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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.

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First Responder Training for Photovoltaic Fires

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 volunteers before a game

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: Sidewalk marketing

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
  • Videos & Webinars
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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
  • Videos & Webinars
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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 (MA)
  • 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
  • Videos & Webinars
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A sample project from Monroe High School describing their work teaching younger students about climate change

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 ...

Cleanup of our local parks by the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine

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 ...

Nessie the Great Band at Earth Day

San Jose State University Earth Day

  • San Jose State University (CA)
UB students traveled to DC for the People's Climate March.

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.

Chemeketa Students Make Upcycled Art from Bottle Caps

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 ...

Students conducted a waste audit of the Student Union's trash

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.

Student groups setting up for the Zero Waste Resource fair during Cal Poly Earth Week

Cal Poly SLO Earth Week

  • California Polytechnic State University (CA)

Cal Poly hosted a variety of events for Earth Week.

Jenny O’Brien from the Mid-America Regional Council talked with a nursing student about bike trails and various modes of public transportation that reduce air pollution.

Sustainability Week @ KU Medical Center

  • University of Kansas Medical Center (KS)

KU Medical Center Sustainability Week was held to celebrate Earth Day and the one-year anniversary of the revamped recycling program. This included an Earth Day Celebration to share ways to ...

Showing the effect of heat/cold on air using a balloon

UAlbany's Annual Family Earth Day

  • University at Albany (NY)

The University’s 5th Annual UAlbany Family Earth Day, organized by the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (DAES), Atmospheric Science Research Center, Office of Sustainability and UAlbany Students for ...

University at Buffalo SustainABILITY Art Show 2017

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.

SUNY Cortland Habitat for Humanity Club holds Sustainable Living Workshop

State University of New York at Cortland Habitat for Humanity Sustainable Living Workshop

  • State University of New York at Cortland (NY)

The SUNY Cortland Habitat for Humanity Club hosted a sustainable living workshop where participants learned about and made items they can use in the own homes to promote a more ...

500 SUNY Cortland students volunteered at The Big Event picking up trash, sprucing up yards, and making some minor home repairs in the Cortland community.

SUNY Cortland The Big Event - Alpha Phi Omega

  • State University of New York at Cortland (NY)

The State University of New York at Cortland hosts "The Big Event" where over 500 students and staff volunteer in the community picking up trash, sprucing up yards, and making ...

Student line up at the Office of Sustainability's booth at the Earth Day Expo to plant succulents.

Succulents at the Earth Day Expo

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Close-up shot of succulents that were made available for students to plant at the Earth Day Expo at the University of Minnesota. The Office of Sustainability challenged students and staff ...

UVA celebrated the dedication of the latest on-Grounds solar array at Clemons Library at the Solar Ribbon Cutting, featuring Virginia’s Governor McAuliffe.

University of Virginia Earth Week 2017

  • University of Virginia (VA)

Earth Week is a UVA tradition that celebrates the planet we all share. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to take part in a thought provoking, action packed ...

Vanderbilt University FutureVU Expo - Vanderbilt community views boards explaining solar system at Currey Tennis Center and power production on campus

Vanderbilt University FutureVU Expo

  • Vanderbilt University (TN)

More than 800 students, staff, faculty and others stopped by the Wond’ry April 19 to learn about FutureVU, Vanderbilt’s campus land use planning initiative, and how the university ...

SpringFest is a celebration of Earth Day, and an event recognizing the myriad environmental programs, clubs, and collaborations across campus. Featuring local food and art vendors, as well as musical performances and interactive tabling from student and faculty groups.

Student club Sustainable Enterprise Association-Net Impact Chapter-tables at Springfest

  • Cornell University (NY)

Student club Sustainable Enterprise Association-Net Impact Chapter-tables at Springfest. Springfest is a celebration of Earth Day, and an event recognizing the myriad environmental programs, clubs, and collaborations across campus. Featuring ...

Sarah Zemanick, Director, Campus Sustainability Office (CSO)(left), Robert "Bert" Bland, Associate Vice President of Energy and Sustainability (right) present Julie Houston with sustainability award.

Building Care’s Julie Houston awarded the Cornell University Partners in Sustainability Awards (CUPSA)

  • Cornell University (NY)

Building Care’s Julie Houston, who offers insight for students, faculty and staff by teaching responsible waste reduction and disposal, won the staff award. Houston also received accolades for her ...

Illinois students shovel mulch around the base of campus' newest tree feature — a sapling white oak.

Arbor Day Tree Planting

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

To celebrate National Arbor Day and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's second certification as an official "Tree Campus USA," students, faculty and staff gathered to hear a proclamation ...

Smoothie bike to learn about energy

Earth Fest 2017

  • Bentley University (MA)

Bentley's Sustainability group "Students for Sustainable Business" holds a festival called Earth Fest each year. This is an opportunity for the campus to acknowledge Earth Day.

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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FIU Community members participate in a pollinator garden planting at the FIU Nature Preserve

FIU Nature Preserve Pollinator Garden Planting

  • Florida International University (FL)

Florida International University's Nature Preserve is an 11-acre environmental education facility, representing the Florida Everglades. It is used to share ecological knowledge gained by university researchers with FIU students ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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DePauw students, faculty, staff and community residents participated in a free Earth Day 5k at the DePauw Nature Park. What made this 5k green? Participants were given race bibs created on seeded paper, post-race fruit waste (apple cores and banana peels) were composted at the campus farm, local pollinators were distributed to racers to plant, and first-year Environmental Fellows provided a table with information about honey bees and created signs to mark the course with honey bee facts.

Earth Day 5k

  • DePauw University (IN)

DePauw students, faculty, staff and community residents participated in a free Earth Day 5k at the DePauw Nature Park. What made this 5k green? Participants were given race bibs created ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Sustainability Leadership Program members presented on Sustainable Agriculture to 500+ local high school students as part of the high school’s Earth Day celebration.

High School Outreach

  • DePauw University (IN)

DePauw Sustainability Leadership Program members presented on Sustainable Agriculture to 600+ local high school students as part of the high school’s Earth Day celebration.

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Wednesday, April 19, 2017 DePauw Director of Sustainability, Anthony Baratta, gave a presentation to students and community members at the Putnam County Public Library titled “Hands in the Dirt: Growing Food in Putnam County and the Future of Local.”

Putnam County & Local Food

  • DePauw University (IN)

DePauw Director of Sustainability, Anthony Baratta, gave a presentation to students and community members at the Putnam County Public Library titled “Hands in the Dirt: Growing Food in Putnam County ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Photographs
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The Rock River Stormwater Group and members of UWW's American Marketing Association collected 8 bags of waste from Whitewater Creek.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Earth Week

  • University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (WI)

The Sustainability Office celebrated Earth Day with an entire week of activities recognizing the relationship each individual has with the environment. A variety of interactive events included garden and greenhouse ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Students in PSU's Environmental Club partnered with campus and community organizations to host a festival in PSU's Park Blocks on Friday, April 21st. The event featured free tea and local pizza, dozens of booths, and a one week old baby goat!

PSU Hosts 10th Annual Earth Day Festival

  • Portland State University (OR)

Students in PSU's Environmental Club partnered with campus and community organizations to host a festival in PSU's Park Blocks on Friday, April 21st. The event featured free tea ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Student volunteer, Cheerie Patneaude, and our solar cooker

Earth Day Fair New Mexico State University

  • New Mexico State University (NM)

The Las Cruces Downtown Plaza stage had great musicians, speakers, dancers, and more! We partnered with March for Science group. There were 30 educational and vendor booths, local food trucks ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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SOU's Bike Program provided students with the opportunity to blend their own organic smoothies on the bike blender during SOU's Earth Day Extravaganza.

Southern Oregon University Earth Week

  • Southern Oregon University (OR)
  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO) tabling at Springfest

Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO) tabling at Springfest

  • Cornell University (NY)

Cornell Environmental Collaborative (ECO) is the umbrella organization for sustainability groups at Cornell University. They also organize Cornell's annual Springfest celebration of Earth Day. An event recognizing the myriad ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Emma Bigongiari Discussing Food Justice

Earth Day Festival and Speaker Series Album continued...

  • Western Washington University (WA)

More photos from WWU's Earth Day Festival and Speaker Series

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Recognizing 2017 Cornell University Partners in Sustainability Awards (CUPSA) at SpringFest

Tuesday, April 25, 2017 11:24 AM Recognizing 2017 Cornell University Partners in Sustainability Awards (CUPSA) at SpringFest

  • Cornell University (NY)

Recognizing campus and community leaders who advance sustainability values and initiatives with Cornell at the 2017 Cornell University University Partners in Sustainability (CUPSA) Award ceremony held during Springfest. Springfest is ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Tar River Beekeepers

2017 ECU Earth Day Festival

  • East Carolina University (NC)
  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Photographs
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FIE Presents Re-imagining Sustainability: Creating Our Future

  • FIE: Foundation for International Education (London)

As a higher education teaching tool, this video takes a journey through the myths, the truths, and the reality of sustainability in our world.

As an articulated value, the Foundation ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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Former Administrator of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, trys out a virtual reality project entitled "Beach," created by Harvard Graduate School of Design students at the Harvard Sustainability Showcase. "Beach" is an interactive experience which allows the viewer to see how different parts of Harvard's campus will be affected by sea level rise.

Gina McCarthy heads to the "Beach"

  • Harvard University (MA)

Former Administrator of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, trys out a virtual reality project entitled "Beach," created by Harvard Graduate School of Design students at the Harvard Sustainability Showcase. "Beach" is ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
  • Photographs
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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

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

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