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
Collective Impact: Results from a Multi-Campus Farm to College Pilot Program
- University at Albany (NY)
- State University of New York at New Paltz (NY)
- State University of New York at Oswego (NY)
This initiative involved four state colleges working with a statewide partnership of agricultural, public health and economic development interests who are working with food service providers on these campuses. The ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Driving Energy Efficiency through Higher Education Collaboration
- Heartland Community College (IL)
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
- Rocky Mountain Institute (CO)
- APTIM (IL)
Alliance to Retrofit Chicago Higher Ed (ARCH) brings together higher education institutions in the Chicago area to share best practices and lessons learned around expanding efficiency in existing buildings and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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When School and Community Dance Together: Lessons learned from University and Government collaboration
- Florida International University (FL)
- Nova Southeastern University (FL)
Inspired by a 2014 AASHE presentation, the W. Huizenga Business School of Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University contacted 4-STAR rated Broward County to explore ways to connect the sustainability goals ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Positive Sustainable Change: The Crossroads of Sustainability & Civic Engagement
- Florida State University (FL)
- North Carolina State University (NC)
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Many common elements exist between the realms of sustainability education and civic engagement. Both movements are meant to foster an ethic of responsibility and justice, leadership development, and address community ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Experiential Learning: A Win-Win-Win for Higher Education, Communities, and Sustainability
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- City of Saint Anthony Village (MN)
This panel discussion provides an inspiring and informative overview of how the University of Minnesota's capstone course in its sustainability minor program has successfully built an ongoing and collaborative ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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HydroCats: Water Harvesting and Community Connections in Tucson
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Like an infant born from Tucson's sustainable communities, the University of Arizona's HydroCats project has developed in less than a year from the glimmer of an idea to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Sustainability in Christian Higher Education: Symbolic Value Claims or Substantive Organizational Change?
- Carroll University (WI)
Environmental activism about climate change and sustainability-related issues is increasing on conservative Protestant campuses in the U.S. Highly religious Christian students are engaging their peers to increase sustainability awareness ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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EcoLeaders Community Supports Student Sustainability Efforts and Helps Build Career and Leadership Skills
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
National Wildlife Federation's EcoLeaders Initiative is a sustainability leadership certification program for college students and recent graduates. EcoLeaders features first web-based community to provide students with the virtual space ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Story, Psychology and Incentives: Sustainability Behavior Change Case Studies
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
This case study session uses identity and sustainability as an underlying theme to explore behavior change strategies and successes on college campuses through a variety of projects and curriculum. Nate ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Growing Community: University of Louisville Eco-Reps and Blackacre Nature Preserve
- University of Louisville (KY)
The University of Louisville's Eco-Reps is a sustainability training and networking group offering certifications, hosting monthly lunches, local speakers, and field trips, and organizing volunteer projects. Blackacre State Nature ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating Environmental Issues Into Social Sciences, Business, And Humanities Courses Using Ecological Worldview Principles
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
Environmental problems are actually human behavior problems. Social sciences and humanities are important contributors for addressing environmental sustainability as they investigate and explain human behavior. Yet for faculty, integrating sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Making meaningful curricular connections to campus operations and community initiatives
- Carleton College (MN)
Using the campus or the local community as a living lab is a powerful approach to teaching sustainability, providing students the opportunity to better understand environmental issues in their real-world ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Football Fans and Waste: Can Their Behavior Be Changed?
- University of Missouri (MO)
Waste separation and diversion at sporting events is gaining more popularity because of the large amount of waste generated, the visibility of athletic events, and the goal of reaching Zero ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Stormwater Management Approaches on Campus Connect Community to Local Waterways Through Water Innovations Walking Tour
- Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)
Our proposed poster will showcase a novel approach to community partnerships and out-of-classroom learning experiences. As an official event of Canada Water Week 2015, Laurier partnered with REEP Green Solutions ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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835 People - 1 Day - 1 Community - A Service Learning Story
- Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
All faculty, staff and administrators at Moraine Valley Community College stood behind the 'community' in the college's name to set an example in the MVUnity day by joining forces ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Food Recovery Network on college campuses: How to reduce food waste while addressing hunger within the local community
- Carleton College (MN)
Today, 1 in 9 Minnesotans struggles with hunger. In Rice County alone, there are 1.14 million missed meals per year. But despite high rates of food insecurity throughout the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Collaborative Teaching Approach: Mindful Writing and Drawing to Understand Culture & Place Based Identity
- Colorado Mountain College (CO)
This interactive session focuses on best practices in collaborative teaching and learning, specifically directed at the melding of writing and drawing as processes of discovery in culture and place- based ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening Collegiate Sports: Facility Tour and Networking Event
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Green Sports Alliance (OR)
Over the past decade, an increasing number of collegiate athletic and recreation departments have initiated or expanded sustainability programs. This workshop builds on this momentum, providing both green sports novices ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Mapstories
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Mapstories, 2011, is a large, interactive, multimedia artist's book with moveable, layers of map and photo images under plastic film, mounted on a fabric-covered plywood base. Viewers/participants explore ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Plenary: Campus Sustainability: The Next 10 Years
- Emory University (GA)
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Western Michigan University (MI)
- AASHE (MA)
The campus sustainability movement has grown enormously since AASHE's founding in 2005. The members of this all-star panel of leading campus sustainability practitioners and advocates will reflect on this ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student and Community Transformation: Addressing Civic Responsibility, Sustainability and Values through Engaged Scholarship
- Bard College (NY)
- Oakland Community College (MI)
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
- Edison Energy (CA)
Civic responsibility and sustainability are often seen as separate issues, yet in practice these concepts intersect and reinforce one another. At the core of this intersection today is our citizens ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ramping Up Renewables in Higher Education
- Cornell University (NY)
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- Edison Energy (CA)
You are responsible for managing your institution's energy-related emissions and costs: You may have implemented on-campus projects or have aspirations to do so. Maybe you are buying unbundled Renewable ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Uncomfortable Dinner Parties and Farmer Photo Booths: Interactive Session on Discovering and Sharing Campus Food Sustainability
- Hamline University (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Aramark (PA)
This session offers a chance to practice exercises from a toolkit archive developed with Aramark at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities to support campus food sustainability discussions. Engaging participants ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community College Networking Session
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
- AASHE (MA)
Meet and network with sustainability leaders from community colleges. We'll discuss the unique challenges and opportunities faced by community colleges working to advance sustainability.
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Summit Opening - Students Organising for Sustainability
- AASHE (MA)
- National Union of Students
To celebrate the launch of Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS), keynote speaker Charlotte Bonner will be discussing the role of young people, students and education in making society more sustainable ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Uncomfortable Dinner Party: Bridging Local, Regional and Global Perspectives around Sustainable Food Systems
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Aramark (PA)
Tour Meeting Time: 5:45 PM Tour Meeting Location: 1st floor lobby, located right by the Visitor Information desk and Dunn Coffee. Tour Departure: 6:00 PM Tour End/Return ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Global Classroom Experiment. Challenges and Opportunities for International Education for Sustainability
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Sustainability problems need to be addressed by concerned citizens, who are able to (1) critically understand the complexity of the world, (2) take action in appropriate ways to address those ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pioneering International Sustainability Education: A SMART Perspective
- SMART Eco Park India
- Broadway Green Alliance (NY)
This presentation will focus on the educational elements of SMART Eco-park, a 20 acre edu-tainment space near Mumbai, India. The park was founded with the goal of equipping future generations ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Real Food, Real Communities: Mobilizing Students, Community Members and Staff to reform College Food Procurement Policies
- Carleton College (MN)
- Bon Appétit Management Company
Where our food comes from and how it is produced is question that is becoming extremely important to students and administrators alike. Carleton College has demonstrated a commitment to answering ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Colorado State University and Coca-Cola Partner to Deliver Hands-on Sustainability Education
- Colorado State University (CO)
- Coca-Cola (GA)
Colorado State University entered into a unique multi-year partnership with Coca-Cola in 2012. This partnership includes extensive hands-on sustainability education for CSU's students from a variety of schools (Agriculture ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Partnership of the Northern Rockies (SPNR) Networking Session
- Gonzaga University (WA)
- University of Montana (MT)
Please join us for a networking session for colleges and universities that are a part of the Sustainability Partnership of the Northern Rockies (SPNR)!
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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360 Degrees of Recognition: How and Why It Matters
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Recognition is about noticing and honoring. It may encourage and support an action' (Hansen, Smith, & Hansen, 2002). Recognition can be a powerful and transformative tool for sustainability education by ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Co-creating sustainable futures: American and Middle Eastern visual design students explore behavior change
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
Global sustainability requires global collaboration. Understanding how local and distant communities deal with various issues and complexities of sustainability and cooperating internationally to share effective ideas are paramount to our ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Art of Conversation: Overcome Obstacles by Making Connections
- Smith College (MA)
- GreenerU (MA)
As a sustainability professional good relationships are essential. You are responsible for making sure your institution sets and meets ambitious goals; however, you will not be the person who does ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Global Campus: Linking Student Educational Experiences to Global Realities
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
- SERES (Sacatepequez)
Presentation highlights the collaboration between the University of California, Irvine and SERES, a Central American NGO working on youth sustainability leadership. Their joint effort - manifested through the Global Sustainability Resource ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Networking Session
- Rice University (TX)
- University of Houston (TX)
This is a networking meeting for Texans and other parties interested in the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability to connect and discuss campus sustainability topics unique to the Lone ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Professionals in Student Affairs Networking Session
- The Ohio State University (OH)
- University of Oregon (OR)
This networking session is designed to give sustainability professionals that work in student affairs departments an opportunity to interact in a structured environment. The session will begin with introductions and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Embedding undergraduate-led ecology experiments into temporary public art to transition vacant urban spaces
- University of St. Thomas (MN)
- Public Art Saint Paul (MN)
Over 50% of the global population currently lives in urban areas, and 3.2 billion more urban residents are predicted by 2050. Urbanized areas already produce most human-associated carbon emissions ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Agriculture Networking Meeting: Identifying the Future of Campus Grown Food
- University of Michigan (MI)
- Ursinus College (PA)
Campus agriculture initiatives are rapidly becoming a ubiquitous part of campus life around the country. In the last fifteen years agricultural education, in the form of campus gardens and farms ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zanmi Kafe: Using on-farm research to facilitate the adoption and management of more sustainable coffee-based agroecosystems in Haiti's Central Plateau
- Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)
Zanmi Kafe is a collaboration between Sewanee: The University of the South, and Zanmi Agrikol, a Haitian non-profit agricultural organization that aims to promote the adoption of more sustainable agroecosystems ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Sustainability Seminar: A model for sustainability curriculum connected to the local community
- Macalester College (MN)
In 2014, Macalester College began a new initiative called Educating Sustainability Ambassadors (ESA) with the purpose of infusing sustainability across all the units of campus. The flagship program of ESA ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zanmi Kafe: Using payments for carbon sequestration to promote climate action on Sewanee's campus, and more sustainable agroecosystems on Haiti's Central Plateau
- Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)
Zanmi Kafe is a collaboration between Sewanee: The University of the South, and Zanmi Agrikol, a Haitian non-profit agricultural organization that promotes the adoption of more sustainable agroecosystems in the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community Electronic Recycling Drives
- Southwestern College (OH)
The Southwestern College Green Team has partnered with the City of Winfield and a local church to host three very successful electronic recycling drives in the Winfield community. We have ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Growing Up Green
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Three interns from the University of Arizona's Students for Sustainability (SfS) program will present the necessity for linking environmental education programs from universities to K-12 classrooms. The SfS program ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Sip of Science
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Participants will pick-up bus/rail passes at the registration desk upon checking-in for the convention. Names will be checked off tour registrant list before departing MCC. A Sip of Science ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Global Cities as a Learning Environment for Sustainability: Comparing Field Experiences in Austria, China and India.
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
This presentation will bring in students and faculty from from multiple courses offered at different Schools who have participated in and/or delivered study abroad courses on sustainability, focusing on ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging K-12 educators in Sustainability Science: Case study on urban sustainability systems at Arizona State University
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Universities often include education & outreach as part of their broader impacts. However, research endeavors of faculty are typically presented through one-way forms of dissemination (i.e., presentations, articles, and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Monday Keynote: From Fear to Discovery: Harnessing the Power of Your Mindset to Fuel Transformation, Mid-Keynote Workshop
The Minneapolis-based Brave New Workshop has been performing original satirical sketch comedy and improvisation since 1958, longer than any other theatre in the United States. In this laughter-filled, interactive keynote ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening Your Theater Program with the Broadway Green Alliance
- Broadway Green Alliance (NY)
Our session will focus on the sustainable design and operation practices that can be incorporated into college arts and theater programs to show that these two subjects can be merged ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bridging the Gap: Building High Performing K-12 Schools That Ready Students for Sustainability in Higher Education
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Healthy school environments are an important part of maintaining the safety, health and well-being of students in their everyday lives in both K-12 and higher education. Higher education institutions have ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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.