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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Pursuing Impact: PSU’s Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative
- Portland State University (OR)
Portland State University (PSU) takes its role as an urban-serving university seriously. For decades, PSU has been nationally recognized for our commitment to “Let Knowledge Serve the City” by engaging …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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10 Years of Talking - and Doing: PSU Social Sustainability Colloquium
- Portland State University (OR)
The Social Sustainability Colloquium at Portland State University is a weekly speaker series that gathers students, faculty, and staff from PSU and other universities, community members, community organizations, and government …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Women in Sustainability Network (2014)
- Prescott College (AZ)
Who this session is for: Administrators, faculty, and program leaders concerned with innovation, gender equity, and social justice, including women in the field of sustainability who want to share our …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Global Sustainability for Social Justice
- Santa Clara University (CA)
Santa Clara University’s Food & Agribusiness Institute (FAI) offers a unique approach to immersion trips; they are designed differently than other trips sponsored by universities, and even from other immersion …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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SCU CLASP-Hero Projects: A Collaborative Immersion Production
- Santa Clara University (CA)
In 2012, the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University and "voluntourism" company Hero Projects partnered to create the CLASP (Co-creative Leadership and Sustainability Program) Alaska Immersion trip. The …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) Lunch Table Dialogue Session
- Second Nature (MA)
Beyond Divestment: Investing in a Sustainable Future The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) supports colleges, universities, and other mission-driven tax-exempt organizations in aligning endowment investment practices with their mission, values, and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Tying Together Tradition and Core Values to Share Your Message and Foster Connections
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Your institution has unique attributes that help define your organizational culture. Understanding this culture can be a critical key ingredient to help spread your sustainability message. This session will demonstrate …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community Engagement Through the Arts
- Transylvania University (KY)
This presentation will focus on “Community Engagement Through the Arts” (CETA), a course we teach at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY with the stated goal of creating and maintaining sustainable …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Justice: Bridging the Gap Between Sustainability and Justice
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
If we as citizens of the world are set on combatting industrial pollution, environmental degradation, and social injustices committed on Earth, we must find ways to collaborate as a collective …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Nuts & Bolts of Adapting the UO’s Sustainable City Year Program
- University of Oregon (OR)
In 2010, the New York Times called the University of Oregon’s Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) “perhaps the most comprehensive effort by a U.S. university to infuse sustainability into its …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Communities and Community Gardens on Campus
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
Project Grow - Growing Community and a Garden at Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is building its first Community Garden on campus, a research-based project that includes four …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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MN GreenCorps: Building Sustainable Communities with AmeriCorps
- Bemidji State University (MN)
Community engagement and public outreach are initiatives with which we are familiar as we work to invoke sustainable changes within our communities. Sustainable action requires that we serve our communities …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Keynote Address: Rob Bennett
- EcoDistricts (OR)
Rob is the founder and CEO of EcoDistricts. He is a recognized leader in the sustainable cities movement with 16 years of experience shaping municipal sustainable development projects and policy …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Training: EcoDistricts for Practitioners
- EcoDistricts (OR)
EcoDistricts for Practitioners is a half-day training session that gets you prepped to start remaking cities from the neighborhood up. Ecodistricts comprise the best thinking on urban equity, sustainability and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Downtown Fitchburg Urban Revitalization Development Plan
- Fitchburg State University (MA)
This research project is a multi-tier economic development plan to revitalize downtown Fitchburg by establishing affordable student housing for Fitchburg State University (FSU) students in historic mill buildings which utilize …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Postcards from Peru: IAU 2014 International Conference Share-Out
- Franklin Pierce University (NH)
This briefing will highlight the experiences and take-home lessons of an educator/traveler and panelist at the 2014 International Association of Universities (IAU)’s International Conference, "Blending Higher Education and Traditional Knowledge …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Keynote Address: Annie Leonard
- Greenpeace USA (CA)
Annie Leonard is a tireless fighter for the environment and a longtime leader in the movement to change the way we make, use, and throw away Stuff. She has over …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Infiltrating Sustainability Into City Government
- Indiana State University (IN)
The Indiana State University Institute for Community Sustainability partnered with Mayor Duke Bennett of the City of Terre Haute to add sustainability to the city’s vocabulary by placing a graduate …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students Heat Up Las Pintas: An immersive service experience in solar technology
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
Water is a necessity for all of us, but to some, heating it is a luxury. Now in its second year, the Las Pintas Solar Experience takes Johnson County Community …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From Positivist to Post-normal Science: Rhetoric and Stakeholder Communication and Action Surrounding Complex Environmental Issues
- Kent State University (OH)
This presentation looks closely at rhetorical communication issues surrounding complex environmental topics. In what ways can and does sustainability science research include both academic and community, or local knowledges? The …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a community farming network with the KPU Lab Farm
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University (BC)
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture is a unique program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) that seeks to advance sustainable communities and food systems through integrated education, applied …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Left Behind: The Religious Right and the Environmental Equation
- Lane Community College (OR)
One long-time faith-based environmentalist declares, "Evangelicals can change at the drop of a hat…. They have no one to answer to other than the Bible. So if the Bible says …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Talking about Campus Sustainability: Some Tips from a Psychologist
- Lewis & Clark College (OR)
“How to talk about sustainability so people will listen, and how to listen so people will hear.” This skill building session provides a psychological perspective on the dynamics of defining, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Gaia Education Curriculum for Sustainable Community Development
- Living Routes, Inc. (MA)
We need to continually develop curriculum that can equip citizens and decision-makers to respond to current challenges and help create a viable world. This Case Study will describe a well-developed, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Networking Session
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Members of the 28 American Jesuit Colleges and Universities are invited to join us for a networking meeting to talk about our work and common goal to advance sustainability in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campuses as Leaders and Partners in Comprehensive Food Systems Change
- Luther College (IA)
Too often efforts to enact changes to the food system are approached piecemeal with an excess focus on individual consumption. This presentation will present an alternative model of sustainable food …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cafeteria to Community: Reducing Waste and Feeding the Hungry
- Luther College (IA)
This poster will illustrate a program that simultaneously reduces food waste from Luther College’s cafeteria while providing needed food assistance to hungry families in the surrounding community. The Cafeteria to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community Sustainability in the Post Graduate World – How Does a Liberal Arts Education Matter?
- Middlebury College (VT)
A higher education degree is a big investment. The value and relevance of that investment is a key concern of many students and their families. The numbers say that it …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transforming the Local Food Economy in Louisville and Vermont via Summer Consulting Internships
- Middlebury College (VT)
FoodWorks is Middlebury College’s Fellowship program for students interested in food systems and sustainable development. Middlebury students participate in this for credit summer program every summer through a nine-week competitive …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging Sustainability Stakeholders across Cultures A How-To Guide
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (CA)
A generic cost-benefit analysis or a consideration of the Keeling Curve (the canonic visualization of the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere since 1958) by itself seldom motivate potential sustainability …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A National Online Community for Student Sustainability Leaders
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
We will share stories from student sustainability leaders from across the country that are connecting with one another, building relationships and sharing ideas about how they are making their campuses …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using Online Tools to Support Offline Action and Innovation
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
If you plant a tree in the forest but didn’t tweet about it did it really happen? While the real results of sustainability projects and programs take place offline and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Service Learning Through Global Tourism Micro-Entrepreneurship
- North Carolina State University (NC)
NC State University’s Alternative Service Break (ASB) program is a unique service-learning experience in which students engage in direct service to a community, while being immersed in the culture and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Cookbook: The Real Food Challenge Sodexo Partnership; Northern Arizona University Case Study
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
The Real Food Challenge (RFC) is a national network of student leaders working to create a more just and sustainable food system. The national goal of Real Food Challenge is …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community Colleges Updates and Networking Luncheon
- Oakland Community College (MI)
The American Association of Community College is hosting this session for an update of resources now available from its Sustainability Education and Economic Development Initiative (www.theSeedCenter.org), including its Campus as …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium Lunch
- Oakland Community College (MI)
The Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) is a network of over one dozen higher education associations covering many of the different staff positions that need to be involved for …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating a Sustainable Community Together
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
‘Town – Gown’ collaborations, initiated around sustainability challenges, seem to be re-defining Happy Valley, with big impacts on both Penn State and the Commonwealth. Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) is an …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero waste as a supply chain challenge: the importance of partnerships
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
This presentation will discuss the successes and challenges of Penn State’s initiative to move its Athletics facilities toward zero waste, and the story of how silos had to be broken …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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International Luncheon
- Portland Community College (OR)
Members of the international community who are attending the AASHE conference are invited to join in a networking luncheon to share ideas and successes in their countries. Let’s discuss ways …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Systems in Perspective: Our Collective Ecoliteracy of Home
- Portland State University (OR)
For this temporary community we create at the 2014 AASHE Annual Conference, this installation provides an opportunity for us to fold together our ecological literacy, social sustainability, and collective creativity …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cross-institutional collaboration for compost on an urban campus
- Portland State University (OR)
Implementing an effective composting program on any campus is difficult. Common issues that may arise are public buy-in, infrastructure, information accessibility, and contamination. Appreciating the context of a new compost …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using Bluegrass Music to Power Careers in Sustainable Energy
- Portland State University (OR)
This presentation will analyze the problems of human capital flight and ecological decline in the coal fields of Appalachia. An affective strategy for engaging these economic and ecological problems using …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Collaborative Vision Tree for the AASHE Community
- Portland State University (OR)
During the most recent call of the AASHE Advisory Council, incoming Executive Director Stephanie Herrera posed a question: Are there untapped methods for understanding the AASHE community’s vision? So far, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium: Networking Lunch
- Princeton University (NJ)
Join the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) for a lunch time regional networking event. Founded in 2004, each year NECSC has convened over 80 institutions of higher education from the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Food Collaborations
- Real Food Challenge (MA)
The way most food is currently produced, processed, distributed, and consumed has significantly negative impacts on human health & well being, climate, air and water pollution, and the viability of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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COAL: Storytelling, Music, and Community for Climate Stability
- Santa Clara University (CA)
COAL is a national arts and culture project that combines mythical storytelling and music to engage communities for climate stability and explore the most challenging paradox of our times: the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Green Citizen Campaign
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
In 2011, Seneca College, a Canadian leader in post-secondary environmental programming, laid the groundwork for a multi-faceted initiative intended to take the college’s environmental focus to the next level. Green …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Trinity Tracks
- Southern Methodist University (TX)
The Great Trinity Forest runs along the Trinity River through downtown Dallas and constitutes one of the largest urban forests in North America. This 6,000 acre swathe of vegetated, undeveloped …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Collaboration and Communication Across the Administrative Divide
- Southern Oregon University (OR)
Colleges and Universities often struggle with change and innovation. In a fiscal climate of decreasing funding, changes requiring large capital investments are frequently met with skepticism at best and may …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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NYCSHE Networking Event
- Syracuse University (NY)
The New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE) will offer New York campus faculty, staff and students the opportunity to come together to both learn more about the …
- 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.