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.
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Like, Why do I Need to Know my Watershed?
- Northern Illinois University (IL)
Progressive educators have promoted the concept of place-based education for more than 100 years. For example, John Dewy advocated: "Experience [outside the school] has its geographical aspect, its artistic and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Revitalization Institute
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
Revitalization Institute (RI) is the academy and advocate for what Storm Cunningham (reWealth: 2008) calls the magic of restoration in which natural, built, and socio-economic assets are continuously enhanced rather …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ecovillages and Campuses: The Potential of Collaboration for Sustainability Research and Education
- University of Georgia (GA)
Universities are increasingly looked to as centers of research on and education about sustainable solutions to socio-environmental challenges. However, theoretical and experimental approaches to sustainability do not easily translate from …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Assessment of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia
- University of British Columbia (BC)
The Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE) Sustainability Club of the University of British Columbia (UBC) has conducted a departmental sustainability assessment (DSA). The DSA was adapted at a departmental level …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Laboratories: Occupants Make a Difference
- University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
At UCSB the Laboratory Research And Technical Staff (LabRATS) program evaluates laboratory practices to save energy, plastic, water, electronics and chemicals, while making the research itself more efficient. Our efforts …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Rethinking Diversity: Social Sustainability in U.S. Higher Education
- University of Denver (CO)
The overarching objective driving this session is the incorporation of social sustainability into U.S. higher education. As a movement gaining in momentum and popularity, sustainability has the ability to promote …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability Education and Vladimir Vernadsky's Theory of Biosphere and Noosphere
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
After years of silence, the West finally started to discover and scientifically recognize a prominent Russian researcher, philosopher, and thinker - Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945). Paradoxically, Vernadsky's name was not …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Reaching Sustainable Research Goals through Co-curricular Learning: An Example in Starch-based Plastics
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
Conventional plastics, derived from petroleum, contribute to the depletion of non-renewable resources and landfill space when recycling or reuse is not viable. Starch, a renewable and abundant polymer, offers an …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ecocritical Praxis: Re-establishing the "Principle of Relevance"
- The University of Texas at Dallas (TX)
The term "ecocriticism" was coined by William Reuckert, who proposed, in 1976, that literary criticism shift its locus to "a principle of relevance": he suggested that critics "experiment with the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Learning Barge Initiative: Advancing Sustainability through Multi-disciplinary Research Service Learning
- University of Virginia (VA)
The Learning Barge Initiative is a unique example of university students and community partners collaborating on a project with wide-reaching social, educational and environmental benefits. The research, design and construction …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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No Child Left Inside
- Utah State University (UT)
No Child Left Inside is a movement, both grassroots and political, with implications for sustainability, higher education, Public Land Management Agencies, and the environmental justice movement. This presentation begins by …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Written in the STARS: Correlations Between Performance & Best Practices
- University of Toronto (ON)
The STARS assessment framework presents a very interesting and informative set of data that measures both environmental performance and adoption of best practices. Gathering both types of information allows for …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
- Alfred State College (NY)
Alfred State has established the Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture (COSA) to serve students, faculty, and the community through education, research, and demonstration of organic and sustainable farming practices.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center For Sustainability
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
Cal Poly's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) manages nearly 10,000 acres of land on two campuses dedicated to instruction and research and serves as a living laboratory …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Regional Food Systems
- Michigan State University (MI)
The mission of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems is to engage the people of Michigan, the United States and the world in applied research, education and outreach to …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Environmental Farming Systems
- North Carolina State University (NC)
CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities, improve health outcomes, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
- Tufts University (MA)
Working with new farmers to build strong businesses, expertise in the field, and a resilient food system. Programs include farmer training, food systems development, and a World Peas food hub.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Agricultural Sustainability Institute
- University of California, Davis (CA)
The Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis is a group of researchers, educators, and agricultural extension professionals working to answer big questions on how to make agriculture and food systems …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
The mission of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS or the Center) is to research, develop, and advance sustainable food and agricultural systems that are environmentally sound, …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
ASAP’s current mission is to build and sustain an organization that empowers the on and off campus community working to advance sustainable and organic food and farming systems in Illinois …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Washington State University, Pullman (WA)
The Center has been working for two decades to bring sustainable solutions to the citizens and agricultural industry of Washington State. Its faculty and affiliates are working on exciting projects …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Green Design Institute
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
The Green Design Institute is a major interdisciplinary education and research effort to make an impact on environmental quality by partnering with companies, government agencies and foundations to develop pioneering …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Brooke Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems enhances Georgia Tech’s research, education, and service missions, and campus operations through leadership, communications, development, and decision making inspired and defined by the …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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IITAC Research Center
- Illinois Institute of Technology (IL)
The keynote of the IITAC Research Center is "Rethinking Metropolis," the architecture of the multiple, competing entities defining urban life in the new millennium. Urban migrations and the proliferation of …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustainable Design
- Mississippi State University (MS)
The center focuses on developing, systematizing, and promulgating methods that will allow growing populations to live in a sustainable manner.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Institutes of Energy and the Environment
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
The mission of the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment is to foster and facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship and collaboration to positively impact important energy and environmental challenges.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Engineering and Design Institute
- Philadelphia University (PA)
Founded in 2000, the Engineering and Design Institute is an interdisciplinary research center focusing on green materials, sustainable design and education. The Institute works on a variety of projects to …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Golisano Institute for Sustainability
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
Golisano Institute for Sustainability is a multidisciplinary academic unit at RIT whose mission is to undertake world-class education and research programs in sustainability with major foci on sustainable production, sustainable …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Design Center for Global Needs
- San Francisco State University (CA)
The Design Center for Global Needs has been the research and development component in the Department of Design & Industry (DAI). The Center promotes and fosters community, national and international …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustainable Communities
- Temple University (PA)
The Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC) develops and promotes new approaches to protect and preserve quality of life through sustainable development. The Center acts as a resource for government agencies, …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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College of Environmental Design
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
CED stands among the nation’s top environmental design schools. It is one of the world’s most distinguished laboratories for experimentation, research, and intellectual synergy. The first school to combine the …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Powell Center for Construction and Environment
- University of Florida (FL)
The Powell Center for Construction and Environment is primarily a research organization dedicated to the resolution of environmental problems associated with planning and architecture activities and the determination of optimum …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustainable Cities at University of Kentucky
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The CSC Design Studio is a full service architecture and urban design firm with 30 years of award-winning solar and sustainability-driven design experience. Using advanced energy-efficient building standards and technologies …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Urban and Community Design
- University of Miami (FL)
The Center offers exhibitions and symposiums, and local and international outreach events related to urban and community design and planning.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustainable Systems
- University of Michigan (MI)
Center for Sustainable Systems advances concepts of sustainability through interdisciplinary research and education. CSS collaborates with diverse stakeholders to develop and apply life cycle based models and sustainability metrics for …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Sustainable Building Research
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
The Center for Sustainable Building Research's mission is to lead and support—through research, outreach, and education—the transformation of the regional built environment to provide for the ecological, economic, and social …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Ecological Design Center
- University of Oregon (OR)
The Ecological Design Center (EDC) promotes a sustainable relationship between the built and natural worlds. The EDC educates University of Oregon design students with the awareness, sensitivity, and expertise necessary …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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ecoMOD Project
- University of Virginia (VA)
ecoMOD / ecoREMOD is a research and educational project at the University of Virginia, striving to create sustainable modular and renovated housing units for affordable housing organizations
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives
- Arizona State University (AZ)
The Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives utilize the brightest minds in sustainability science to develop solutions to real-world problems throughout the globe. A program administered by Arizona State University's Global Institute …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Corporate Citizenship
- Boston College (MA)
Based in the Carroll School of Management, the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship was founded in 1985, inspired by an early recognition that community expectations of companies were changing. …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Fowler Center for Sustainable Value
- Case Western Reserve University (OH)
The Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit exists to advance the scholarship and practice of flourishing enterprise. It is allied with like-minded initiatives helping all institutions …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise
- Columbia University (NY)
All Columbia University graduates will be called upon to contribute to society at some point in their lives. The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise trains the next generation of leaders …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise
- Cornell University (NY)
Established in 2003 through the generosity of Sam Johnson, Johnson’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise is a world-class academic institution producing and disseminating relevant knowledge for managers seeking innovative, profitable …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for Business & Society
- Dartmouth College (NH)
The Center for Business & Society at Tuck aims to prepare Tuck students for leadership in this increasingly complex, interconnected world. A connected world, shifting ideologies, and the changing role …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship
- Duke University (NC)
The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) is an award-winning research and education center based at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. CASE’s mission is to prepare leaders …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Institute for Sustainable Enterprise
- Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ)
A catalyst for sustainable enterprise in New Jersey and beyond for a decade, ISE is a thought leadership and research hub for current and future leaders who are interested in …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Environmental Sustainability Program of the George Washington Institute for Corporate Responsibility
- George Washington University (DC)
The Institute for Corporate Responsibility officially received its charter from the George Washington University in October, 2006. The Institute is devoted to the development and dissemination of scholarship, including research …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
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Victorian Centre for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing (VCSCM)
- Monash University (VIC)
The VCSCM was designed to foster closer ties between manufacturers and researchers through access to practical scientific outcomes and innovative solutions to key issues faced by the industries, hands-on outreach …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for the Sustainable Built Environment
- New York University (NY)
The NYU School of Professional Studies Schack Institute of Real Estate's Center for the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) was established in December 2009 with support from industry leaders and NYU's …
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility
- Queen's University
The mission for the Centre for Social Impact at Smith School of Business is to educate students and foster outreach and advocacy on issues of social impact. The Centre does …
- Posted Feb. 25, 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.
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.