Research
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.
Featured Resources
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
Applying Integrated Assessment to Establish Campus Sustainability Priorities at the University of Michigan
- University of Michigan (MI)
Some research is conducted solely to gain knowledge or understanding, while other research is conducted with a specific use in mind. Integrated Assessment begins with a structured dialog among scientists, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability as a Pedagogical Project
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
Sustainability is a large and complex concept that integrates multiple domains of knowledge across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. (Kelly, 2009) Its focus lies at the intersection …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Campus Sustainability and Institutional Change: The Role of Public Interest Research Groups in Canada
- University of Northern British Columbia (BC)
In the forty years that sustainability has become part of the environmental literature, the role of education has been an important issue. Numerous international declarations have identified institutions of higher …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Challenges when NOT Preaching to the Choir: Gaps in Faculty Salience towards Environmental Sustainability.
- University of Southern Indiana (IN)
The foundation of catalyzing an awareness of environmental issues can be established in understanding the currently held beliefs and behaviors toward environmental sustainability within the campus population. Many university wide …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Moving Beyond Carbon: A Nitrogen Footprint Model for the University of Virginia
- University of Virginia (VA)
The human creation of reactive nitrogen by food and energy production has profound beneficial and detrimental impacts on people and the environment. Agricultural uses, including both food production and consumption, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Would You Like Crabs With That? A Complex Systems Simulation of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
- University of Virginia (VA)
Over the past two years an interdisciplinary group of faculty from a major research university has designed and built a web-based multiplayer simulation game of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Designing the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center: a Multi-University Collaboration
- University of Virginia (VA)
Students developing sustainability literacy typically study science, technology, economics and social considerations, but art and culture are often excluded. The paper argues that they are essential for a comprehensive understanding …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Framing a research agenda for Campus Sustainability
- Yale University (CT)
What kind of research is needed to advance sustainability on our campuses? What are the research opportunities that can bridge faculty expertise and campus sustainability efforts? How can we use …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Identifying Change Management Strategies for Sustainability: Building on lessons from Public Health, Ecology, and Business Management
- Yale University (CT)
Efforts to improve sustainability at higher education institutions often require challenging shifts in organizational priorities, patterns of behavior, management strategies, and community expectations. In guiding these shifts, sustainability leaders must …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainable Scientists: Integrating Lab Users into Sustainable Laboratory Solutions
- University of Notre Dame (IN)
Research laboratories are typically the most energy-intensive spaces on university campuses. While energy usage is largely driven by ventilation needs, plug loads and user behavior are significant factors. Barriers to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainable Building Energy Systems: Independent Evaluation for Improved Decision-Making
- EarthLinked Technologies (FL)
- Southern Research Institute (NC)
Southern Research Institute - an affiliate of UAB - operates the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Technology Center for the U.S. EPA. The GHG Center evaluates technologies that provide improved energy efficiency, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Building Global Bridges to Sustainability Research/Collaborations in Higher Education
- University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)
The institutional repository (IR) concept was designed and created by faculty and librarians to showcase scholarly activity at the academy. The Open Access (OA) model upon which IR's are built …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Advancing Sustainability Education: Transformative Learning and Undergraduate Research Experiences
- Kansas State University (KS)
Sustainable energy is a critical area of importance nationally and internationally in terms of education and workforce development. To address this need, K-State has implemented a National Science Foundation (NSF) …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Room Temperature Biologial Sample Storage Programs at Stanford
- Stanford University (CA)
Researchers at Stanford University and the School of Medicine can make a direct contribution to energy and resource conservation targets by replacing aging biological sample storage freezers with more efficient …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Using Case Studies to Explore a More Just, Sustainable World
- Colorado State University (CO)
What leadership role can higher education play to challenge what is unsustainable? Case studies represent one proven way to engage students in meaningful discussions about important and complex issues. Drawing …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Improved Methods for Measuring the Efficacy of Waste Diversion Programs
- Western Colorado University (CO)
Campus recycling and other waste diversion programs have been growing rapidly over the past several decades. However, surprisingly little empirical evidence exists for assessing the efficacy of these programs in …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Educating for Sustainability, Peace and Reconciliation
- Colorado State University (CO)
Case studies can engage students in real, difficult, and complex issues (Timpson & Doe, 2008). Funded with a small grant from the School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES) at Colorado …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Addressing Sustainability, Diversity, Peace and Justice
- Colorado State University (CO)
Case study research and development can be effective for addressing aspects of sustainability but learning does not just happen (Timpson & Doe, 2008). To serve as effective guides, instructors must …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
UCLA Action Research Teams: Model for Collaborative Sustainability Research
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
The UCLA Action Research Team (ART) program is part of the student-led Education for Sustainable Living Program, run on several UC campuses across California under the umbrella group the California …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Training the next generation of environmental problem solvers
- Colorado State University (CO)
a) Background
The most critical issues facing the world stem from complex interactions between humans and the environment. The School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES) at CSU established 2008 is …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainability in Christian Higher Education: A Look at Pepperdine University
- Pepperdine University (CA)
It has been assumed by many that Christian universities and colleges have little to offer discussions about sustainability because far too many Christians have disregarded the magnitude of environmental problems …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
How Three Institutions Achieved Progressive Measures of Environmental Sustainability
- South Dakota State University (SD)
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a comparative case study to examine how higher education institutions achieved progressive measures of environmental sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach: The study compared three …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Vernadsky's biosphere and noosphere: A ready-to-use conceptual framework for teaching sustainability
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
Although the world recognized the importance of education for a sustainable future and we now live through the sixth year of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Core Competencies in Learning for Sustainability
- Western Michigan University (MI)
Successful implementation of sustainability declarations and commitments such as the ACUPCC (particularly 1.c.iii: "Actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Climate Neutral Research Campuses
- Alliance for Sustainable Energy (CO)
Climate Neutral: Research Campuses
Center of Excellence Provides Resources to Achieve Climate Neutrality
Abstract
A new climate action resource center illustrates the full range of campus climate action options with …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Encouraging Sustainable Apparel Consumption among Undergraduate Students
- Kansas State University (KS)
The purpose of this two-part study is to examine relationships between knowledge of and attitudes towards sustainability in the apparel and textile (AT) industry and students' apparel purchasing behaviors.
In …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Why Sustainability Needs Aesthetics
- Northern Arizona University (AZ)
Sustainability is not value-neutral. It requires a recalibration of values in order to be able to correct our current unsustainable practices. The deposing of aesthetics--and in particular, of beauty--is part …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Towards Place-based Engagement in the University District of Portland
- Portland State University (OR)
The City of Portland's EcoDistrict Initiative is an emerging concept for modeling sustainable development within the Portland Metro region. The EcoDistricts Initiative is a multi-sectoral collaboration which seeks to "use …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Gaian Methodologies - An Emergent Confluence of Sustainability Research Innovation
- Prescott College (AZ)
Gaian Methodologies flourish as a green and growing global research convergence. Sustainability extends beyond campus infrastructure; nature's design and organizing insights and patterns can inform research methods and guide research. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Journal of Sustainability Education
- Prescott College (AZ)
The Journal of Sustainability Education (JSE) serves as a forum for academics and practitioners to share, critique, and promote research, practices, and initiatives that foster the integration of economic, ecological, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Partnering with Local Government to Promote Sustainable Development
- Randolph College (VA)
Research partnerships between colleges and local government can be an effective way to promote sustainability at the community level. This project applied principles of conservation development to the analysis of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Institutionalizing sustainability in community colleges: role of the college president
- Spokane Community College (WA)
The purpose of this completed doctoral research study was to describe and improve understanding of the meaning of institutionalized sustainability and the role that a college president plays in institutionalizing …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Scientific Laboratories Becoming More Efficient through Behavioral Changes & Equipment Solutions
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
Laboratories at the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) typically use 5-7 times more energy than classroom or office space. Like many universities, until recently, CU laboratories have not been a focal …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Strategies to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Lab Buildings on Academic Campuses
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
Laboratory buildings, because of programmatic and safety requirements, remain one of the highest consumers of energy on academic campuses. As campuses develop and implement plans to achieve carbon neutrality commitments …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Evaluating Fieldwork for Undergraduate Sustainability Education
- University of Alberta (AB)
Many undergraduate instructors consider fieldwork as central to courses in sustainability and environmental studies. Common goals of fieldwork include the development of general and subject-specific skills, opportunity for experiential and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Innovative Programs from UNC's Center for Sustainable Enterprise
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
UNC's Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business has developed two innovative sustainability programs: 1) CSE Consulting is a one of a kind, award-winning program that leverages …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Operations and Academics Collaboration for Sustainability on Campus
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is Canada's premier polytechnic institution. It operates out of five campuses in western Canada, and it is oriented towards meeting the needs of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Impacting Ecological Attitudes and Material Values through Practical Reasoning: Fostering Sustainability Learning in Professional Programs
- Kansas State University (KS)
A singular focus on advancing sustainability through science and technology is inadequate to the enterprise of creating a sustainable society. To achieve sustainability, it will be necessary to transform culture …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Field Documentation and Survey of Bamboo Structures
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
Development of sustainable construction materials is growing, with research and construction being initiated worldwide. Structural applications of indigenous material resources such as bamboo are an integral part of sustainable development. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
NWF's Campus Environment 2008 National Survey Findings
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
It has been seven years since NWF Campus Ecology's last national survey, and much has changed in the landscape of campus environmental programs and practices. In early 2008, the survey …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Multidisciplinary Education and Outreach: Partnerships in Sustainability
- Kansas State University (KS)
The Urban Operations Laboratory (UOL), comprised of Kansas State University, M2 Technologies, and CABEM Technologies, performs environmental research, training, assessment, and product development. One of UOL's tasks is to assist …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Campus-wide Sustainability Principles for Planning, Design, and Operations
- East Carolina University (NC)
This presentation is a collaborative effort between Mansoura University in Egypt and East Carolina University. A post doctoral study on ECU campus sustainability principles was implemented. It has brought together …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Poster I - Sustainability on Campus: Higher Education and Leadership Role
- East Carolina University (NC)
This poster is a collaborative effort between Mansoura University in Egypt and East Carolina University. It was developed as part of a post doctoral study, focused on fostering campus-wide sustainability …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Poster II - Sustainability on Campus: What Others Do - Short, Medium, and Long Term Plans for Green Campus Initiatives
- East Carolina University (NC)
This poster is a collaborative effort between Mansoura University in Egypt and East Carolina University. It was developed as part of a post doctoral study, focused on fostering campus-wide sustainability …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
A Field Report for the Nelson Insitute for Environmental Studies Carbon Footprint Project
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
- Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (WI)
This project examines the carbon footprint of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (NI) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of the NI Carbon Footprint Project is to provide …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Sustainable Laboratory Design Case Study
- BNIM Architects (MO)
Laboratory buildings are usually thought of as being the inevitable energy hogs on campus. The Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building, home of the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine at …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
The Price of Reduction: A Comparative Analysis of the Cost-Benefit Perceptions of Reduction Initiatives
- Chatham University (PA)
This research contrasts the perceived benefits and costs of implementing two reduction initiatives (plastic bottle ban, pesticide ban) as perceived by key constituencies (students, faculty, administration). The two initiatives provide …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Creating a Research Agenda in Sustainability for Emerging Research Institutions
- Ball State University (IN)
Many colleges and universities find creating on-campus sustainable initiatives, such as recycling and reducing energy usage, to be a good starting contribution to change how these institutions effect the environment. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Inclusion from Conception - A Presidential Perspective
- Hadassah Academic College
Embracing sustainability in every facet of higher education is to crystallize and practice it in every decision and motion made. At Hadassah College Jerusalem we conducted thorough research based on …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
Experiential Learning: UNC's Business Accelerator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (BASE)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
The new Business Accelerator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (BASE) at the University of North Carolina provides an innovative experiential learning opportunity for students to work directly with sustainably-oriented businesses. BASE is …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
- Conference Presentations
- View more
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
- Percent of research employees that conduct sustainability research
- Percent of research departments that conduct sustainability research
- Sustainability research inventory (upload)
- Sustainability research inventory (description)
- Website URL - Sustainability research
AC 9: Support for Sustainability Research
- Description of the student sustainability research program
- Description of the academic staff sustainability research program
- Website URL - Support for sustainability research
AC 10: Open Access to Research
- Website URL - Open access repository
- Open access policy (upload)
- Open access policy (description)
- Description of the open access article processing charge (APC) fund
- Description of the open access journal hosting services
- Website URL - Support for open access
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.