AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub

Analysing material and embodied environmental flows of an Australian university — Towards a more circular economy

• University of Melbourne (Victoria)

Humans are extracting and consuming unprecedented quantities of materials from the crust of the Earth. Contributing to this consumption, university campuses require large amounts of materials to operate. This offers ...

• Posted March 4, 2020
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Webinar: Innovation in Cleaning for Custodians and Students

• Stanford University (CA)
• AASHE (PA)

Stanford University’s Residential and Dining Enterprises has adopted a green cleaning standard that has reduced chemical usage in residences by over 90%. The system engineers water by infusing it ...

• Posted Dec. 12, 2019
• Videos & Webinars
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Sustainable Procurement: Considerations and Best Practices

• EPEAT/Green Electronics Council (OR)

Strategic sustainable purchasing programs allow institutional purchasers, and colleges and universities in particular to advance the sustainable design of products and services they purchase while realizing environmental savings for their ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Leading with Circular Economy Concepts, Business Cases and Tools

• Stanford University (CA)
• Cascadia Consulting Group, Inc. (WA)
• Interface Americas (GA)

A circular economy is an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources. This regenerative approach (in contrast to the traditional linear economy, which has a ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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EcoCoin Program as an Effective Alternative to Banning Plastic Bags

• University of Connecticut (CT)

On a small scale, localized bans and ordinances against single use plastic bags present many challenges: How will it impact local businesses' bottom line? Will customers go elsewhere? Who enforces ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Sustainable Economy in Labs: I2SL's Landfill Diversion Working Group Pursues Upstream Dysfunction

• Emory University (GA)
• University of Georgia (GA)

Researcher time is for research! Join us in calling for upstream innovations to build a circular economy and protect valuable scholar time! Achieving sustainability in laboratory settings with regard to ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Improving Sustainable Purchasing Through Business Services Systems and Practices

• Stanford University (CA)

The purchase of supplies by staff in universities is connected to the use of energy, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste. The types and quantities of supplies purchased in universities ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Sustainable Procurement in Laboratories: It's Time to Act

• My Green Lab (CA)

Recent years have seen an increased focus on sustainable procurement across a multitude of industries. Yet with little information or sustainability standards for laboratory products, it has been challenging for ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Beyond Green - Can Your IT Purchasing Also Drive Supply Chain Responsibility?

• TCO Certified

IT hardware is a complex category for institutional purchasers. Institutions are concerned about not only environmental impacts of their IT infrastructure, but also working conditions in the manufacturing supply chains ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Breaking the Cycle of Convenience Culture: Inspiring Accountability Through Ownership

• KeepCup (CA)

College and university campuses are not closed systems. The population changes day to day, depending on class, staff, and vendor schedules and activities. With an ever-changing population with diverse needs ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Leveraging Campus Buying Power to Get Toxic Chemicals Out of Our Food and Off School Grounds

• University of California, Berkeley (CA)
• Center for Environmental Health

This session aims to educate, inspire, and equip purchasing decision makers, relevant staff and students to take action, collaborate with other purchasers, and employ creative solutions to eliminate toxic chemicals ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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California State University Says Goodbye to Single-Use Plastics

• California State University, Chancellor's Office (CA)
• California State University, Long Beach (CA)
• California State University, Los Angeles (CA)

The California State University includes 23 campuses, 500,000 students and sustains more than 150,000 employees. A new system policy enacted in December establishes purchasing practices aimed at eliminating ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Purchasing With Your Values

• Bow Valley College (AB)

Public institutions have to be conscious stewards of public funds when making purchasing decisions. Passing Sustainable Purchasing Policies or Procedures can help empower employees of schools to be creative and ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Supply Chain Partnerships: MSU and SPLC Pilot BENCHMARK in Higher Ed Operations

• Michigan State University (MI)
• Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (DC)

Organizations around the world have recognized the need for supply chain sustainability in order to reduce the environmental, social and economic impacts of their purchasing while protecting and delivering value ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Leveraging Institutional Buying Power for Sustainable Procurement: A Strategizing Session

• Boston University (MA)
• University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Many colleges and universities have separate conversations with the same suppliers. Imagine the impact we could have on the environment if higher ed coordinated sustainability requests of these companies and ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Outdoor Program Gear Purchasing: Applying Leave No Trace Ethics to Create a Circular Economy

• Auburn University (AL)
• University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)

This session will explore how outdoor programs can become more sustainable in regard to purchasing, maintenance, and transportation while effectively educating the student population on these topics. Presenters are two ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Improving Health in the Built Environment Through a Class-Based Approach to Chemicals of Concern

• Harvard University (MA)
• Center for Environmental Health

This panel introduces purchasers (and manufacturers) to the targeted chemical class-based approach to help provide clarity grounded in science about how to avoid the most common chemicals of concern in ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Can Buying Better Products Help Reverse Global Warming? Toward Circular, Carbon-Storing Procurement

• Interface Americas (GA)

What does Procurement have to do with global warming? Research indicates that the embodied carbon (the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere from product supply chains, manufacturing and transport) purchased by ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Data-Driven Sustainability: How Universities Can Use Data to Make Ethical Licensing Decisions

• Sumerra (OR)

Poor working conditions at a factory in China that manufactures t-shirts bearing a university's logo aren't that university's problem, right? Wrong. Universities are increasingly called to account ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Turning Values Into Results: The Real Food Calculator and Real Food Procurement

• Real Food Challenge (MA)

Through their purchasing power, institutions of higher education are in a position to create positive change in our food system that is currently dominated by industrial agriculture and exploitative, unsustainable ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Sustaining Local Producers Through University Purchasing

• Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Universities have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in their local economies by buying local. Through their large purchasing power in food procurement, universities can support a local food ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Local, Sustainable, Grassfed and Delicious: Harvest Table North Carolina Case Study

• Wake Forest University (NC)
• Changing Tastes (MA)
• Harvest Table Culinary Group (PA)

More than two decades of work to promote local, sustainable and real food in colleges has transformed what it means to succeed in foodservice. It's raised awareness of the ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Going Beyond Local to Build Just and Sustainable Rural Economies

• University of Missouri (MO)
• Aramark Higher Education (PA)
• Farm Forward (OR)
• Niman Ranch (CO)

Historically, the phrase 'sustainable food' focused exclusively on environmental impacts of food production, but to build a truly sustainable food system we must broaden the aperture to consider how the ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Supporting a Sustainable Economy Through Partnership With Local Food Hubs

• Gonzaga University (WA)
• Sodexo USA (MD)
• Puget Sound Food Hub (WA)
• LINC Foods (WA)

This session will showcase how to effectively collaborate with local producers to build a more sustainable economy through increased purchases of local products and to raise awareness about food systems ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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The Future of Real Food

• Real Food Challenge (MA)

The past ten years have seen a dramatic shift in real food purchasing on college and university campuses. Local food and sustainability are now common conversations in campus dining. Values ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Fair Trade Campus Advocacy for a Sustainable Economy

• Gonzaga University (WA)
• Fair Trade Colleges & Universities (CA)

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 Dec. 4, 2019
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Leveraging the Power of Institutional Purchasing to Create a Sustainable Economy through Fair Trade

• Arizona State University (AZ)
• University of California, Irvine (CA)
• Aramark Higher Education (PA)
• Fair Trade Colleges & Universities (CA)

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 Dec. 4, 2019
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Broadening the Impact of Renewable Energy Purchases: A Case Study

• Low Impact Hydropower Institute (MA)

Current trends in the renewable energy market, particularly in the growing PPA procurement segment, have focused on energy usage and supporting new development. This limited focus has been directed primarily ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Lots of Watts: Building an Energy Cohort to Buy Big Renewables

• Lafayette College (PA)
• CustomerFirst Renewables (MD)

As campuses face climate action targets, or seek to manage energy budgets, large-scale renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) have emerged as a practical and cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Easier Said Than Done: Developing a Replicable Framework for Implementing CAP's in Higher Ed

• California State University, East Bay (CA)
• California State University, Northridge (CA)

When beginning to execute a Climate Action Plan it becomes apparent that there isn't a 'one-size-fits-all' solution or a readily available replicable framework. Having to create your own tools ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Student Governments as Platforms for Sustainability Efforts

• University of Denver (CO)

Many sustainability efforts on college campuses are student-driven, however, the majority of the students leading these efforts tend to be involved in sustainability-related organizations or employees of their university's ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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How 'Green' Can Green Cleaning Get? Strategies for Policy, Procurement, and Practice

• University of California, Irvine (CA)
• University of California, Merced (CA)
• WAXIE Sanitary Supply (CA)

Waxie Sanitary Supply, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, Merced, are collaborating to build a more sustainable economy through green cleaning policies, procurement, and education. Implementing ...

• Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use

• Portland Community College (OR)
• AASHE (PA)
• Root Solutions (CA)

In 2017, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and Root Solutions, with funding from the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, created the Turning the Page ...

• Posted Nov. 6, 2019
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Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use

• AASHE (PA)
• Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus (OR)
• Root Solutions (CA)

From 2017-2019, Root Solutions trained more than 20 higher education institutions in how to use behavioral insights to save paper. Based on real-world experiences at these institutions as well as ...

• Posted Oct. 24, 2019
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Good Food Purchasing Program, University of Texas at Austin

• University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Good Food Purchasing Program - University of Texas at Austin is the first institution of higher education to participate in the Good Food Purchasing Program as a partner with the City ...

• Posted July 31, 2019
• Photographs
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RFQ for Large Scale Renewable Energy consultant

• Arizona State University (AZ)

This template will assist you in drafting a REquest for Qualifications for a consultant to assist in acquiring renewable energy via a Large Scale Renewable Energy (LSRE) project. Adapt at ...

• Posted July 3, 2019
• Tools
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The Circular Economy Beneath Your Feet. Take Ownership of your Plastic Flooring Footprint.

• Interface Americas (GA)

Colleges and universities around the world are committed to sustainability, climate change action and carbon footprint reduction. However, many of these same colleges and universities overlook two of the largest ...

• Posted July 1, 2019
• Publications
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Those Wooden Shipping Pallets? Not So Innocent After All?

• AASHE (PA)
• Change the Pallet (OR)

Read about how cardboard pallet technology is the way of the future for its proven ability to reduce carbon emissions, waste, and worker injuries

• Posted May 20, 2019
• Publications
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UC Sustainable Procurement Program and Policy Overhaul

• University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Purchasing departments, such as those of the University of California campuses, have embraced the responsibility and opportunity to leverage their purchasing power as a force for good. But assessing and ...

• Posted May 20, 2019
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Rheaply AxM: Making Assets Happy Again

• Rheaply, Inc (IL)

A one minute video depicting the state of resource management in academia, and how circular thinking can be applied to asset management with Rheaply's AxM.

Rheaply’s Asset Exchange ...

• Posted May 20, 2019
• Videos & Webinars
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A New Zero Waste Goal for Division 1 Football Games

• University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Lauren Lichterman, the Operations and Sustainability Coordinator for Intercollegiate Athletics at The University of Texas at Austin, is not one to stop and rest on her laurels. She used a ...

• Posted May 17, 2019
• Case Studies
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The Good Store

• University of Northern British Columbia (BC)
• Prince George Public Interest Research Group (BC)

The Good Store is a low waste shop established on the UNBC campus to provide all members of the community with access to affordable, healthy and sustainable food options. The ...

• Posted May 17, 2019
• Case Studies
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Fostering a Straw-Conscious University

• Boston University (MA)

Our initiative worked to make Boston University a straw-conscious environment.
Since most recycling facilities are not equipped with the proper machinery to recycle plastic straws, we focused our campaign on ...

• Posted May 17, 2019
• Case Studies
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The Rise of H2Ottawa

• University of Ottawa (ON)

In 2010, the University of Ottawa (hereafter, UO) banned the sale of single-use water bottles. UO decided that the sale of this product ran contrary to their commitments to environmental ...

• Posted May 15, 2019
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Recycolution Fashion Show

• California State University, East Bay (CA)

An Earth Week fashion show in partnership with Pioneers for H.O.P.E, raising awareness on the impacts of fast fashion, conscious consumerism, and resources for clothing needs. All ...

• Posted May 5, 2019
• Photographs
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Aggregating Higher Education Demand for Renewables

• APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities (VA)
• AASHE (PA)
• CustomerFirst Renewables (MD)

Cohorts of colleges and universities are aggregating energy loads to achieve economies of scale when sourcing renewable energy. This article highlights the benefits of this aggregated approach by examining several ...

• Posted April 4, 2019
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Impact of environmental knowledge and product quality on student attitude toward products with recycled/remanufactured content: Implications for environmental education and green manufacturing

• City University of Hong Kong
• University of Sheffield
• Monash University Malaysia

This study investigates the impact of environmental knowledge and perceived product quality on purchasing intention and purchasing behavior of recycled products: A4 paper, mobile phones and printers. The intent is ...

• Posted March 31, 2019
• Publications
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Harvard's Challenge: Institutional Green Power

• Harvard University (MA)

This case study examines the options that Harvard University has for complying with one aspect of its Climate Action Plan, which was announced in February 2018. It specifically focuses on ...

• Posted March 1, 2019
• Case Studies
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Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast Episode 16: Reducing Waste and Increasing Reuse in Labs at Northwestern University

• Northwestern University (IL)
• Rheaply, Inc (IL)

Julie Cahillane, Sustainability Associate Director at Northwestern University and Dr. Garry Cooper, adjunct professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and CEO/Co-founder of Rheaply, Inc..

In this conversation ...

• Posted Feb. 14, 2019
• Videos & Webinars
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Green Supply Chain Professional Certificate

• Loyola Marymount University (CA)

The Certified Green Supply Chain Professional Online Training Program will give you the specialized knowledge to enable a company to achieve its environmental sustainability goals through global sourcing, materials management ...

• Posted Jan. 25, 2019
• Academic Programs
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