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.

2945 resources

Revelations of service-learning project: Multiple perspectives of college students’ reflection

  • Cheng Shiu University

This study explored the reflections of college students at different stages of their service provided to preschoolers and proposed recommendations on service-learning curricula according to the research findings. Thirty-six college ...


Climate change concern among youth: Examining the role of civics and institutional trust across 22 countries

  • Columbia University (NY)

Although scholars have long documented perceptions of climate change and the public’s evolving response to the perceived risk it poses, only more recently have these analyses begun to examine ...


The fierce urgency to create safe spaces for the heart in relation to sustainability

  • Heart Sense Research Institute

The paper aims to rediscover the subtle heart and discuss its importance in relation to conversations regarding sustainability. Based on the imaginal approach of the author’s doctoral research, this ...


From the “Greta Thunberg Effect” to Green Conversion of Universities: The Reconstructive Praxis of Discursive Mobilizations

  • Stockholm University

This paper investigates how one could envision a discursive mobilization process totransform protest movements into agents that help reconstruct the universities as agentssupporting material mobilizations leading to ecological reconstruction. After ...


Growing action research on environmental learning in schools: a school-university partnership

  • University of Toronto (ON)

A team of teacher-researchers in a large urban school board is working in partnership with researchers from a leading Canadian university to use action research to broaden and deepen environmental ...


Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD): Community conversations for a sustainable and equitable future

  • James Madison University (VA)

With a mission to “inspire dialogue and deliberation that shapes engaged and inclusive communities and informs sound policies,” the Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD) at James Madison University ...


A Discussion About Environmental Justice in Vermont

  • University of Vermont (VT)

Project Green Schools was delighted to host A Discussion About Environmental Justice in Vermont in partnership with Vermont House Speaker, Conor Kennedy, Shelburne Farms, VT FEED, Hunger Free Vermont, VEEP ...

  • Posted May 9, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
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Nebraska State Fair Sustainability Pavilion

  • Central Community College (NE)

In partnership with the Nebraska State Fair, students are invited to develop sustainability projects and present them at the Sustainability Pavilion. 2021 student projects include a kayak made from mushroom ...


Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate Justice

  • University of Oregon (OR)

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Just Futures Institute is a transformational regional platform for racial and climate justice funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. We hold collaborations among the University ...


CLIMATE CRISIS ANTHEM Music Video

  • AASHE (PA)

The CLIMATE CRISIS ANTHEM is a visually and musically engaging 6:20 minute video that portrays the dire situation we all face in the current environmental breakdown.

Musical styles range ...

  • Posted May 4, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
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JMU Geography Students Celebrate 10 Years of Gardening at Local Elementary School

  • James Madison University (VA)

JMU Geography faculty and students celebrated Earth Day with students from an elementary school in Harrisonburg, Virginia as a continuation of 10 years of gardening together. Dr. Amy Goodall and ...


Montclair State University Hosts Bradford Elementary School for Earth Day 2022

  • Montclair State University (NJ)

For Earth Day 2022, the Montclair State University Facilities team hosted 400 K-5 students from Montclair Township's Bradford Elementary School. The event was held outdoors in the campus Amphitheater ...


Earth Day Student Sustainability Showcase

  • Sierra Nevada College (NV)

This photo shares a scene from the Sierra Nevada University Earth Day celebration held on 4/20/22 on the Incline Village campus in Lake Tahoe, NV. The day started ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Photographs
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Binghamton University Sustainability Hub Earth Day Event

  • Binghamton University (NY)

The Binghamton University Sustainability Hub had an Earth Day event that included a student panel talking about the work they did to create the newly launched Equitable Sustainability Resource Guide ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Photographs
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Sustainability Hub table at the Binghamton University Earth Day Festival

  • Binghamton University (NY)

The Sustainability Hub had a table at the campus main Earth Day Festival. The table featured an overview of what the Hub has to offer and swag including plantable notebooks ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Photographs
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Earth Fest 2022

  • University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI)

River Falls, WI Community Celebrates Sustainability Over 1,000 people gathered in Glen Park on Sunday, April 24th despite cold and windy conditions to experience Earth Fest 2022. The event ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Photographs
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Plant it Forward

  • Mohammed VI Polytechnic University

Planting Trees is one of the most effective ways to act towards climate change as it benefits our everyday lives efficiently. They filter clear air, help curb climate change, create ...

  • Posted April 25, 2022
  • Photographs
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Top action tips for graduate students and researchers to act on SDGs

  • George Mason University (VA)
  • Illinois State University (IL)

Graduate students are preparing to enter an academic and career climate that is 21 percent of the way through a new century, part of a generation burdened with two tasks ...

  • Posted April 21, 2022
  • Outreach Materials
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GIS and Sustainability Engagement in Higher Education

  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)

Does the use of an interactive GIS web map significantly influence the level of sustainability stakeholder engagement at institutions of higher education? With over 1,000 institutions of higher education ...

  • Posted March 18, 2022
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How to make low-carbon academia fly? Reducing academic air travel beyond COVID-19

  • Norwegian University of Life Sciences

This article seeks to advance our understanding of the underlying reasons that sustain high levels of academic flying, and explores how a low carbon academia with less academic air travel ...

  • Posted March 10, 2022
  • Publications
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5 Year Report NC Collaboratory 2016-2021

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)

In 2016 the NC General Assembly authorized the creation of the NC Policy Collaboratory headquartered at UNC Chapel Hill. In the five years since, the Collaboratory has funded more than ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2022
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Keynote Presentation with Daphne Frias, Zamzam Ibrahim and Chloe Maxmin

  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Box The Ballot (NY)
  • European Students' Union

This session will share inspiring examples of how young people are leading the way to a sustainable future on campus and beyond.

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Student Affairs Networking and Discussion

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Join members of the NASPA (Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education) Sustainability Knowledge Community team as we discuss how student affairs practitioners can infuse sustainability into their day-to-day roles. This ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Music as a Tool for Environmentalism and Change

  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

Music is present in social movements - but is it an effective catalyst for change in environmental and sustainability-related spaces? Scientific evidence supports the reality that music affects people physically and ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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From Waste to Fuel: An Interactive Introduction to Community-Based Biodiesel Production

  • John Brown University (AR)
  • Springboard Biodiesel (CA)

Making biodiesel from waste oils, locally, is a community-based act of collaboration and empowerment that has a significant positive impact on the environment and saves money on any institution's ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Tree Week: Engaging Your Community and Celebrating Urban and Community Trees

  • Urban Forest Initiative (KY)

Tree Week has become a staple for nature-lovers in Lexington, Kentucky, and the greater Bluegrass Region. Tree Week is a weeklong celebration that strives to offer a variety of tree-themed ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals Through Education Abroad

  • University of New Haven (CT)
  • The Forum on Education Abroad (RI)

Interested in making your education abroad programs and practices more sustainable, but unsure of where to start? The Forum on Education Abroad recently released new guidelines for Advancing the UN ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Solve Climate Worldwide Teach-in / 3.30.22 / Engage 1 Millon Students

  • Bard College (NY)

Time to address climate change is short. With universities returning to in-person education, as educators at this moment, we have the responsibility to engage our entire campuses in urgent discussions ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Compost Cats Bucket Program: Bringing Composting into a Campus Community

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

This proposed online session will discuss the Compost Cats' residential food scrap collection and composting program open to University of Arizona students, faculty, and staff, as well as Tucson community ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Faith-Based Institutions Connecting Mission, Values and Traditions for a Just, Sustainable Future

  • University of Dayton (OH)

Religious organizations are a potentially strong ally for achieving global sustainability, since 85% of people globally identify with a religion, and the majority of the world's educational organizations have ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) Networking Session

  • South Dakota State University (SD)

This is an opportunity to network with others from the Upper Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  Learn about UMACS' mission and discuss campus efforts ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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An ‘EDJI’ Conversation: Believing in Equity, Diversity, Justice and Inclusion at Catawba College

  • Catawba College (NC)

Join co-chairs, Dr. ChaMarra Saner and Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid, in conversation for a podcast-style session centered on successful strategies, unanticipated accomplishments, systemic challenges, surprising opportunities, and mobilizing moments related to ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Planetary Limits Academic Network: Transdisciplinary Scholars Addressing the Human Predicament

  • University of Dayton (OH)

The Planetary Limits Academic Network (PLAN; planetarylimits.net) is a new transdisciplinary community for scholars who appreciate the interlocking nature of humanity’s current grand challenges in energy and resource ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Networking Session

  • Rice University (TX)
  • Texas A&M University (TX)

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

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Libraries and Information Centers as Sustainability Partners, Energizers, and Leaders

  • Binghamton University (NY)

While issues concerning the topics of sustainability and sustainable development in the library profession didn't first appear in the literature until in the early 1990s, libraries have been engaged ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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AASHE International Networking Meeting 2021

  • Portland Community College (OR)
  • University of Texas at Arlington (TX)

Members of the international community and anyone interested in international issues or collaboration are invited to join in our annual networking meeting to share resources, explore challenges, and highlight ideas ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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How Fair Trade Campuses are Collaborating to Amplify Their Impact

  • University at Albany (NY)
  • University of California, Riverside (CA)
  • Fair Trade Colleges & Universities

Fair Trade Campaigns is a powerful grassroots movement mobilizing thousands of conscious consumers and Fair Trade advocates on campuses and in communities across the U.S. Our Fair Trade Colleges ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Tour

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

The UW-Madison Sustainability Interns take a tour of the campus, highlighting its sustainability features, the 10,000 years of indigenous history, and the iconic places and spaces that make the ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Keynote Presentation with Dina Gilio-Whitaker

  • California State University, San Marcos (CA)
  • University of Hawaii System Office (HI)

Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos and an independent educator in American Indian environmental policy and other issues ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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Virginia Heat Watch: A Commonwealth-Wide Collaboration for Heat Mapping

  • University of Lynchburg (VA)
  • Randolph College (VA)

Randolph College and University of Lynchburg are both signatories to the Carbon Commitment and the Resilience Commitment, and have been collaborating on community resilience efforts since 2018. We are also ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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When Green Funds Collaborate with Community-Based Learning Courses: Lessons from the Field

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Community-based learning (CBL) courses engage students in an applied learning process in direct service of a campus community. Green funds offer money for student-initiated projects that improve the sustainability of ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Amplifying Our Voices: Aligning Food Procurement Standards in a New Era

  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

Anchors in Action (AiA) alliance is a national cross-sector partnership among Center for Good Food Purchasing, Health Care Without Harm, and Real Food Challenge. Together these groups represent hospitals, school ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Sustainability Dashboards: From Hopes & Dreams to Reality & Maintenance

  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)
  • University of Oregon (OR)

University-wide Sustainability Dashboards can emphasize and juxtapose the various aspects of sustainability, while increasing institutional transparency. Organizing and presenting institutional performance data helps quantify universities' progress as sustainability leaders while ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Community College Networking Session

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)

This networking session will allow community college sustainability practitioners to share successes/frustrations as well as have a chance to provide feedback on how AASHE serves its community college members.

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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"Who's the Contact Person for That?": Creating Sustainability Hubs for More Effective Connection

  • Binghamton University (NY)

The strengths of academic institutions are often related to research, curricula, and pedagogy. While these are critical areas to highlight, there are often several additional innovative initiatives and activities occurring ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Should We Be Concerned About Almost True Climate Solution Strategies and Policies?

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)

Advocates often oversimplify policy ideas or proposed climate solutions, to make them digestible by those new to an issue or proposed remedy.  However, problems develop when more understanding, evidence, and ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Stay Rad, Post Grad!

  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

Are you graduating? Are you panicking? Or maybe you know exactly what you want to do, but it's just a matter of making it happen. Join the PLAN staff ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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BIPOCs in Sustainability Networking

  • AASHE (PA)

This networking and discussion session will ideate around best practices and strategies sustainability professionals can use to center BIPOC voices. We aim to provide a safe space while giving voice ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Benchmarking Higher Education Zero Waste Programs

  • Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) (MI)

Sometimes building a zero-waste program can feel like you are on an island. But according to recent research conducted by RRS that looked at over 300 universities and colleges across ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Building Resilient, Long Lasting Student Led Movements

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

Often times university student movements come and go due to graduating leaders and loss of knowledge. These groups are full of fire and passion and at points drift into nothing ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
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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