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Introduction

Conducting research is a major function of many colleges and universities. By researching sustainability issues and refining theories and concepts, higher education institutions can continue to help the world understand sustainability challenges and develop new technologies, strategies, and approaches to address those challenges.

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The raise of publications on sustainability—a case study in Germany

  • University of Marburg

The number of scientific publications containing the words “sustainability” or “sustainable” has increased tremendously over the last years, but their origins in Germany are not equally distributed in space. The …

Going Without: An Exploration of Food and Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates

  • Temple University (PA)
  • University of Iowa (IA)

The rising price of higher education and its implications for equity and accessibility have been extensively documented, but the material conditions of students’ lives are often overlooked. Data from more …

Developing Boundary-Spanning Capacity for Regional Sustainability Transitions—A Comparative Case Study of the Universities of Augsburg (Germany) and Linz (Austria)

  • University of Marburg

The potential of universities to become ‘change agents’ for sustainability has increasingly been highlighted in the literature. Some largely open questions are how universities get involved in regional sustainability transitions …

Climate Change and the Canadian Higher Education System: An Institutional Policy Analysis

  • University of Rochester (NY)
  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)

Climate change is a pressing concern. Higher education can address the challenge, but systematic analyses of climate change in education policy are sparse. This paper addresses this gap in the …

Developing and Testing a Method to Measure Academic Societal Impact

  • University of Kent
  • University of The South Pacific (Central Division)
  • University of Coimbra

This paper aims to extend understanding of the business and societal impact of academic research. From a business school perspective, it has taken stock of the role of academic research …

Environmental Literacy of Undergraduate College Students: Development of the environmental literacy instrument (ELI)

  • Texas Tech University (TX)
  • University of Texas at San Antonio (TX)

As the world population continues to increase and natural resources become limited, environmental education (EE) in universities play an essential role in developing environmentally literate. This study measured the environmental …

College Campus Landscapes Within a Learning Ecosystem

  • University of Northern Iowa (IA)

College campus landscapes may help restore student attentional capacity for learning when intentionally viewed as educational resources or integrated with academic content.

Retrofitting the Ivory Tower: Engaging Global Sustainability Challenges through Interdisciplinary Problem-Oriented Education, Research, and Partnerships in U.S. Higher Education

  • Western Illinois University (IL)

Various experts and institutions, including the United Nations, have stressed the complexity of the 21st century’s global sustainability challenges. Higher education institutions should be at the center of research and …

Learning for Biosphere Security in a Crowded, Warming World

  • University of Northern British Columbia (BC)

Among all the pressing needs for educational innovations that humanity faces today, arguably the most imperative is the need to elicit the learner's active involvement in a 'Great Transition' that …

The Personal Context of Student Learning for Sustainability: Results of a multi-university research study

  • Victoria University (Victoria)

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005–2014) was an important framework and catalyst for increasing Sustainable Development (SD) efforts within academic institutions, worldwide. Tertiary institutions began to …

The Unsustainability of Academic Aeromobility in Australian Universities

  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

This article analyzes how certain forms of unsustainable hypermobility – primarily air travel – are embedded in the institutional orientations of Australian universities, and hence, into the professional practices of …

Pathways to cleaner production in the Americas I: bridging industry-academia gaps in the transition to sustainability

The transition to sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is hindered by low demand for environmentally-benign industrial development strategies, and a limited supply of professionals to enact such …

Towards Transformative Social Learning on the Path to 1.5 Degrees

  • Wageningen University
  • Rhodes University
  • University of the Witwatersrand

This paper provides insights into learning orientations and approaches that encourage change and transformation on the path to achieving the 1.5 degree C target. This literature review of the climate …

Rutgers Energy Institute

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

The Rutgers Energy Institute (REI) has four main purposes: to educate undergraduate and graduate students, to pioneer in energy research and innovation, perform community outreach to share information and engage …

  • Posted May 8, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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The Solar Institute

  • George Washington University (DC)

The Solar Institute identifies, generates, and shares pragmatic policy solutions to catalyze the adoption and scale of solar energy. Serving this mission, the Institute conducts objective research to advance politically …

  • Posted May 8, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability

  • Columbia University (NY)

The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability is dedicated to the development of a rich, robust and vibrant world within which we can secure a sustainable future. Through a diverse …

  • Posted May 8, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

  • Cornell University (NY)

The Atkinson Center funds cutting-edge research on energy, environment, and economic development, including pioneering work on climate change, sustainable cities, planetary health, and environmental justice. It builds on Cornell University's …

  • Posted May 8, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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The Sustainability Research Institute School of Earth and Environment

  • University of Leeds (West Yorkshire)

"The Sustainability Research Institute is home to a team of over 30 academic staff, 25 research staff and 45 research students conducting inter-disciplinary research on the different dimensions of sustainability. …

  • Posted May 8, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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Avoided Costs from Shared Laboratory Equipment and Space at CU Boulder

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • AASHE (MA)

CU Green Labs at the University of Colorado Boulder has spent the last year writing a case study to highlight the benefits of our Biochemistry Cell Culture Facility to our …

  • Posted May 4, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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From Basic Research to Applied Solutions: are two approaches to sustainability science emerging?

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Duke University (NC)

Despite its widespread emergence and adoption, sustainability science continues to suffer from definitional ambiguity within the academe. A review of efforts to provide direction and structure to the science reveal …

Developing a Framework for Sustainability Meta-Competencies

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • Stanford University (CA)

Sustainability is a critical issue in higher education curriculum development and organisational culture, yet its contested nature necessitates a shared understanding to support a distinct mission across institutional efforts. Therefore, …

  • Posted April 25, 2018
  • Publications
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UC Merced Engineers for a Sustainable World

  • University of California, Merced (CA)

UC Merced's Engineer's for a Sustainable World talk to students, staff and faculty about current projects including aquaponics.

  • Posted April 23, 2018
  • Photographs
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Testing Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) Scale with Bachelor Students

  • Leiden University
  • The Hague University of Applied Science

The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale is adapted from other scales measuring environmental concern with the aim of specifically targeting the subject of sustainable development. …

  • Posted April 17, 2018
  • Publications
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The Emergence of the Field of Sustainability Science: Influences on Faculty Behavior Related to Sustainability Work

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

This study investigates sustainability science as an emerging scientific field and the role of faculty members at higher education institutions as drivers of change in sustainability-science-based research, teaching, and community …

  • Posted April 11, 2018
  • Publications
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Benchmarking Sustainability between Higher Education Institutes

  • Ghent University

As our population keeps rising and the boundaries of our ecosystem become more and more transgressed, a clear call for a transition towards sustainable development is heard. Higher education institutions …

  • Posted April 11, 2018
  • Publications
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Planning for Campus-Community Resilience to Climate Change in Champaign-Urbana

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

This literature study involves a two-prong analysis. The first part (Chapter 2) will involve review of literature, reports, websites of organizations who are involved in sustainability and resilience planning. The …

  • Posted April 11, 2018
  • Publications
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Curriculum Design for Transformative Enterprise Education within the Context of Strategic Sustainable Development

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology

There is a need for large-scale and coordinated leadership and innovation to transform society toward sustainability. Working from the Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) approach, the authors investigated the potential of …

  • Posted April 11, 2018
  • Publications
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Making the Most of AASHE's New Campus Sustainability Hub

  • AASHE (MA)

AASHE is excited to announce the release of the Campus Sustainability Hub, an online resource library that allows AASHE members to connect, share and learn about sustainability in higher education. …

  • Posted March 27, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Institutionalizing Research in Sustainability in the Context of Competing University Priorities

  • Green Mountain College (VT)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
  • AASHE (MA)

This webinar will continue the conversation started in the first "Research in Sustainability" webinar. Presenters will focus on different models and strategies that support integrating research with operations in the …

  • Posted March 22, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Lab Building Benchmarking - Boston and Beyond

  • Harvard University (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Boston Green Ribbon Commission (MA)

This webinar will present an important new benchmarking study of academic laboratory buildings from the Boston area, conducted by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission’s Higher Education Working Group. Lab buildings …

  • Posted March 15, 2018
  • Videos & Webinars
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Boston Area Lab Energy Benchmarking Study: Year 1 & Year 2

  • Boston Green Ribbon Commission (MA)

Year 1 Report: Lab facilities are often the source of the greatest energy use at large research institutions, disproportionate to the square footage they occupy, so they are a key …

  • Posted March 15, 2018
  • Publications
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Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI)

  • Columbia University (NY)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • Yale University (CT)
  • University of Otago (Otago)
  • University of Toronto (ON)
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Oxford
  • University College London (London)
  • Maastricht University
  • University of Zurich
  • Tsinghua University
  • University of Hamburg
  • Central University of Finance and Economics
  • Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
  • Imperial College London
  • London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Stockholm School of Economics

The Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment was founded in 2017 by a network of global research universities in order to promote rigorous and highly impactful academic research …

  • Posted March 14, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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Towards Green Campus Operations: Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development Initiatives at Universities

Matters related to sustainable development, albeit global in nature, are best handled at the local level. This line of thinking is particularly true to the higher education context, where the …

  • Posted March 13, 2018
  • Publications
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Empathy as an Antecedent of Social Justice Attitudes and Perceptions

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

At the same time that social justice concerns are on the rise on college campuses, empathy levels among US college students are falling (Konrath et al. 2016). Social injustice resulting …

  • Posted March 12, 2018
  • Publications
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Exposing Students to Environmental Sustainability in Accounting: An Analysis of its Impacts in a U.S. Setting

  • Illinois State University (IL)
  • University of Northern Iowa (IA)

In this research study, we examine whether the introduction of two different forms of an environmental sustainability intervention into differing sections of an introductory-level managerial accounting course at a US …

  • Posted March 5, 2018
  • Publications
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Experiments and evidence in sustainability science: A typology

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Experiments are crucial for sustainability science because they allow researchers to produce evidence about the causes of sustainability problems and about the effectiveness of solutions. Many laboratory and field studies, …

  • Posted Feb. 28, 2018
  • Publications
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Climate Resilience Planning and Organizational Learning on Campuses and Beyond: A Comparative Study of Three Higher Education Institutions

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Cornell University (NY)
  • Smith College (MA)

Higher education institutions around the world are confronting challenges associated with climate change, and many are trying to model practices that support climate change mitigation and resilience. This work initiates …

  • Posted Feb. 28, 2018
  • Publications
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The Biochemistry Cell Culture Facility at CU Boulder: Avoided costs and other benefits resulting from shared equipment in collaborative research space

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

With scientists experiencing intense competition for federal biomedical research funding, efficiency and cost-saving measures are powerful tools to maximize the impact of those research dollars. The large environmental footprint of …

  • Posted Feb. 15, 2018
  • Publications
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Leveraging Sustainability Reporting in Higher Education Institutions— A Multidimensional Research Agenda

  • University of Hildesheim

Sustainability has become increasingly important to research and practice. In order to determine impacts, identify improvement potential and to disclose efforts towards sustainability, an organization needs appropriate reporting. Thus, sustainability …

  • Posted Feb. 15, 2018
  • Publications
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(Re-)designing higher education curricula in times of systemic dysfunction: a responsible research and innovation perspective

  • Wageningen University
  • University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork (Co. Cork)
  • Queen's University Belfast

There is an urgent need to address the grand sustainability challenges of our time, and to explore new and more responsible ways of operating, researching, and innovating that enable society …

Integrating Sustainability Philosophy into Business Curriculum

  • St. Thomas University (FL)
  • Westcliff University (CA)

This paper examines the status of sustainability integration in business schools and colleges as part of business education and training - curriculum. The authors argue that there is a need …

Transportation Sustainability Research Center

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The Transportation Sustainability Research Center was formed to study the economic, social, environmental, and technological aspects of sustainable transportation.

  • Posted Feb. 5, 2018
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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Evaluating the Theory and Outcomes of the Teen Advocates for Sustainability Corps (TASC) Summit

  • New York University (NY)

The attached research was written as my thesis for a Master of Arts in Environmental Conservation Education, from New York University. It analyzes an environmental advocacy program I developed for …

Redefining Success: Integrating Sustainability into Management Education

Redefining Success: Integrating Sustainability into Management Education advocates incorporating sustainability concepts that go beyond the financial ‘bottom line’ into management education and business practice. Highlighting the UN Global Compact (UNGC), …

Transdisciplinary Research and Sustainability: Collaboration, Innovation and Transformation

Transdisciplinarity is a new way of scientifically meeting the challenges of sustainability. Indeed, interdisciplinary collaboration and co-operation with non-academic ‘practice partners’ is at the core of this; creating contextualised, socially …

Examining the literature to reveal the nature of community EE/ESD programs and research

  • Denison University (OH)

Interest in community environmental education (EE) and community education for sustainable development (ESD) is increasing, as evidenced by the increase in studies examining community EE/ESD approaches and NAAEE’s current development …

Sustainability Through the Eyes of Nature

  • Atwell, LLC (MI)

Important institutions and systems-including our governments, capitalist economies, food production systems, and urban designs-often seem to produce problematic political, economic, environmental, and social outcomes. In addition, many of these human-designed …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Student and Staff Sustainability Surveys - expectations being met? An Australian example.

  • University of Tasmania (TAS)

Traditional approaches to teaching sustainability have been through including the topic in geography and science curriculums. More recently, we have seen an expansion of Education for Sustainability across discipline areas …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Operations Research Applications in Sustainability Coursework Design

  • Wichita State University (KS)

Four major topics are listed for coursework design across academic departments (1) prairie restoration (2) plant-based industry (3) clean energy (4)population growth rate. Climate change adaptation may include: increased O2 …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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The effect of smoke exposure on the germination of native plant species of North America

  • Texas Tech University (TX)

Smoke exposure is known to influence germination of a wide variety of species. However, the influence of smoke on germination of grasses is poorly studied. In order to investigate the …

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
  • 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.

AC 9: Research & Scholarship

AC 9: Support for Sustainability Research

AC 10: Open Access to Research

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

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