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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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3068 resources

What do people know about key environmental issues? A review of environmental knowledge surveys

  • St. Catherine University (MN)

This paper presents results from 15 little publicized state and national environmental surveys in the US that used similar questions. Our analysis reveals trends in adult understanding of environmental issues. …

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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European university-community partnership-based research on urban sustainability and resilience

  • University of East London
  • University College Dublin, National University of Ireland

The Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS) project is based on the partnership between decision makers in local authorities with SMEs and academic institutions to develop and demonstrate transition …

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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Towards an engaged campus: Measuring and comparing definitive stakeholders’ perceptions of university social engagement in South Korea

Purpose - This paper aims to measure and rigorously compare the perceptions of South Korean university social engagement between faculty and students, two definitive stakeholders identified by stakeholder theory – …

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: How to Apply for AASHE's On Campus Solar Project Support

  • AASHE (MA)
  • Trio (CA)
  • Dallas College (TX)

AASHE is offering cost-free support for up to five campuses (http://greengigawatt.org/aashe-campus-project.php) to develop and implement on-campus (or near campus) solar projects.This webinar presents how the program works and how to …

  • Posted Feb. 9, 2017
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Using Photovoice to Explore Environmental Sustainability Across Languages and Cultures

  • Bellarmine University (KY)
  • Centre College (KY)
  • University of Kentucky (KY)

Though work in the area of photovoice (in which students take photos to structure a dialogue that can serve to advance social action as the community responds to the participants’ …

An experience-based learning framework: Activities for the initial development of sustainability competencies

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Purpose - This paper aims to present an experience-based learning framework that provides a bottom-up, student-centered entrance point for the development of systems thinking, normative and collaborative competencies in sustainability. …

Creating sustainable cities through knowledge exchange: A case study of knowledge transfer partnerships

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of knowledge transfer partnership (KTP)as a means for universities to generate and exchange knowledge to foster sustainable cities …

Are we educating engineers for sustainability?: Comparison between obtained competences and Swedish industry's needs

  • Chalmers University of Technology

Purpose – The aim of this study is to contribute to the quality improvement and long‐term strategic development of education for sustainable development (ESD) in engineering education curricula.

Design/methodology/approach – …

A New Era of Sustainability: CEO reflections on progress to date, challenges ahead and the impact of the journey toward a sustainable economy.

This report describes the results of a survey of 766 United Nations Global Compact member CEOs. Findings include:

  • 93 percent of CEOs see sustainability as important to their company’s future …

Responding to environmental challenges: an initial assessment of higher education curricula needs by Australian planning professionals

  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

Environmental planning education has become crucial given the projected implications of climate change for human settlements and nature. However, despite the identified importance of educating planners with regards to sustainability …

Education for Sustainability, Graduate Capabilities, Professional Employment: How They All Connect

  • RMIT University

Education for Sustainability (EfS) has an intimate relationship with professional employment as we seek to develop graduates who will take EfS values and understanding into their workplaces to build a …

Sustainability, Learning and Capability: Exploring Questions of Balance

It is argued that sustainable development makes best sense as a social learning process that brings tangible and useful outcomes in terms of understanding and skills, and also reinforces the …

Connecting curriculum, capabilities and careers

  • RMIT University

Purpose

The reported research aims to examine the extent to which sustainability capabilities have been delivered by a specific example of Education for Sustainability (EfS) and Education for Sustainable Development …

2015 National Solar Jobs Census

  • George Washington University (DC)

The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2015 is the sixth annual update of current employment, trends, and projected growth in the U.S. solar industry. It found that the industry …

The Role of Transacademic Interface Managers in Transformational Sustainability Research and Education

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Working towards sustainable solutions requires involving professionals and stakeholders from all sectors of society into research and teaching. This often presents a challenge to scholars at universities, as they lack …

Utilizing international networks for accelerating research and learning in transformational sustainability science

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • University of Tokyo
  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • Stellenbosch University (Western Cape)
  • Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (DF)
  • Maastricht University
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Lund University

A promising approach for addressing sustainability problems is to recognize the unique conditions of a particular place, such as problem features and solution capabilities, and adopt and adapt solutions developed …

  • Posted Jan. 31, 2017
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The Sustainability Literacy Test: Implementation strategies for campuses

  • McGill University (QC)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
  • KEDGE Business School (Bordeaux)

The Sustainability Literacy Test provides higher education institutions, companies and other organizations around the world with an internationally recognized and locally relevant tool to measure and improve sustainability literacy. This …

  • Posted Jan. 31, 2017
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Green chemistry = social and environmental justice

  • Bridgewater State University (MA)
  • Beyond Benign (MA)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant and important topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Dr. Ed Brush Professor of Chemistry …

  • Posted Jan. 31, 2017
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Engaging the Community Through Student Led Initiatives: Highlights and Opportunities

  • University of Tennessee at Martin (TN)
  • Beyond Benign (MA)
  • American Chemical Society (DC)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant and important topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Jennifer MacKellar ACS, GCI

Dr. S.K …

  • Posted Jan. 31, 2017
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Greening Your ACS Student Chapter - Models of Success

  • Beyond Benign (MA)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A new webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Jennifer MacKellar Program Manager American Chemical Society …

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Student Led Green Chemistry Initiatives

  • University of Toronto (ON)
  • Beyond Benign (MA)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A new webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Anna Ivanova Communications Director Network of Early-Career …

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Modernizing the Organic Chemistry Laboratory with Green Chemistry

  • Beyond Benign (MA)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A new webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Dr. Jane Wissinger Associate Professor, Department of …

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Green Chemistry: The missing element in chemistry education

  • Beyond Benign (MA)

Green Chemistry Education Webinar Series: A new webinar series for chemistry faculty and students highlighting relevant and important topics in green chemistry education.

Presented by: Dr. John C. Warner Founder …

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Energy Efficiency Jobs in America

This report finds that energy efficiency is a massive employer with 1.9 million jobs nationwide and thousands of jobs in each and every state. The report, based on U.S. Bureau …

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Clean Jobs America: A comprehensive analysis of clean energy jobs in America

In this comprehensive analysis of clean energy and clean transportation jobs, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) finds that more than 2.5 million Americans now work in clean energy at businesses across all …

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America

  • The Pew Charitable Trusts (DC)

Despite a lack of sustained policy attention and investment, the emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably - extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and …

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Student Interest for Environment/Sustainability Undergraduate Programmes: Recent Australian Experience

  • RMIT University

Increasingly, employers are seeing the need to have employees who have capabilities in sustainability. The hope is that there will be a sufficient number of appropriately educated people to enter …

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Educating for Sustainability: 2017 Sustainable Campus Best Practices from ISCN and GULF Universities

  • International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) (MA)

This report, which was released in conjuction with the 2017 World Economic Forum, contains case studies on educating for sustainability provided by 30 members of the International Sustainable Campus Network …

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Transdisciplinary learning and teaching as answers to urban sustainability challenges

Purpose

This paper aims to explain the relevance of science-society interfaces and their potential for higher education institutions to engage stakeholders in supporting sustainable change in cities, via the transdisciplinary …

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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University’s multi-scale initiatives for redefining city development

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the varied roles played by the University of Lódz (UL) in maintaining and restoring the natural capital of a city as …

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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Environmental awareness raising through universities – city authorities’ cooperation

Purpose

This paper aims to the environmental awareness raising as a key issue of education for sustainable development. Youth Environmental Volunteers Movement in the area of coastal oil response operations …

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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Civic Labors: Scholarly Activism and Working-Class Studies

Labor studies scholars and working-class historians have long worked at the crossroads of academia and activism. The essays in this collection examine the challenges and opportunities for engaged scholarship in …

  • Posted Jan. 13, 2017
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Towards a Sustainable University: The Ca’ Foscari Experience

Towards a Sustainable University tackles the challenge of sustainability in universities. Universities are a working environment and an organization in which sustainability can be experienced. This book shows how a …

  • Posted Dec. 16, 2016
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Rutgers University Online MPA – Specialization in Nonprofit Management

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)

A great education starts with a great curriculum. The public administration degree from Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) gives students a broad understanding of the field and …

  • Posted Dec. 16, 2016
  • Academic Programs
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Inspiration and Hope for Campus Sustainability Change Agents

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Harvard University (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Intentional Endowments Network (MA)

You know those feelings you get after attending the AASHE annual conference and other sustainability conferences – inspiration, motivation, a sense of belonging, perhaps even giddy to return to campus …

  • Posted Dec. 15, 2016
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A geographic approach to facilitating local climate governance: From emissions inventories to mitigation planning

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

It is increasingly recognized that municipal and regional scale governments play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. While universities possess many resources that …

Municipal collaboration for carbon footprinting: Syracuse, New York case study

  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)

Purpose

The City of Syracuse, New York, has undertaken energy conservation measures over the past decade. In 2011, the city completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory that serves as the …

Universities and Climate Change Mitigation: Advancing Grassroots Climate Policy in the US

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • ICF International (VA)

While US climate change mitigation policy has stalled at the national level, local and regional actors are increasingly taking progressive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Universities are poised …

Does the Gown Help the Town? Examining Town–Gown Relationship Influence on Local Environmental Sustainability in the United States

  • Missouri State University (MO)

A US municipality environmental sustainability index, the OSSPI (Opp-Saunders Sustainability Practices Index), found an overwhelming percentage of top-ranked sustainable cities were home to higher education institutions. While this may be …

Community support for campus approaches to sustainable energy use: The role of “town–gown” relationships

  • American University (DC)
  • Cornell University (NY)

Across the United States, universities are grappling with challenges associated with adopting approaches to more sustainable energy use. One approach has been to develop energy-related projects in their local, host …

American Democracy Project

  • American Association of State Colleges and Universities (DC)

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a network of more than 250 state colleges and universities focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged …

Infusing Sustainability Principles and Practices into Study Abroad

  • Concordia College (NY)
  • Delta College (MI)
  • Lawrence University (WI)

Sustainability, a common thread across curriculums, can serve as the connection for engaged learning. Tie it to international travel and it links our students with opportunity for greater understanding of …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Community as a Living Laboratory: Promoting Community Engagement Through Student Internship Programs

  • Furman University (SC)
  • Indiana University Indianapolis (IN)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)

Community and campus sustainability issues can be addressed simultaneously while creating a hands-on learning opportunity for students. In this presentation, representatives from three universities (Furman University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Renewably Powering and Empowering our Communities

  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • Weber State University (UT)
  • Wells College (NY)

Weber State University worked with a local nonprofit and community members to develop and implement a community-solar program during the 2015-2016 school year. The project served the three-county area surrounding …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Campus and Community Involvement in Move-Out Waste Reduction Programs

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
  • Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)

Move-Out! Classes end and our students vacate the rooms in their residence halls, cleaning up so that other students may become the new occupants. In the process, students discard lots …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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New Models for Campus Food Production: Orchards and Community Collaborations

  • Saint Joseph's College - IN (IN)
  • University of Baltimore (MD)
  • Civic Works Baltimore Orchard Project (MD)

This panel session will feature how campus food production programs can serve as vehicles for community collaborations, as well as a wide variety of opportunities for experiential learning and campus …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Creative Composting: a Comprehensive Approach to Food Waste Reduction

  • Green Mountain College (VT)

Though composting is a great step away from creating landfill waste, it is still very low on the EPA's food waste hierarchy. This study presents how a group of students …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Powering a New South: Sustainability and Energy in the Southern US

  • Coastal Carolina University (SC)

Through an examination of the processes and experiences of a yearlong, multi-disciplinary university press project, students, instructors, and press advisors will examine energy through the lens of our local experience …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Experiences and Strategies of a Student-Run Massive Monarch Restoration on Off-campus Sites

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

The White House recently released the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. One of its primary goals is a national effort to increase the …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Zero Waste: Data, Infrastructure, and Engagement Return Recycling Case Study

  • New York University (NY)
  • Return Recycling (NY)

Return Recycling is a student-led organization devoted to building a concrete understanding for waste data, infrastructure, and engagement. Over the past year we've prototyped new (self-designed) recycling bins, developed new …

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • 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

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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