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

Energy Efficiency Jobs in America

This report finds that energy efficiency is a massive employer with 1.9 million jobs nationwide and thousands of jobs in each and every state. The report, based on U ...

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Clean Jobs America: A comprehensive analysis of clean energy jobs in America

In this comprehensive analysis of clean energy and clean transportation jobs, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) finds that more than 2.5 million Americans now work in clean energy at businesses across ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America

  • The Pew Charitable Trusts (DC)

Despite a lack of sustained policy attention and investment, the emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably - extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and generating ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Student Interest for Environment/Sustainability Undergraduate Programmes: Recent Australian Experience

  • RMIT University

Increasingly, employers are seeing the need to have employees who have capabilities in sustainability. The hope is that there will be a sufficient number of appropriately educated people to enter ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Educating for Sustainability: 2017 Sustainable Campus Best Practices from ISCN and GULF Universities

  • International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) (MA)

This report, which was released in conjuction with the 2017 World Economic Forum, contains case studies on educating for sustainability provided by 30 members of the International Sustainable Campus Network ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Transdisciplinary learning and teaching as answers to urban sustainability challenges

Purpose

This paper aims to explain the relevance of science-society interfaces and their potential for higher education institutions to engage stakeholders in supporting sustainable change in cities, via the transdisciplinary ...

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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University’s multi-scale initiatives for redefining city development

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the varied roles played by the University of Lódz (UL) in maintaining and restoring the natural capital of a city as ...

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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Environmental awareness raising through universities – city authorities’ cooperation

Purpose

This paper aims to the environmental awareness raising as a key issue of education for sustainable development. Youth Environmental Volunteers Movement in the area of coastal oil response operations ...

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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Civic Labors: Scholarly Activism and Working-Class Studies

Labor studies scholars and working-class historians have long worked at the crossroads of academia and activism. The essays in this collection examine the challenges and opportunities for engaged scholarship in ...

  • Posted Jan. 13, 2017
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Towards a Sustainable University: The Ca’ Foscari Experience

Towards a Sustainable University tackles the challenge of sustainability in universities. Universities are a working environment and an organization in which sustainability can be experienced. This book shows how a ...

  • Posted Dec. 16, 2016
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Rutgers University Online MPA – Specialization in Nonprofit Management

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)

A great education starts with a great curriculum. The public administration degree from Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) gives students a broad understanding of the field and ...

  • Posted Dec. 16, 2016
  • Academic Programs
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Inspiration and Hope for Campus Sustainability Change Agents

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Harvard University (MA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Intentional Endowments Network (MA)

You know those feelings you get after attending the AASHE annual conference and other sustainability conferences – inspiration, motivation, a sense of belonging, perhaps even giddy to return to campus to ...

  • Posted Dec. 15, 2016
  • Videos & Webinars
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A geographic approach to facilitating local climate governance: From emissions inventories to mitigation planning

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

It is increasingly recognized that municipal and regional scale governments play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. While universities possess many resources that ...


Municipal collaboration for carbon footprinting: Syracuse, New York case study

  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)

Purpose

The City of Syracuse, New York, has undertaken energy conservation measures over the past decade. In 2011, the city completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory that serves as the ...


Universities and Climate Change Mitigation: Advancing Grassroots Climate Policy in the US

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • ICF International (VA)

While US climate change mitigation policy has stalled at the national level, local and regional actors are increasingly taking progressive steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Universities are poised ...


Does the Gown Help the Town? Examining Town–Gown Relationship Influence on Local Environmental Sustainability in the United States

  • Missouri State University (MO)

A US municipality environmental sustainability index, the OSSPI (Opp-Saunders Sustainability Practices Index), found an overwhelming percentage of top-ranked sustainable cities were home to higher education institutions. While this may be ...


Community support for campus approaches to sustainable energy use: The role of “town–gown” relationships

  • American University (DC)
  • Cornell University (NY)

Across the United States, universities are grappling with challenges associated with adopting approaches to more sustainable energy use. One approach has been to develop energy-related projects in their local, host ...


American Democracy Project

  • American Association of State Colleges and Universities (DC)

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a network of more than 250 state colleges and universities focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed ...


Infusing Sustainability Principles and Practices into Study Abroad

  • Concordia College (NY)
  • Delta College (MI)
  • Lawrence University (WI)

Sustainability, a common thread across curriculums, can serve as the connection for engaged learning. Tie it to international travel and it links our students with opportunity for greater understanding of ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Community as a Living Laboratory: Promoting Community Engagement Through Student Internship Programs

  • Furman University (SC)
  • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (IN)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)

Community and campus sustainability issues can be addressed simultaneously while creating a hands-on learning opportunity for students. In this presentation, representatives from three universities (Furman University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Renewably Powering and Empowering our Communities

  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • Weber State University (UT)
  • Wells College (NY)

Weber State University worked with a local nonprofit and community members to develop and implement a community-solar program during the 2015-2016 school year. The project served the three-county area surrounding ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Campus and Community Involvement in Move-Out Waste Reduction Programs

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
  • Wilfrid Laurier University (ON)

Move-Out! Classes end and our students vacate the rooms in their residence halls, cleaning up so that other students may become the new occupants. In the process, students discard lots ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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New Models for Campus Food Production: Orchards and Community Collaborations

  • Saint Joseph's College - IN (IN)
  • University of Baltimore (MD)
  • Civic Works Baltimore Orchard Project (MD)

This panel session will feature how campus food production programs can serve as vehicles for community collaborations, as well as a wide variety of opportunities for experiential learning and campus ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Creative Composting: a Comprehensive Approach to Food Waste Reduction

  • Green Mountain College (VT)

Though composting is a great step away from creating landfill waste, it is still very low on the EPA's food waste hierarchy. This study presents how a group of ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Powering a New South: Sustainability and Energy in the Southern US

  • Coastal Carolina University (SC)

Through an examination of the processes and experiences of a yearlong, multi-disciplinary university press project, students, instructors, and press advisors will examine energy through the lens of our local experience ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Experiences and Strategies of a Student-Run Massive Monarch Restoration on Off-campus Sites

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

The White House recently released the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. One of its primary goals is a national effort to increase the ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste: Data, Infrastructure, and Engagement Return Recycling Case Study

  • New York University (NY)
  • Return Recycling (NY)

Return Recycling is a student-led organization devoted to building a concrete understanding for waste data, infrastructure, and engagement. Over the past year we've prototyped new (self-designed) recycling bins, developed ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Engaging the Campus, Community, and Future: A Student's Guide to Organization Development

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

Developing an organization, especially one that deals with a sustainability issue, may seem to be a daunting task. By examining the case-study of Lexington Environmental Youth Outreach (LEYO), a sustainability ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Enhancing Community Networks through Sustainable Events: Case Study

  • Iowa State University (IA)

At colleges and universities across the world, students are engaging their campus and community in sustainability through creative event programming. As local organizations and on-campus organizations collaborate on meaningful projects ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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To Serve or Not to Serve?: The Role of Gender Socialization in Community Engagement and Connections to Toxic Masculinities

  • Oregon State University (OR)

Across various measures of civic and community engagement, whether across the country or here at Oregon State University, men tend to be less active in these activities, which can be ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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What Professional Diplomacy can do for You: Putting the Ability in 'Sustainability'

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Diplomacy and negotiations permeate all aspects of life. It can either serve as a stepping stone for students advocating sustainability, or a stumbling block for those who lack diplomatic knowledge ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Sustainability Marketing and the Arts

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

Briefly covers general popular advertising avenues on campus and ways to uncover new marketing platforms through faculty and staff engagement. Focus is placed on an interaction with the arts and ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Student-led Technical Design Projects: From Conception to Implementation

  • Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)

Engineering students are often interested in contributing directly to sustainability in their communities by conducting local technical projects. In this interactive workshop, Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), a non-profit ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Strategic Power: Public Leadership & Change Maker Skills

  • Elected Officials to Protect America (SC)

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win' - Gandhi This dynamic, interactive workshop will hone your public leadership skills to create massive ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Inclusion for Impact: Discourse on Diversifying the Sustainability Movement

  • George Mason University (VA)
  • Johns Hopkins University (MD)

How can each of us answer the call toward a more inclusive and integrative approach to sustainability at our institutions, in our communities, and beyond? This session will explore the ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Connecting Higher Education to Agenda 2030

  • Portland Community College (OR)
  • United Nations University

Sustainability efforts have grown across higher education institutions, schools, non-profits, government agencies, and the private sector. As established in the Ahmedabad Declaration, higher education is necessary for helping achieve a ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Five Job Skills to Save the Planet: Why Political Campaigning is a Must Do

  • Bard College (NY)

The 2016 election will be a defining one for climate change and many other sustainability issues. But Presidential election-year campaigns also provide students with unique, once-every-four-year, high-impact opportunities to gain ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Seize the Grid for 100% Clean Energy

  • Sierra Club (DC)

Join this hands-on workshop where you will learn how to spark a youth-led movement for energy democracy on your campus. We are at a turning point in history. The clean ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Place-Based Art, Science, and Agency: Transformative Action and Connection for Climate Change Times

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Climate change is often framed as a scientific problem, fossil fuel, or greenhouse gas problem. Digging past these framings to the wound, not just the symptoms, we see sustainability as ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Leading Climate & Resilience Action on Your Campus & Community!

  • Second Nature (MA)
  • National Campus Leadership Council (DC)

Students have long been the champions and implementers for campus sustainability efforts. NCLC & Second Nature will engage student leaders on emerging climate issues, providing tools/support to make a ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Fighting Waste, Feeding People: Student Solutions for the Long Term

  • Food Recovery Network (MD)

Forty percent of all food produced in America is wasted, while one in six Americans is unsure where his or her next meal will come from. If food waste were ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Fair Trade Advocacy: Connecting Campuses & Local Communities

  • Fair Trade Colleges & Universities

This session will explore the Fair Trade movement in the U.S. Students will learn how Fair Trade campaigns on campuses collaborate with local communities to increase Fair Trade purchasing ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Decarbonizing the Global Economy: Student Coalition to Garner Higher Ed Support for Widespread Carbon Pricing Legislation

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Scientists and the United Nations agree that we urgently need to decarbonize the world's economy to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Unfortunately, developing a cohesive policy ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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KEEPING WATCH: Locally Produced Films for Art, History and Public Awareness

  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)

The University of North Carolina Charlotte will present and discuss the use of a series of locally-produced short films used as components of a highly successful public awareness program called ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Networking Session

  • Rice University (TX)

This is a networking meeting for Texans and other parties interested in the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability to connect and discuss campus sustainability topics unique to the Lone ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Women in Sustainability Network

  • Prescott College (AZ)

Come join us to build a collaborative network, share synergy, and catalyze collaboration. Who this session is for: Administrators, faculty, and program leaders concerned with innovation, gender equity, and social ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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The Future of Sustainability Workforce Preparation and Hiring: A Networking Session

  • The GREEN Program (PA)

The GREEN Program will be hosting this networking session. The GREEN Program offers short term, career accelerating, abroad opportunities on topics connected to sustainability and sustainable development for students & ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Beyond the Library: Librarians Team up With Campus Partners for Sustainability Education and Outreach

  • Colorado Mountain College (CO)
  • University of Arizona (AZ)

Collaborate with your library to disseminate and implement sustainability solutions - on campus and beyond! Join us in this networking session to share your ideas and experiences and learn about exciting ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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AASHE 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 meeting to share ideas and successes in their countries. Let's discuss ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Connecting with community for striking a sustainable balance: a documentary about student experience in a biosphere reserve

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)
  • Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve (SK)

Striking Balance is a documentary series, launching Fall 2016, to celebrate Canada's 16 biosphere reserves-learning sites for research and education about biodiversity conservation and sustainability. Created by UNESCO, biosphere ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 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