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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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Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops

  • Moving Still Productions Inc.

Teach climate change with the following free resources: Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops, a series of five short films narrated by Richard Gere, featuring twelve renown climate scientists, and endorsed by …

  • Posted Oct. 19, 2022
  • Course Materials
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Employing the SDGs to Enhance University Research and Education Sustainability Objectives

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
  • University of California, Davis (CA)
  • University of Southern California (CA)
  • AASHE (MA)

Although the SDGs are a global framework, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to how universities employ them to enhance research, education, and operational sustainability objectives. The purpose of this …

  • Posted Oct. 17, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
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Webinar: Innovations in Teaching Sustainable Consumption in Higher Education

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Wageningen University
  • University of Leeds (West Yorkshire)
  • University of East Anglia
  • University of Geneva

The goal of sustainability will not be achievable without changes in our consumption. In consumption, sustainability challenges appear like in a burning glass; here, it can be exemplarily shown how …

  • Posted Sept. 22, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
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E2S Climate Hub: Paths toward Sustainable and Just Engagement open forum at Green Era Campus on April 8th with community partners and University of Illinois at Chicago faculty, staff and students

University and Community Open Forum

  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

This picture is of an event, E2S Climate Hub: Paths toward Sustainable and Just Engagement open forum at Green Era Campus on April 8th with community partners and University of …

Constructing a Transformative Sustainability Pedagogy: Teacher Empowerment for a Sustainable Future.

  • University of Oulu

The article demonstrates an action research approach for constructing Transformative Sustainability Pedagogy (TSP) to empower teachers for a sustainable future. The starting point for the TSP was a Transformative Education …

The Field Research Facility for Buildings of the Future was built to test which construction materials are the most efficient to get the industry to zero emission standards.

Sustainable Research at Concordia University

  • Concordia University (QC)

The Field Research Facility for Buildings of the Future was built to test which construction materials are the most efficient to get the industry to zero emission standards.

Image: Mercedes Dorame, Breath, Spirit, Wind – (Hikaayey), 2017. Archival Pigment Print, 36’ x 36”

Mercedes Dorame: Ancestors Leading the Stars ‘Eyoohiinkem He’uuk Shishyoota

  • California State University, Fullerton (CA)

RECEPTION | Saturday, September 18, 2021 12:00 – 4:00 PM (Public reception)

Ancestors Leading the Stars - ‘Eyoohiinkem He’uuk Shishyoota is an installation by artist Mercedes Dorame and it explores …

4th year neurobiology major Eiad Mohamed blends a fruit smoothie with a bike blender at SUSTAINIVAL, the campus sustainability fair, hosted by the UCI Sustainability Resource Center.

UCI Images for SCI

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)

Image options for UCI's feature in the SCI.

Dr. Sherie Obare, Dean of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

Dr. Sherie Obare, Dean of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Marquette University (WI)
  • North Carolina A&T State University (NC)
  • North Carolina State University (NC)
  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
  • University of North Carolina, Greensboro (NC)
  • University of Florida (FL)

The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center was established as a convergence of diverse and leading scientists to address the influx of phosphorus in oceans and expansion of …

UMN Morris intern giving a tour of the new Morris Water Treatment Plant

UMN Morris intern giving a tour of the new Morris Water Treatment Plant

  • University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)

UMN Morris intern (Michael Abbing) provides a tour of the Morris Water Treatment Plant for visitors. This new water treatment plant is a collaboration between the city of Morris, and …

Examining power production from UMN Morris 240kW solar PV agrivoltaic field

Community tour of UMN Morris 240kW solar PV agrivoltaic field

  • University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)

During the UMN WCROC Midwest Farm Energy Confererence, Vice Chancellor of Finance and Facilities, Bryan Herrmann gave visitors a tour of the new 240kW solar PV agrivoltaic field. This installation …

Miami University doctoral student Shrameeta Shinde checks a cyanobacterium culture. She works with Xin Wang, assistant professor of Microbiology, on research on photosynthesis redesign. Wang's ultimate goal is to design synthetic pathways to stabilize photosynthesis and contribute to efforts scaled up for crop plants toward a sustainable food supply.

Miami University SCI 2022 - Research

  • Miami University (OH)

Miami University SCI 2022 - Research

Gelion solar benches installed on campus night shot

University of Sydney technology spin-off Gelion delivers smart solar benches on campus

  • University of Sydney (NSW)

SCI 2022

Stanford commencement 2021

  • Stanford University (CA)

Students at graduation ceremony

Cascadia students working on berm restoration for our stormwater project in the campus wetland!

Cascadia College stormwater berm work

  • Cascadia College (WA)

Students working on a stormwater berm to catch and slow water entering our campus 58-acre restored wetland! The project is funded by King County Water Treatment Division. Students learn about …

Field Training in Siskiyou Moutains in Southern Oregon

OSU's Master Melittologists Program

  • Oregon State University (OR)

First Master Melittologist Program in the US - Oregon State University is the first institution in the United States to form a Master Melittologist program of trained community scientists dedicated …

Luther College Professor Molly McNicoll leads students in a hands-on learning class setting.

Hands on Learning

  • Luther College (IA)

Luther College Professor Molly McNicoll leads students in a hands-on learning class setting.

Luther College Gateway Prairie

Luther College Gateway Prairie

  • Luther College (IA)

Gateway Prairie, a 39.3-acre prairie and oak savanna, a part of 90 acres of restored prairies at Luther College. Students are drawn to prairies for restoration activities, research and enjoyment.

Sediment sampling for lead

Human activity generates about 25% of lead in Galveston Bay

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Approximately 25 percent of the lead in Galveston Bay is from human sources, a new study says.

This study used state-of-the-art geochemical modeling for environmental analysis. Scientists from the University …

Extract CO2 and put it to better use

How to reach net-zero emissions? Extract CO2 and put it to better use

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Excess carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere can be isolated and transformed into value-added chemicals for fuels, a team of researchers in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering say in …

Trimming energy use in buildings

Trimming Energy use in Buildings

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Because climate change is fueled in part by buildings’ energy use, Manish Dixit, Texas A&M assistant professor of construction science, is studying how to reduce structures’ energy needs with a …

GW’s Sustainability Institute

  • George Washington University (DC)

Founded in 2009, the Institute supports the development of interdisciplinary research teams to address complex and current sustainability problems. From social sciences, to natural sciences, law, and more, students and …

  • Posted May 23, 2022
  • Research Centers & Institutes
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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Water Plan

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)

Sustaining water quantity and quality for people and the environment is a growing challenge. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to working to ensure clean water …

Growing seedlings

Engaging with Indigenous Communities for Climate Action: The Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project

  • McGill University (QC)

The Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project is an initiative that is at the leading edge of carbon offsetting projects in higher education. The multi-faceted initiative, financed by the University, provides benefits to …

UBC Sustainability Scholars Program

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Since 2010, the creativity, skills and passion of close to 600 UBC graduate students in the Sustainability Scholars Program have made a positive impact on sustainability issues in the Vancouver …

Science with society: Challenges of early-stage researchers engaging with transdisciplinary research in sustainability science

  • Utrecht University
  • University of Hull

The ongoing social and ecological crises create urgency in academia and elsewhere to devise actionable problem-solving knowledge to tackle sustainability challenges. Transdisciplinary research (TDR) represents a problem-solving methodology for sustainability …

Information Disclosure and Climate-Friendly Consumption: Assessing the Impact of Carbon Labelling at a University Dining Hall

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Global dietary patterns are increasingly reliant on animal products, which are highly carbon intensive and significantly contribute to climate change. While transitioning towards plant-based diets is regarded as an important …

Higher Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Approach—What, Where and Who Is Doing Research in This Subject?

  • University of Aveiro
  • University of Minho

Contextualization: From a very early age, assuming more prominence over the last decades, issues related to sustainability have been taking on a particular interest in the field of research. Although …

The Potential for Electricity-use Reduction in Grinnell College Residence Halls through Behavioral Manipulation

  • Grinnell College (IA)

I studied the potential for electricity-use reduction through behavioral change in on-campus residence halls. I used social comparisons to induce behavioral change in the residents. The results did not show …

Trends in scientific publishing on sustainability in higher education

  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
  • University of Chester
  • Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná
  • Universidade Positivo

It is widely acknowledged that research and publications in peer reviewed journals offer important metrics in describing the academic outputs of higher education institutions on one hand, and their societal …

Transforming science and society? Methodological lessons from and for transformation research

  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Ecologic Institute
  • Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER)

Transformation research has in the past years emerged as a shared lens to study and support radical societal change towards sustainability. Given the nascent and exploratory—yet highly normative and ambitious—character …

Building University Capabilities to Respond to Climate Change Through Participatory Action Research: Towards a Comparative Analytical Framework

  • University of The South Pacific (Central Division)
  • University College London (London)
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Kenyatta University
  • International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) (England)

This paper aims to explore how the principles of participatory action research (PAR) articulate with questions of climate justice. Drawing on three qualitative case studies in Brazil, Fiji and Kenya, …

Evaluation of Scientific Research in Universities Based on the Idea of Education for Sustainable Development

  • Nanyang Technological University
  • Tsinghua University
  • Hubei University
  • Wuhan University

Our research aims to establish an evaluation framework and evaluate the sustainability of scientific research in universities. Based on the concept of Education for Sustainable Development and the function of …

Evaluating and improving the contributions of university research to social innovation

  • Royal Roads University (BC)

The purpose of this study is to assess the contributions of graduate research to social innovation and change for learning and improved transdisciplinary practice. Universities, as centers of teaching and …

Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis

  • Universidad Pablo de Olavide
  • UNICEF (NY)

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving life in all its dimensions, covering all sectors, with a particular emphasis on education. The …

Management research and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs): A bibliometric investigation and systematic review

  • University of Trento (Trentino)
  • University of Lincoln
  • Università di Foggia
  • Università del Salento

The comprehension of the businesses’ impact to sustainable development requires consideration of the different factors that affect firms’ behavior, such as corporate governance, non-financial regulation, and the external environment. The …

CSR Implication and Disclosure in Higher Education: Uncovered Points. Results from a Systematic Literature Review and Agenda for Future Research

  • Università di Bologna
  • Coventry University
  • University of the West of Scotland (Scotland)

This research reviews and analyzes prior corporate social responsibility (CSR) studies centered on its implications and disclosure in higher education institutions (HEIs). Nine major databases were analyzed to review research …

Review of empirical research on university social responsibility

  • Chaoyang University of Technology

This paper aims to systematically review the university social responsibility (USR) implementation from the empirical studies, which published during the period from 2004 to 2020. These synthesis results confirmed that …

Taking power seriously: Towards a power-sensitive approach for transdisciplinary action research

  • Maastricht University
  • Kozminski University

In this paper, we focus on transdisciplinary action research to explore the key challenge of post-normal science – how to deal with power. First, the paper reviews the literature on …

Multilevel barrier and driver analysis to improve sustainability implementation strategies: Towards sustainable operations in institutions of higher education

  • United Nations University
  • Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden)

In practice what they preach in research and education, higher education institutions (HEIs) must consider economic, ecological, and social impacts in their quest for sustainable operations. We contribute to the …

Integrating Sustainable Development Goals in educational institutions

  • Universitat Jaume I (Castelló)

This research contributes to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Education, a growing area of research, by means of a systematic review of the literature on …

Sustainable development goals and the scientific community: a systematic review of the literature and the research agenda

  • University of Campinas

The aim of this paper is to discuss the process of the constitution of the Sustainable Development Goals and, by extension, present how the scientific community has been collaborating with …

Impact culture: transforming how Universities tackle 21st century challenges

  • University of York
  • Newcastle University
  • Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) (Scotland)

New ways of doing research are needed to tackle the deep interconnected nature of 21st Century challenges, like climate change, obesity and entrenched social and economic inequalities. While the impact …

Sustainable Development Goals as a Framework for Postgraduate Future Research Following COVID-19 Pandemic: A New Norm for Developing Countries

  • Northwest University (WA)

Education is regarded as the key to economic development, and COVID-19 has provided all universities the unique opportunity to urgently address their fitness for purpose. Universities can play a significant …

Delivering on the promise: how are sustainability research institutes enabling interdisciplinary research?

  • University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork (Co. Cork)

Despite the potential for research institutes to advance interdisciplinary research on university campuses, There have been few studies on how interdisciplinary research centres integrate multiple disciplines in practice, how they …

Developing an Integrated Sustainability Management Approach for Higher Education Institutions

  • University of the West of England, Bristol

The Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) around the world have to pay the main role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals for that HEIs need to be sustainable first. This …

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 …

Toward a sustainability assessment framework of research impacts: Contributions of a business school

  • Vienna University of Economics and Business

Business schools have the potential to become an important driver for sustainable development (SD) by broadening their research assessments beyond scientific performance. Assessment frameworks that expand the scope from academic …

Upcycled Sword in Stone

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 …

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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