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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Water Conservation and Pollution Mitigation at the Source: A Cooperative Town-Gown & Private Sector Mission for a Sustainable Future
- Appalachian State University (NC)
With less than one percent of accessible freshwater on Earth available for drinking water, there is a critical need to conserve and recycle water. In addition, municipal water and wastewater …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Rooted University: Growing Resiliency, Community, and Engaged Food Citizens
- University of Michigan (MI)
With the impending energy descent and accelerating impacts of climate change, the need to foster resiliency and adaptation in the realm of higher education is increasingly pertinent. Universities provide a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Sustainability & Fostering Change at Vanderbilt University
- Vanderbilt University (TN)
Sustainability is the most pressing educational issue of the twenty-first century. In a crisis prone world of limited resources and rapid change, colleges and universities play a vital role in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Build a Career Saving the Planet? Just Ask
- Bard College (NY)
What skills and experiences do you need to become people of power, people with the ability to affect the future, within five to ten years? What does it take to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Drinking Sunlight: Maple Syrup from Your Dorm’s Backyard
- Calvin University (MI)
As students at a small liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, opportunities to get involved in the world of sustainable living are endless. Western Michigan is known for producing …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustain U: Centralizing the University Community Around Sustainability
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Sustainability has always had a presence on the Carnegie Mellon campus, but not one widely acknowledged. Students and staff often pass by the Solar Decathlon house or the recycling room, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bridging the Town Gown Gap: A Case Study of Civic Engagement and Sustainability
- Indiana University South Bend (IN)
For most of us in higher education, service is typically seen as a second class activity worth little note; a burdensome but necessary duty to participate in a campus committee …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Kwantlen MultiPass Program - More Than Just A U-Pass
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University (BC)
In 2011, Kwantlen Polytechnic University was faced with a unique problem to solve when the province of British Columbia announced the rollout of a new Universal Bus Pass program for …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Historic Green Building, 21st Century Energy Monitoring & City, College & Business Partnership at Maryville College
- Maryville College (TN)
In spring 2013, the first building on the Maryville College (MC) campus received LEED certification. Built in 1876, Crawford House is one of the oldest and among the first historic …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability at Michigan State is Bolder, by Design
- Michigan State University (MI)
This session will outline a progressive strategic initiative at Michigan State University and its impact on its sustainability program. This initiative is called Bolder by Design. Launched by President Lou …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus to Community: Fostering Community-Wide Resilience And 21st Century Competencies Through Vision, Leadership, Projects and Partnerships
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
This interactive session explores how students are participating in projects that bridge beyond campus borders to advance sustainability in partnership with the wider community. The session is a combination of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Optimizing and Designing Waste Diversion Programs
- New York University (NY)
Typical universities waste streams – often including residential, classroom and office spaces – are varied and require multifaceted protocols to optimize the handling and diversion of materials from landfills. This …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Local Sourcing for Agriculturally Disadvantaged Universities
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Sourcing local is an important and growing standard for dining services across the nation’s campuses. The benefits of local sourcing do not stop at the loading dock with quality produce, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From Fringe to Familiar - Mainstreaming the Sustainability Message
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
Gone are the days when the notion of living a sustainable lifestyle implied hugging trees and growing your own organic kale. Stereotypes like this can be powerful obstacles to engaging …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Student Resiliency Requires Faculty Adaptability: Two Case Study Comparisons
- Portland State University (OR)
This paper discusses the process and outcomes of two different approaches to incorporating community-based learning into undergraduate courses. Both courses are part of a year-long, interdisciplinary Freshman seminar, one course …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Experiential Learning for MBAs in Sustainable Management
- Presidio Graduate School (CA)
Experiential learning is the process of learning from direct experience. Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them”. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Butterfly Effect: Rethinking How We Build Partnerships for Sustainable Programs
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
What can the monarch butterfly teach us about the evolution of partnerships? How does being adaptive and resilient in a changing economic climate protect post-secondary programs and their delivery of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Gardening with Neighbors: Community Gardening and Food Security in West Louisville
- University of Louisville (KY)
The “West End” of Louisville is characterized by many low-income neighborhoods that are disproportionately affected by high levels of food insecurity and poor health conditions. Still, community groups and neighborhoods …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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PARK(ing) Day!
- University of Louisville (KY)
PARK(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists, and activists collaborate to transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places for a day. The project …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sparking Resilience in Your Region
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA)
What does it take to affect sustainable adaptations beyond the walls of your university to extend into your regional communities? UMass Dartmouth is inspiring waves of resilience and solution-seeking that …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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University/Farmers Market partnership Leads to Local Food Movement Through a USDA Funded Local Food For Everyone Initiative.
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
Presenters will introduce the south-central Kentucky Local Food For Everyone initiative, which was formed through a partnership between Western Kentucky University and the Community Farmers Market. Through a USDA Farmers …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Partnership: Nurturing Community in a Garden Setting
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
In the last few years, school gardening projects have sprouted across the country. School gardens influence improved eating behaviors in children, specifically, increased fruit and vegetable consumption. In addition, school …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Terms of Empowerment: How to inspire enthusiasm and decentralize accountability
- Yale University (CT)
When a campus sustainability program first starts, the imperative is to effectively to develop brand recognition. Once sustainability is a firmly established concept on a campus, programming can generally shift …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cultivating Grassroots: Emerging Platforms for a Sustainable Food System and Economy in Blue Ridge Appalachia
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Appalachian scholar and activist Helen Matthews Lewis writes that “It is important to talk and plan together for the future, to have dreams and hopes and visions.” Lewis believes in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Personal Narrative as Research Pedagogy: Using Poetic Language and Personal Testament in the Research Writing Process
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Research scientists are often dismissed when their reports include personal ethical statements or persuasions—these individuals risk their objectivity in doing so and the result can be invalidation in the scientific …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Arbor Day Tree Campus USA Workshop and Tree Planting Service Event
- Arbor Day Foundation (NE)
In this workshop, presented by the Arbor Day Foundation, attendees will learn to take their campus trees to the next level and participate in our tree-planting community service event. First, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Start a Renewable Energy Project at the Community College – Trustees Are Your Best Friends
- Austin Community College (TX)
It is no secret, renewable energy project is expensive. Return on
investment may be too long to attract any budget minded decision makers at your college, especially in our tough …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Is China Striving for Sustainability in Higher Education?: Case Studies at two aspiring "World-Class" Research Universities in Hong Kong and Shanghai
- Boston College (MA)
China’s system of higher education has experienced significant expansion over the past two decades. Notably, the Chinese government ‘Guideline for Medium and Long Term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020)’ emphasizes …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Identifying Environmental Literature that Provides the Philosophical Basis of Recycling
- Brigham Young University (UT)
A keen observer of how ordinary events illuminate sustainable behavior Aldo Leopold wrote “I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist and written not a few myself, but …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Collaborative Approach to Applied Sustainability in Undergraduate Education
- Chandler-Gilbert Community College (AZ)
This paper will note best practices in sustainability education by examining a collaborative learning endeavor involving an undergraduate special projects course. The course is designed to engage students in experiential …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Igniting Innovation through Sustainable Collaboration
- Denison University (OH)
Denison University, like many liberal arts institutions, seeks to educate students holistically so that they may become discerning moral agents and active citizens in a democratic society. To that end, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Greater Carlisle Project – a College/Community Collaboration for Sustainability
- Dickinson College (PA)
Taking inspiration from The Oberlin Project, Dickinson College convened a series of meetings from November 2012 through March 2013 with members of the Greater Carlisle community for conversations about creating …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Sustainable Spring Break
- Indiana University South Bend (IN)
For a typical college student, Spring Break is a week to get away and participate in activities that will help them get their minds off of the business that they …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Social Sustainability: Creating Virtual and Community Connections
- Indiana University South Bend (IN)
Public institutions of higher education serve the student body and the community. Finding ways to engage both communities in emerging fields such as sustainability can be challenging, especially given the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Summer Internships for a Sustainable Food System
- Linfield College (OR)
Today, the importance of sustainably addressing our food system is vital. There is a pressing societal need for citizens educated in actively creating and participating with food systems based in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Internships as a Tool for Sustainability Education and Outreach
- Luther College (IA)
Using Luther College’s successful sustainability internship program as a case study, this presentation will cover all aspects of developing and implementing a sustainability focused student internship program for undergraduates. Like …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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YERT 2.0: The Environmental Road Trip Continues
- Media Changing Media LLC (PA)
Building off of themes and stories covered in their 2012 award-winning, sustainable-solutions eco-docu-comedy “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip,” with YERT 2.0 the YERT team is exploring through several film projects …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Leaders for the Environment, Art, and Design (LEAD): Educating Students About Impacts and Issues of Fashion, Art, and Design
- Santa Clara University (CA)
For the past three years, students at Santa Clara University have hosted an Eco-Fashion Show and a “Swap for Good” clothing exchange, engaging students about the social, economic, and environmental …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Regional Cultures and Campus Sustainability: The Quebec Case
- Sierra Youth Coalition (QC)
While no one would argue that many issues related to sustainability can only be understood on a global level, international negotiations confront us with the fact that cultural differences can …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Diverse Stakeholders - Multi-Stakeholder Approach
- Sierra Youth Coalition (QC)
The building of a multi-stakeholder process often distinguishes a successful initiative from a failure. Meaningful communication with all stakeholders ensures the most effective results. Using role playing, this workshop will …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Using Partnerships to Forward Campus Sustainability Through Student Green Funds and Innovative Restoration
- Southern Oregon University (OR)
Looking to create a sustainability fund on your campus, but need a little help? Learn how one university partnered with a non-profit foundation to launch a successful campaign to pass …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Postcards, Post-Sandy: Community Resiliency, Social Media and Service Learning
- The New School (NY)
POSTCARDS, POST-SANDY is a digital memory website created by undergraduate and graduate students from The New School for Public Engagement, Eugene Lang College and Parsons School of Design, New York …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Biodiversity Of Humans And Agriculture
- The University of New Mexico (NM)
The University Of New Mexico has worked to build local food hubs in and around the University as demonstration gardens for students and local residents. As SouthWest native tribes have …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Neigborhood Resilience, Using Waste to Build Justice Locally and Internationally
- Trevecca Nazarene University (TN)
Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) in Manila, Philippines is a ‘sister school’ to Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) in Nashville, TN. Both schools are located in highly stressed urban environments …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Story of Self: Defining Your Story to Connect to the Sustainability Movement and Advance Your Career
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
Every person has taken their own path to develop passion and drive in the sustainability field or chosen career. In “Story of Self,” we will define and leverage each journey, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Veggies For All: Campus Food Bank Farm
- Unity Environmental University (ME)
Since 2011, our small college has been the home base for Veggies For All (VFA) – a community-scale agriculture project that works to relieve hunger by growing vegetables for those …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fueling a Regional Environmental Movement
- University at Buffalo (NY)
Building a better future by definition is a collective effort, but often at times throughout the higher education sector we focus inward within our own institutions. While this is a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening the Game: Football and Beyond
- University of Arizona (AZ)
In 2011, University of Arizona’s (UA) Students for Sustainability (SFS) saw an opportunity to bring together an entire community to embrace sustainability. Tens of thousands of fans populate the UA …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Engagement at UC Boulder: IT Strategies for Behavior Change
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
The University of Colorado Boulder has been a leader in sustainability focused research, education and engagement for more than half a century. The campus is home to nationally recognized and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Island Food Security through a Campus Community Garden
- University of Hawaii Maui College (HI)
The Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM) at UH Maui College began an endeavor to build a campus community garden in 2010. Almost three years later, and after many obstacles …
- 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.