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
Collaboration for Sustainable Development and Value Creation
- University of Denver (CO)
This presentation describes the value creation potential for all stakeholders in collaborative partnerships between a university and its students with both private and NGO sector partners. The educational model focuses ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Poverty and Homelessness: Improving Disadvantaged Communities through Sustainable, Urban Gardening
- University of North Florida (FL)
This is a multidisciplinary, community based TLO (Transformational Learning Opportunity) that will offer students the opportunity to learn about poverty and homelessness through a partnership with the Clara White Mission ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Universities as catalysts for Sustainable City Design
- University of Oregon (OR)
The Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) is a ground breaking new sustainability-based service learning program located at the University of Oregon. We tackle issues of sustainable city design with a cross ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bringing Sustainability to life in Australian Colleges & Universities
- Western Sydney University (NSW)
This session will provide an overview of current approaches to addressing key issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability in Australian Higher Education. Key areas of focus will include:
Clarifying ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Partnerships for Change: The Nova Scotia Community Emissions Challenge
- Acadia University (NS)
As part of the Arthur Irving Academy for the Environment's mandate to foster sustainability both on campus and in the community an emissions reduction outreach program targeted to Nova ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Service Learning Involving Community Partnerships and Community Sustainability Planning
- Acadia University (NS)
In Canada, communities are increasingly developing sustainability plans in order to access federal funds made available through a municipal gas tax rebate program. While larger communities are well positioned to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Power in an Educational Setting: Challenges and Opportunities
- Albright College (PA)
The Green Power Partnership (GPP), a voluntary environmental program launched by EPA in 2001 helps organizations get support from EPA in reducing their carbon footprint, lowering the transaction costs of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Principles and Practices for Effective Leadership & Engagement
- Auburn University (AL)
Sustainable communities evolve as people align together around shared commitments and shared values about the way we want to live and the future we hope to create. Creating sustainable communities ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Tailgating: Generating Sustainable Team Spirit!
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
The "greening" of university football game "tailgating" events and athletic competitions, which are known to generate literally tons of bottles and cans as well as waste, continues to spread, resulting ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Green Spring Break: Lessons in Sustainable Service
- Bowling Green State University (OH)
The presence of "alternative" spring breaks based in service across the U.S. seems firmly entrenched in higher education, and their popularity is increasing as students become more service-oriented. Newer ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Teaching and Learning about Sustainability in Jamaica
- Eastern Connecticut State University (CT)
Eastern Connecticut State University has been offering a degree-completion program for Jamaican teachers for several years. Recently, we have begun to explore using our connections with these Jamaican teachers to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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International Collaborative Approaches to Tackling Climate Change Through Higher Eduction
- Environmental Association for Universities & Colleges (EAUC) (Gloucestershire)
Following the success of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), Scotland's universities and colleges have publicly declared their intention to address the challenges of climate change ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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USEPA MOU Program with Colleges and Universities
- Kean University (NJ)
The presentation will review a unique program of Region 2 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The partnership program is designed to create initiatives to catalyze a just ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Involving the Entire Community: Missouri State University and Sustainability
- Missouri State University (MO)
On June 15, 1995, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan signed into law Senate Bill 340 which gave Missouri State University a statewide mission in Public Affairs. In late 2007 the University ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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"Doing Science" as Service Learning
- Oklahoma City University (OK)
How can a science department in a college or university actually "do science" and be of service to the community; how can scientists-in-training perform testing and experiments in the field ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Strengthening the SEAMS Between Us: Sustainable, Equitable, Actualized Meaning-making & Solidarity
- Prescott College (AZ)
There are myriad reasons why culturally or ideologically diverse individuals (and the groups with whom they affiliate) choose not to interact. This disconnect is a critical component in why the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students teaching students to save energy in their homes
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
Many students living on their own for the first time are on financial aid or work to cover living expenses; making ends meet can be tough. Yet most are not ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Raised Organic Produce: Creation of garden on Auraria campus
- University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus (CO)
Students, faculty, and staff of Auraria campus have been working for over a year to create 'Campus Raised Organic Produce' (CROP). Auraria is home of three institutions, The University of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating broad support for campus sustainability through collaboration
- University of Hawaii - West Oahu (HI)
The new University of Hawaii West O‘ahu campus in Kapolei, opened in summer 2012, is a place where sustainability practices are integrated in the development and operation of the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Commitments and Actions at University of Hawaii Maui College
- University of Hawaii Maui College (HI)
The new energy goals set forth by the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) in 2008 have set the stage for making Hawaii a global model for energy independence and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Collaboration among higher educational institutions for increased sustainability in Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The City of Pittsburgh has a climate initiative which outlines goals and directions to reduce emissions and increase economic and societal sustainability in the region. Pittsburgh has become one of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Between Two Worlds
- University of Redlands (CA)
Screening of a 15-minute video documentary film about global sustainability challenges. Between the world in which we live and the world that we hope to build lies a fundamental choice ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Communities through partnership of private, public, and Academic Institutions
- University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus-Community Partnerships for a Sustainable Future: Service-Learning Courses
- University of Vermont (VT)
It is important that universities not work in isolation on their sustainability initiatives, but extend beyond the walls of academe and link with others in the broader community. Service-learning partnerships ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Educating Agents of Change: A Campus-wide Course on Global Sustainability
- University of Virginia (VA)
Professors often collaborate with colleagues across disciplines to create innovative sustainable practices, institutions, and technologies for a resource-constrained world. Yet how can one educate undergraduate students to become future agents ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Doing Makes All the Difference
- Wright State University (OH)
This field report presents information relating to an interdisciplinary service-learning course, Environmental and Social Sustainability in Appalachia, offered through the University Honors Program during Winter Quarter and Spring Break, 2010 ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Power of Engagement: Connecting Community Service with Sustainable Choices
- Wright State University (OH)
This presentation focuses on increased understanding of critical environmental issues with a commitment to action for students and community members engaged in three service learning projects in an environmental literacy ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Kick the Bottle with Bottled Water Alternatives
- American University (DC)
Learn how to replace bottled water with alternatives in order to cut solid waste, reduce upstream water consumption, save money, ensure human health, and protect the public water supply. Many ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Mind the Gap: Campus Sustainability at Home and Abroad
- Augsburg University (MN)
Undergraduate students are participating in experiences abroad in ever-increasing numbers (more than 250,000 in 2007-08). Simultaneously, there has been tremendous growth in the campus sustainability movement nationwide. These two ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Leveraging Sustainability to Bridge the High School-to-College Curriculum Divide
- Bay Area Clean Energy Careers (BayCEC) (CA)
Bringing sustainability into the curriculum is one of most timely challenges facing today's faculty and instructors. While some schools and campuses are designing new courses to address sustainable concepts ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Sustainability Programs and Administration, From Workforce Development to Degrees
- Central Carolina Community College (NC)
Our institution began developing sustainable education programs over twelve years ago as a response to local farmers' request to train farmers in organic and sustainable agriculture practices. From those first ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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North American Sustainability Issues: Educating Students through Exchanges and Research
- Daemen University (NY)
The Consortium for North American Sustainability (CNAS), a partnership among six institutions from the US, Canada and Mexico, aims to provide students with a deep understanding of how local and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Goggles Project
- Dalhousie University (NS)
In 2005, Dr. Tarah Wright commissioned a two year study investigating Canadian universities' stances on sustainability. The findings were so provoking and the topic so timely, that we could not ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Garnet & Gold Goes Green: FSU's game day recycling program
- Florida State University (FL)
Garnet & Gold Goes Green (G4) provides Florida State University fans the opportunity to recycle their beverage containers with the intention of decreasing the large amounts of waste and litter ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Advocating Sustainability: Learning from Campus, Teaching the Community
- Furman University (SC)
The dissemination of campus-based sustainability efforts provides both general knowledge and specific updates to several audiences, on campus and beyond. This communicated information is critical for evaluating and assessing sustainability ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Gardening with seniors: Benefits across socioeconomic status
- Furman University (SC)
Recently, researchers have become interested in the psychological benefits of engaging in nature-based activities. Thus far, research has shown that gardening can increase well-being and sense of community (Armstrong, 2000 ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Service-Learning and Sustainability: Engaging Students in Sustainability Action
- Georgia Southern University (GA)
Service-learning engages students in service in order to improve understanding of course concepts with hands-on learning. Campus sustainability programs often seek to engage students in sustainability action projects in order ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Alternative University Appraisal Project - ESD and HEI'S in Asia Pacific
- Hokkaido University (Hokkaido)
The growth in the number of HEIs coupled with fast growing competition between them has contributed to the boom and popularity of comparisons, rankings and classifications of HEIs.
Higher education ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Circles of Exchange: Growing New Connections
- Cal Poly Humboldt (CA)
Nature is constantly "innovating" by creating new connections, sharing information (nutrients) and adjusting system conditions in an ongoing search for stability. Similarly, human communities can employ networks to make new ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Synergy between students, academia and industry: Prospects for curriculum enhancement
- Iowa State University (IA)
In the 2010 Worldwatch Institute Report, David Orr asks the question, ―What kind of education will enable the rising generation to deal with increasingly complex and portentous global issues?(p ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Outreach to Community Non-profits: The Johns Hopkins University-Baltimore City Climate Showcase Partnership
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Outreach to non-profit organizations in neighboring college and university towns and cities is a critical tool for cultivating a diverse, inclusive, and ultimately successful movement toward sustainability. An outreach initiative ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Food Rescue
- Pacific University (OR)
Food Rescue is a student-initiated food donation program that works to diminish food waste and redistribute leftovers from Pacific University campus events and dining hall meals to local community shelters ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Changing Hearts: Sustainability in the Long Term
- Pepperdine University (CA)
For many, the environmental movement is a consumer fad with very little intellectual or emotional investment. Generally, sustainability is deemed a "good thing" but given low priority at both the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Towards Place-based Engagement in the University District of Portland
- Portland State University (OR)
The City of Portland's EcoDistrict Initiative is an emerging concept for modeling sustainable development within the Portland Metro region. The EcoDistricts Initiative is a multi-sectoral collaboration which seeks to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Gaian Methodologies - An Emergent Confluence of Sustainability Research Innovation
- Prescott College (AZ)
Gaian Methodologies flourish as a green and growing global research convergence. Sustainability extends beyond campus infrastructure; nature's design and organizing insights and patterns can inform research methods and guide ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Partnering with Local Government to Promote Sustainable Development
- Randolph College (VA)
Research partnerships between colleges and local government can be an effective way to promote sustainability at the community level. This project applied principles of conservation development to the analysis of ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Promoting Sustainable Communities: The Randolph College Permaculture Program
- Randolph College (VA)
Randolph College has a thriving permaculture and organic garden program, well-integrated into the college curriculum and offering semester and summer internships. The garden includes an orchard of heirloom fruit and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Social Sustainability in Practice: Pay 30 Forward at Rio Salado
- Rio Salado College (AZ)
Rio Salado College believes that investing in volunteerism is good business. In July 2009, Rio launched Pay 30 Forward to promote social sustainability at Rio Salado. The program honors Rio ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Grí¼nen der Universití¤t: Sustainability Perceptions and Practice at a German University
- Royal Roads University (BC)
North Americans often perceive that governments, institutions and individuals in Europe have a very high degree of consciousness and action with regard to environmental protection and sustainability. This paper explores ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fostering Sustainability, Community and Service from Middle-School through Higher Education
- Saint John's University (MN)
In a collaboration between the St. John's University School of Education, the Office of Sustainability, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Grow NYC, Queens Botanic Gardens and 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.