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.

2946 resources

Solve, Educate, Engage: The Role of the University in Sustainability Solutions

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Using case histories from the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives at ASU, we'll explore how universities can engage government entities, business and academic communities, non profit organizations and the public ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transformative Partnerships: Replacing Consumerism with Community

  • California Lutheran University (CA)
  • City of Thousand Oaks (CA)

Can disciplines traditionally anchored in consumerist perspectives–like marketing and advertising–help students engage with sustainability and provide opportunities to make positive change in their communities? This case study demonstrates ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The United Nations' New Global Action Programme, Sustainable Development Goals, and You

  • Portland Community College (OR)
  • University of North Texas (TX)
  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • York University
  • China Green University Network

The Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) highlighted how education institutions have contributed to innovative pedagogy and partnerships, enhanced training, and galvanized whole-institution approaches, thus helping foster a more ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching Systemic Sustainability through a Local Lens: A Minnesota Experience in Engaging Students with the Greater Community

  • Prescott College (AZ)

One critical component of sustainability education is to help students understand the interconnectedness of environmental and social justice issues. The intersection of sustainability education, service learning, and social justice offers ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Road to Zero: A Tale of a Stadium Compost Pilot

  • Purdue University (IN)
  • NatureWorks (GA)

Purdue opened the South End Zone Patio area of Ross-Ade Stadium (capacity 57,236) at the beginning of the 2014 season. The Office of University Sustainability initiated a zero waste ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a Statewide Sustainability Strategy in Higher Education (2015)

  • University of Hawaii System Office (HI)

This case study will describe the first two years of developing the system-wide University of Hawaii (UH) Sustainability Strategy. In January 2014 the Board of Regents of the University of ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Marketing-Minded Videos to Improve Waste Diversion and Sustainability

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The 'Video as Marketing for Waste Diversion' (VaMWD) project at UC Berkeley leverages marketing techniques known and familiar in corporate film-making and brand awareness to approach waste diversion as a ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Blitz for a Rapid Diffusion Across the Curriculum

  • Skyline College (CA)
  • Strategic Energy Innovations (CA)

The time is now for addressing sustainability education across the curriculum. While there remain plenty of barriers to doing so – overburdened faculty, lack of interdisciplinary coordination, misaligned incentive structures – there ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Dashboard: Using real-time display of resource use & community voices to foster connections & empower stewardship

  • Oberlin College (OH)

Many schools now use real-time 'dashboards' that provide feedback on electricity use in campus buildings to encourage conservation behavior. This presentation will engage audience members in an exploration of 'Environmental ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Communicating & Visualizing Sustainability: The Effects of Biomimic Marketing For Water Refill Stations on Campus, A Case Study

  • Maryville College (TN)

As the field of sustainability grows, it becomes ever important to consider how sustainability is communicated, designed and visualized to aid in successful engagement, perceptions and implementation of sustainability-based programs ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Experiential, Community-based Learning and Sustainability Assessment: A Field Skills Course for Professional Degree Students

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)

In 2014, the School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, launched a week-long field course for its professional Master of Sustainable Environmental Management program. Previously separate ecological and social ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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SOS – How Global Collaboration will Help you and your Campus

  • National Union of Students

There are 17,000 universities and colleges in the world and students need to leave their education equipped to be part of the solution to sustainability issues, rather than part ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Change Agent Competencies Through Community-Based Research

  • Dickinson College (PA)
  • Portland State University (OR)

Community-based research (CBR) is a powerful pedagogy that engages students with community partners in authentic research that benefits the community while supporting students' development of change agent competencies and dispositions ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Voices from Minnesota's Youth Climate Movement: Organizing at the Intersection of Climate Change & Social Justice

  • Grand Aspirations (MN)
  • Macalester College (MN)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
  • MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (MN)
  • Will Steger Foundation (MN)
  • Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MN)

This panel discussion will feature stories from 6 vibrant Minnesota youth organizations working at the intersection of climate change and social justice. Across the state, youth are leading campaigns and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Attract a Bigger Audience by Saying Goodbye to Green

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

This session is PART 2 of the ways in which Penn State is attracting a bigger audience to sustainability by saying 'goodbye to green.' What we identify as 'sustainability' has ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability and Faith: The Language of Transcendence as Common Ground

  • Lane Community College (OR)
  • Alliance to Save Energy (CA)

Moving toward a more sustainable world requires consensus from people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Environmentalists tend to focus on the connectedness of creation, while people of faith more often ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening the Game at Collegiate Sports

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

Like many universities, the University of Arizona has a strong tradition of athletics at the collegiate level. While sporting events are a key component to any university and it's ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Capacity Through Regional Climate Action: A case study of cross-sectorial partnerships

  • Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)

Laurier has a unique relationship with local nonprofit Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR), a group that works to further environmental and economic resiliency in local organizations. SWR was initiated through a ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Undergraduate Community Engagement in the Service of Sustainability: Connecting the ACTC Consortium with the City of St. Paul

  • University of St. Thomas (MN)

In this session we will describe our experience leveraging the strengths of multiple institutions and engaging undergraduate students in project-based learning to improve the environmental sustainability of our city. The ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Wandering Out of the [Food] Desert: a Campus/Community Farmers Market Collaboration

  • Wells College (NY)

One of the surprising things discovered by the new Center for Sustainability and the Environment at Wells College was that – despite the college's location within an upstate New York ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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American Jesuit College and University Networking Session

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)

Please join us for a networking session for the 28 American Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Any faith-based institution that is advancing sustainability connected to the faith tradition of your school ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Identity Caucus: The Intersection of Sustainability and Identity

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

During this section attendees will split into different groups depending on the identity that most resonate with them. The discussion will focus on how the intersection of these identities correlates ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Environmental Leaders Program (ELP) Networking and Professional Meeting

  • University of Richmond (VA)

The mission of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) is to support visionary, action-oriented, and diverse leadership for a just and sustainable future. ELP aims to catalyze change by providing emerging ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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International Networking Meeting

  • Portland Community College (OR)
  • AASHE (PA)

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 our countries. Let's discuss ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Facilitation In Action: How to cultivate group consensus that matters - Advanced Level

  • GreenerU (MA)

Do you understand the basics of group facilitation but still feel stuck when it comes to creating group consensus with tricky stakeholders? Are you looking for a space to discuss ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Art as Vital Agent in the Spiral of Sustainable Change

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

What is the role of art in the process of sustainable transformation and education? Recognizing that environmental issues, historically, have shaped the arts, we examine how the arts have shaped ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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UBC Sustainability Scholars Program: Sustainability Internships as Drivers of Change

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Offered in collaboration with both on- and off-campus sustainability partners, the UBC Sustainability Scholars Program is designed to provide UBC graduate level students - regardless of their academic discipline - practical sustainability ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating community-based learning into the sustainability classroom: A practical, collaborative approach

  • University of South Dakota (SD)

Experiential learning is critical in sustainability because these hands-on, interactive experiences are often the most transformative of a student's formal education. Engaging students outside of the classroom can foster ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Including spirituality in the curriculum without conflicting with established beliefs systems

  • University of Northern Colorado (CO)

Industrially developed nations, especially the USA, are showing a renewed search for spirituality, which seems to be a reaction to a materialistic consumer lifestyle, characterized by high levels of individualism ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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 (PA)

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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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