Southern California (CA)
The USC Urban Trees Initiative (USC Trees) brings together faculty, staff, and student researchers at the University of Southern California to help the City of Los Angeles and local nonprofits ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Case Studies
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Sustainable New Product Development for Ten Thousand Villages, a Fair-Trade Social Enterprise: Empowering Women and Economic Development through Problem-Based Service Learning
- Florida State University (FL)
Abstract – Universities have an important role in advancing sustainable development by educating future professionals. As an effective approach to scaling sustainability education, the author implemented a problem-based service-learning (PBSL) project ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Publications
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US Society for Ecological Economics
- United States Society for Ecological Economics (PA)
The United States Society for Ecological Economics (USSEE) provides a venue for intellectual exchange and collaboration on issues related to the theory, policy, and implementation of sustainability. The society consists ...
- Posted May 31, 2023
- Research Centers & Institutes
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UBC’s Sustainability Open Data: Research, Learning and Operations
- University of British Columbia (BC)
- AASHE (MA)
The Sustainability Hub – a central unit at UBC focused on collaboration – have created a new open data platform to share sustainability performance metrics, increase transparency, support teaching, learning, operations on ...
- Posted May 25, 2023
- Videos & Webinars
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Air Travel Offset Program
- University of Pennsylvania (PA)
In July 2021, the University of Pennsylvania enacted a University-wide travel sustainability policy that created the Climate Impact Offset (CLIO) charge to pay for projects that offset the carbon impacts ...
- Posted May 23, 2023
- Case Studies
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Sustainability Week at USFQ
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Pichincha)
In honor of Earth Day, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) hosted the first Sustainability Week from April 17 to 21, with various activities carried out for the institution and ...
- Posted May 22, 2023
- Photographs
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EcoArt Entertainment
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Wearing upcycled costumes, Brooklyn based Artichoke Dance Company performs as part of Campus Earth Day 2023. Artichoke Dance are EcoArtists and Environmental Activists. They are known for performances paired with ...
- Posted May 22, 2023
- Photographs
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EcoArt Entertainment
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Wearing upcycled costumes, Brooklyn based Artichoke Dance Company performs as part of Campus Earth Day 2023. Artichoke Dance are EcoArtists and Environmental Activists. They are known for performances paired with ...
- Posted May 22, 2023
- Photographs
- View more
KAUST SDG Highlight Report 2021/2022
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Makkah)
The KAUST SDG Highlight Report 2021 & 2022 features major projects, programs, and initiatives that have been set up or have been continuously running at KAUST across three broad categories ...
- Posted May 18, 2023
- Publications
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Keep CUP the good work! Is sustainable consumption a promise or all talk?
- Iowa State University (IA)
- Starbucks (WA)
Plastic waste has now spread to every corner of the globe. To avoid wreaking additional havoc on our world, wholesale change is needed. Collaboration, creative rewards, forward-thinking businesses, and consumer ...
- Posted May 18, 2023
- Publications
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State of the Association
- AASHE (MA)
This is AASHE's annual member meeting where you can hear from AASHE leadership on highlights of the year, plans for the future, and ask questions of the board and ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Energy Equity (Climate Justice): Cultivating Community Engagement Pathways for University-Community Collaboration
- GreenerU (MA)
University and community collaborative partnerships can have an important role in advancing climate justice. By collaborating with community leaders, the university can foster improved community relations and provide viable pathways ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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SDSN USA: A Network for Advancing the SDGs Through Collaboration
- United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (NY)
This networking meeting will be an opportunity for attendees interested in, researching, and/or implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of 17 goals to be ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: April Anson
- San Diego State University (CA)
- University of Oregon (OR)
"Nature will heal when we heal the white supremacist vision of nature as an object to be extracted, resource to be mined, concept to racialize, sacrifice, make killable." Dr. April ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Kumi Naidoo
- Thunderbird School of Global Management (AZ)
- University Mohammed VI Polytechnic
"We need to go beyond the solo approach and work together and lend our voices across all sectors: environmental, human rights, health, education, etc. Only our collective voice will be ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Jessica Thomas
- North Carolina State University (NC)
- Santa Clara University (CA)
"I’ve had the opportunity to work in academia for about 15 years now, and I have never seen anything that really captures the imagination and inspires students like B ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Jason Hickel
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona)
"Given the stakes of the crisis we face, we need to tell more honest, accurate stories about what’s happening to our planet and who is responsible for it." Dr ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Elizabeth Popp Berman
- Bard College (NY)
- University of Michigan (MI)
"When our political values align with those of economics, we should embrace the many useful tools it has to offer. But when they conflict, we must be willing to advocate ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Lightning Talks: Public Outreach & Engagement
- Grand Valley State University (MI)
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- My Green Lab (CA)
- University of Strathclyde
This session consists of 3 15-minute Lightning Talk sessions related to campus operations. The Lightning Talks are: Climate Neutral Districts - scalar city and region collaboration to drive climate action in ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Weaving for Resilience: Indigenous Knowledge and Place-based Learning in Sustainability Education
- University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College (HI)
Sustainability education, post-Covid, stands at the crossroads of a decision: do we return to the way things were? Or do we do something different? As communities learn to build back ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Organizing for a Sustainable Athletics Rating System
- Texas A&M University (TX)
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- University of Southern California (CA)
- Honeycomb Strategies (CO)
In recent years, collegiate athletic programs have implemented a wide variety of sustainability initiatives. These initiatives include zero waste and carbon neutral games, fan outreach and education, LEED-certified stadiums and ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Warming Hearts and Homes: Implementing Community Winterization Programs
- Furman University (SC)
- University at Albany (NY)
- University of Maine (ME)
- Williams College (MA)
Curious about starting a community winterization program at your school? Wondering how to coordinate all the logistics? Want to learn what the benefits could be for your school? Join Dr ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Are Waste Audits a Waste of Time? An Introduction to Brand Audits
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Have you heard of a brand audit? Learn from PLAN Campaign Director Young about the success of brand audits vs. their traditional counterpart, waste audits, in creating accountability for waste ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Campus-Community Partnerships: Building Food Sovereignty and Fostering Collaboration
- Lafayette College (PA)
This session will explore how Lafayette College has succeeded and failed at building campus-community partnerships to address food sovereignty with an opportunity for participants to explore their own campus-community engagement ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Tyson Yunkaporta
- Deakin University
- Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) (Queensland)
"All humans evolved within complex land based cultures over deep time to develop a brain with a capacity for over 100 trillion neural connections of which we now only use ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote: Amali Tower
- University of Miami (FL)
- Climate Refugees (NY)
"We’ve got to approach climate displacement as a human security issue and not a border security issue." Amali Tower is a refugee and migration expert and the Founder and ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Can Colleges and Universities Become Bioregional Regeneration Learning Centers?
- Otterbein University (OH)
- Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice (OH)
Daniel Wahl, in his manual-for-the-future DESIGNING REGENERATIVE CULTURES, calls for colleges to become “bioregional learning and research centers” in order to best make use of our expertise for addressing the ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals Fellowship
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
PLAN’s Students Taking on Oil and Petrochemicals (STOP) Fellowship supports students that attend universities in Appalachia, a region threatened by an impending petrochemical buildout. This year-long fellowship provides students ...
- Posted May 17, 2023
- Conference Presentations
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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.
EN 10: Community Partnerships
- Description of a formal community partnership to advance sustainability (first partnership)
- Description of a formal community partnership to advance sustainability (second partnership)
- Description of a formal community partnership to advance sustainability (third partnership)
- Website URL - Community partnerships to advance sustainability
EN 11: Inter-campus Collaboration
- The national or international sustainability network(s)
- The regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s)
- Description of sustainability conference(s) and presentation(s)
- Description of sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s)
- Description of sustainability board or committee appointment(s)
- Description of sustainability-related mentoring relationship and activities
- Description of sustainability-related peer review activities
- Website URL - Sustainability-related inter-campus collaborations
EN 12: Continuing Education
- Percentage of continuing education courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of continuing education sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Inventory of continuing education sustainability course offerings (description)
- Description of sustainability-related continuing education certificate program(s)
- Website URL - Continuing education courses and programs in sustainability
EN 13: Community Service
- Percentage of students engaged in community service
- Number of annual community service hours contributed per student
- Description of program(s) to support employee volunteering
- Website URL- Community service programs
EN 14: Participation in Public Policy
- Description of sustainability public policy advocacy at the municipal/local level
- Description of sustainability public policy advocacy at the state/provincial/regional level
- Description of sustainability public policy advocacy at the national level
- Description of sustainability public policy advocacy at the international level
- Website URL - Sustainability advocacy efforts
EN 15: Trademark Licensing
- Description of the independent trademark monitoring and verification organization
- The labor rights code of conduct for licensees (upload)
- The labor rights code of conduct for licensees (description)
- Website URL - Trademark licensing initiatives
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.