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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Webinar: #1 Inner Development Goals: A Three-part Exploration
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
Many of us are familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This three-part Community of Practice (Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 13) will allow us to space to explore the …
- Posted Nov. 18, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Webinar: Pollinators, Pesticides & People: Landscaping Certifications Explained
- AASHE (MA)
- The Xerces Society (OR)
- Re:wild Your Campus (TX)
Interested in sustainability certifications for your campus landscape? We’re here to help! Join Bee Campus USA, an initiative of the Xerces Society, and Rewild Your Campus (formerly Herbicide Free Campus) …
- Posted Nov. 10, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Webinar: Assessing Sustainability Literacy & Culture: Innovations & Lessons Learned by Multiple Institutions
- Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ)
- University of Southern California (CA)
- Weber State University (UT)
- Williams College (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
This interactive panel discussion will feature four presenters from different geographic regions (eastern and western United States) and institutional contexts (private and public, and from small liberal arts colleges to …
- Posted Oct. 4, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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University and Community Open Forum
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
This picture is of an event, E2S Climate Hub: Paths toward Sustainable and Just Engagement open forum at Green Era Campus on April 8th with community partners and University of …
- Posted Aug. 26, 2022
- Photographs
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2022 EarthFest at the University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
Sustainability-minded students at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) hosted an Earth Day festival in 2022. EarthFest 2022 invited student sustainability leaders and volunteers from more than twenty groups …
- Posted Aug. 15, 2022
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Diverse Business Training Showcase hosted by Supplier Diversity Department for WashU buyers (detail)
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
St. Louis Anchor Action Network - The St. Louis Anchor Action Network (STLAAN) comprises organizations committed to reducing inequities through increased employment, health and wealth-building opportunities. The University of Missouri–St. …
- Posted Aug. 8, 2022
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Diverse Business Training Showcase hosted by Supplier Diversity Department for WashU buyers (overhead)
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
St. Louis Anchor Action Network - The St. Louis Anchor Action Network (STLAAN) comprises organizations committed to reducing inequities through increased employment, health and wealth-building opportunities. The University of Missouri–St. …
- Posted Aug. 8, 2022
- Photographs
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Fullerton Arboretum
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
Mission: The mission of Fullerton Arboretum is to support the academic mission of CSUF with a world class living and historical collection and to provide learning opportunities for every stage …
- Posted Aug. 4, 2022
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Mercedes Dorame: Ancestors Leading the Stars ‘Eyoohiinkem He’uuk Shishyoota
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
RECEPTION | Saturday, September 18, 2021 12:00 – 4:00 PM (Public reception)
Ancestors Leading the Stars - ‘Eyoohiinkem He’uuk Shishyoota is an installation by artist Mercedes Dorame and it explores …
- Posted Aug. 4, 2022
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Kim Abeles: Smog Collectors, 1987–2020
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Kim Abeles: Smog Collectors, 1987-2020, at the Begovich Gallery will be the first time this seminal series is shown in its entirety. The exhibition features thirty years …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2022
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Greening Burundi Project launches with support from Cornell Climate Online Fellows
- Cornell University (NY)
Emmanuel Niyoyabikoze, right, founder of the Greening Burundi Project, enjoys planting a few trees – on his way to a million trees – with a few children in his social …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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UMN Morris intern giving a tour of the new Morris Water Treatment Plant
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
UMN Morris intern (Michael Abbing) provides a tour of the Morris Water Treatment Plant for visitors. This new water treatment plant is a collaboration between the city of Morris, and …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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Electric bike collaboration between UMN Morris and Regional Fitness Center
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
UMN Morris student (August Bushy) and Regional Fitness Center staff member (Clare Sorensen) show the two electric bikes available for college students and community members to ride.
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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UMN Morris works with partners to launch county-wide composting program
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
UMN Morris helped launch the new countywide composing program. UMN Morris hit a milestone of diverting 1 million pounds of organic material from the landfill with its onsite cold-weather system. …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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UMN Morris student explaining the electric bike program to community members
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
UMN Morris student, August Bushy, is explaining more about the UMN Morris and Regional Fitness Center electric bike program collaboration.
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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UMN Morris community members celebrate the two new electric school buses at Morris Area School District
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
A UMN Morris student worked with the Morris Area School District to write a grant to get two fully-electric schoolbuses. These community members (in the air) are from the Muenster …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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The 51 Percent Project
- Boston University (MA)
The 51 Percent Project at Boston University is a data-driven communications initiative that identifies established peer-reviewed principles of climate change communication and makes them accessible to the general public. The …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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University of New Hampshire: B Impact Clinic
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
B Impact Clinic - Launched in 2019 by the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute, the B Impact Clinic gathers teams of undergraduate students from different areas of study to …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
- Photographs
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Mohawk College Native Seed Orchard
- Mohawk College (ON)
This summer WWF-Canada, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, provided grant funding for Mohawk College to implement a Seed Orchard project to increase biodiversity on campus! By sharing the seeds …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
- Photographs
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Mohawk College Birch Bark Canoe
- Mohawk College (ON)
Master canoe-maker Chuck Commanda from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, a First Nations community in Quebec, has been teaching a group of Indigenous students at Mohawk College how to build a birch …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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OSU's Master Melittologists Program
- Oregon State University (OR)
First Master Melittologist Program in the US - Oregon State University is the first institution in the United States to form a Master Melittologist program of trained community scientists dedicated …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2022
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Saint Joseph's College of Maine 2022 SCI
- Saint Joseph's College - ME (ME)
Leadership for Sustainable Communities - In 2021, Saint Joseph's College - ME committed to institution-wide transformation and asked faculty to consider all courses through the lens of "sustainable communities” and …
- Posted July 28, 2022
- Photographs
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Carnegie Mellon University students learn about the Sustainable Development Goals at an exhibit in the Cohon University Center
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Three students read up on global implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at an exhibit organized by Carnegie Mellon University's Sustainability Initiative team in February 2020
- Posted July 27, 2022
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JCCC Hosts Regional Climate Action Kansas City Summit
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
As a pathway toward institutional accreditation through the US Higher Learning Commission, Johnson County Community College developed and completed an Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) focused on institution-wide sustainability in …
- Posted July 25, 2022
- Photographs
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Leveraging Strategic Partnerships to Advance Sustainability Education
- University of British Columbia (BC)
- AASHE (MA)
What do we need to do to take sustainability education to the next level? How do we make sustainability learning ubiquitous in a university student’s learning journey while increasing an …
- Posted July 18, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Webinar: Cli Fi, Sci Fi, and the Culture of Sustainability
- University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College (HI)
- AASHE (MA)
Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a form of literature that features a changed/changing climate or global warming as a major plot device. Join this webinar for an overview of this …
- Posted July 3, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Integrated Studies BA
- Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)
The B.A. in Integrated Studies combines courses across programs in order to produce deep learning and a better understanding of the interrelationships between academic subjects. Sustainability and civic engagement are …
- Posted June 10, 2022
- Academic Programs
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Trees on campus are rooted in history
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
Seven serve as a memorial to lives needlessly taken. One received the blessing of the Dalai Lama. Others pay homage to local history. But symbolism and aesthetics aside, each of …
- Posted May 31, 2022
- Photographs
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WMGIC: Expanding Student Involvement in Sustainable Development
- College of William & Mary (VA)
The Global Innovation Challenge at William and Mary (WMGIC) encourages and facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and applied learning opportunities among students, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers by bringing innovative and sustainable perspectives …
- Posted May 23, 2022
- Case Studies
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Arbor Day at Nova Southeastern University
- Nova Southeastern University (FL)
In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day, students, staff, faculty, and the University's President came together to celebrate the environment with a tree planting ceremony and educational table fair. …
- Posted May 23, 2022
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Common features of sustainable higher education sector according to an international sustainability ranking data
- Häme University of Applied Sciences
- Universidade Feevale
- National Defence University (Finland)
This case study utilized data from an international university ranking (GreenMetric World University Rankings). The data show that in 2015–17, campus greening activities were dominated by sustainable development (SD) oriented …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Sustainability based careers and graduate prospects
- University of West London
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to create a sustainable global future through seventeen inter-related objectives that encompass the environment, social justice, and good governance. Countries are deploying national …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Mapping Concordia’s Sustainability Ecosystem, a system mapping experiment
- Concordia University (QC)
Tristan Harris, the founder of the Center for humane Technology, once said: "Our ability to meet the world's challenges depends on us making sense & coordinating together." It means that …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Case Studies
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Engaging with Indigenous Communities for Climate Action: The Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project
- McGill University (QC)
The Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project is an initiative that is at the leading edge of carbon offsetting projects in higher education. The multi-faceted initiative, financed by the University, provides benefits to …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Case Studies
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EchoWorks: An Electronics Recycling College-Community Partnership
- Western Dakota Technical College (SD)
There are more than a thousand toxic substances associated with electronic waste (e-waste), and improper disposal can lead to soil, water, food, and air contamination. E-waste is the fastest growing …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Case Studies
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Establishing and sustaining Indiana’s first higher education chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby at Purdue University
- Purdue University (IN)
- Citizens' Climate Lobby (CA)
In an effort to learn how to meaningfully engage with my community on the issue of climate change, I joined Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization which advances …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Case Studies
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Setting the Direction for a Sustainable Future? A Critical Review of University-Enterprise Partnership Evaluation
- Lancaster University
University–enterprise partnerships foster great opportunities for sustainable development by enabling the translation of research into viable commercial solutions. However, how do we measure the relative “success” of such a partnership? …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Mapping and Critical Synthesis of Current State-of-the-Art on Community Engagement in Higher Education
- Global University Network for Innovation
This publication defines the concept of community engagement in higher education and its role in contemporary debates about the role of higher education in the 21st century and maps international …
- Posted May 20, 2022
- Publications
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Contactless Food Box Deliveries: Driving Down Food Insecurity
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) launched the Contactless Food Box Delivery Program in December 2020 which continues to this day. 5-10 boxes are delivered every week to those …
- Posted May 19, 2022
- Case Studies
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The six dimensions of collective leadership that advance sustainability objectives: rethinking what it means to be an academic leader
- Colorado State University (CO)
- Iowa State University (IA)
- Northeastern University (MA)
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
- Salisbury University (MD)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- McGill University (QC)
- University of British Columbia Okanagan (BC)
- National Geographic Society (DC)
- TREE Foundation (FL)
Solutions to our most pressing environmental problems demand the development and application of leadership skills that are not typically fostered in traditional academic programs: skills that advance new transdisciplinary approaches …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Towards a European framework for community engagement in higher education – a case study analysis of European universities
- University of Twente
- Ghent University
- Technological University Dublin (Dublin)
- University of Rijeka
- Institute for the Development of Education
This paper aims to examine the development and piloting of a novel European framework for community engagement (CE) in higher education, which has been purposefully designed to progress the CE …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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The engagement CUBE: a dialogical tool for designing, facilitating and monitoring engaged research and teaching strategies
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Community engaged research and learning strategies are considered meaningful methods for universities to demonstrate their critical importance to today’s societies. At the same time, it is stressed that not all …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Pedagogies for peacebuilding in higher education: How and why should higher education institutions get involved in teaching for peace?
- Universidad de los Andes
- University of Sussex (Sussex)
- University of Rwanda
- Univerzitet u Sarajevu
This article makes the case for why higher education institutions should take the teaching of peacebuilding seriously. It is co-authored by a team from four countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Management research and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs): A bibliometric investigation and systematic review
- University of Trento (Trentino)
- University of Lincoln
- Università di Foggia
- Università del Salento
The comprehension of the businesses’ impact to sustainable development requires consideration of the different factors that affect firms’ behavior, such as corporate governance, non-financial regulation, and the external environment. The …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Developing leadership qualities in environmental sustainability through university co-curricular activities
- University of Calgary (AB)
This study aims to provide insight into the question of whether graduate students who deliver environmental education workshops/residencies to elementary school children will develop environmental sustainability leadership qualities in themselves: …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Community-responsive scholar-activist research: conceptualizing capacity building and sustainability in a Northern California community-university partnership
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)
- University of California, Davis (CA)
- University of California, Merced (CA)
We critically examine the ongoing development of a collaborative, responsive, activist research process between academics and farmworkers. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with community-based researchers and scholar-activists, we assess our team’s …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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From publications to public actions: the role of universities in facilitating academic advocacy and activism in the climate and ecological emergency
- University of Kent
- Cardiff University
- University of Lausanne
Thousands of universities have made climate emergency declarations; however the higher education sector is not rising to the collective challenge with the urgency commensurate with scientific warnings. Universities are promoting …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development Framework and the Reality of University–Community Cooperation in the Caucasus Mountain Region
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
- Armenian State Pedagogical University
- Tbilisi State University
The project Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caucasus Region (CaucaSusT) initiated the integration of transdisciplinary approaches into partner universities in Armenia and Georgia. The aim was to develop …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Investigating Web-Based Sustainability Reporting in Italian Public Universities in the Era of Covid-19
- University of Salerno
- Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"
Universities are increasingly called to demonstrate to stakeholders their active commitment to responding to social and environmental issues through comprehensive reporting practices. Such expectations were further enhanced by the recent …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement through Social Media. Evidence from the University of Salerno
- University of Salerno
Over the last few decades, stakeholders’ growing attention towards social and environmental issues has challenged universities’ traditional accountability boundaries, imposing the adoption of innovative reporting tools that facilitate stakeholders’ engagement …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Publications
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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.