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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Why Calculate When I Can Google? Quantitative Tools for Assessing the SDGs
- Randolph College (VA)
- University of Rochester (NY)
AASHE 2018 poses the question: How can higher education institutions align their teaching and research activities around the SDGs? Assessment of countries' progress toward the SDGs requires data analysis and, …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Using the U.N. SDGs to Foster Systems Thinking in Incoming First-Year Students
- Valencia College (FL)
The Summer STEM Institute (SSI) is an annual program that engages incoming freshman in STEM research and career pathway exploration in a week long experience. In previous years, SSI students …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Driving Creative Sustainable Solutions Using a Design Thinking Approach in the Engineering Classroom
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
Design for the Environment, an upper-level undergraduate engineering course, is designed for students to develop a working knowledge of sustainable engineering in a way that enables them to apply it …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Infusing Sustainability in Higher Education in Ireland - The Green Curriculum Model (GCM)
- University of Buea
This session presented by Frida Agbor Besong, a 2018 AASHE Campus Sustainability Research Award winner, will highlight research based on sustainability in the curriculum of Dublin City University (Ireland) The …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Teaching Sustainability Through Non-Traditional Learning Methods
- Colorado State University (CO)
To address complex global challenges, such as 'climate change, poverty, violent conflicts, and overuse of natural resources' (Brundiers & Wiek, 2011, p. 108) a growing number of institutions of higher …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Greening the Chemistry Research and Teaching Labs: Resources to Increase Safety and Reduce Waste
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Beyond Benign (MA)
University and college campuses across the United States are pushing the envelope on greening their campus facilities, operations, and processes. However, despite their disproportionate consumption of resources, laboratories are often …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Achieving SDGs and Engaging Higher Education Using EPA Tools
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a suite of freely available, web-based tools that assist diverse audiences, including higher education institutions, in tackling local and regional environmental problems, building …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Escaping the Silos and Generating Collaborations: A Sustainable Faculty Development Program
- Furman University (SC)
The Faculty Affiliates Program gives faculty from all departments on our campus opportunities to meet monthly during the academic year to share ideas, generate resources and foster interdisciplinary connections throughout …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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The Sustainability Exchange at Washington University - Interdisciplinary Focus on Real World Issues
- Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects (MO)
The Sustainability Exchange, founded in 2014 by Bill Lowry and Liz Kramer, brings together students from across the academic spectrum to focus on and seek solutions to real world issues …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Green Chemistry: Meeting the Challenge of Equity and Environmental Justice for a Sustainable Future
- Bridgewater State University (MA)
- American Chemical Society (DC)
Chemistry is an inherently creative yet reductionist approach to understanding how the world works at the most fundamental levels. Chemists are trained to create molecules to fill a given need …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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From the 3Es to the SDGs: Updating Sustainability Frameworks Used as Educational Tools
- Ramapo College of New Jersey (NJ)
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- Unity Environmental University (ME)
With the 2015 announcement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the multitude of research projects, policies, and frameworks of Sustainable …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Global Priorities, Educated Solutions: the Role of Academia in Advancing the SDGs
- Yale University (CT)
In 2015, the Office of Sustainability created a project aimed at understanding how Yale's teaching and research aligns with the SDGs, with the purposes of: (i) identifying pathways for collaboration …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Institution Nitrogen Footprints in SIMAP: Updated Results and New Insights
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
Seven campuses that participated in the development of the nitrogen footprint tool (NFT) published findings from their initial nitrogen footprint calculations in the April 2017 special issue of Sustainability: The …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Designing a Realistic, Challenging, and Effective Climate Action Plan: Options and Best Practices
- Concordia College - Moorhead (MN)
This session will present the results of a research project aimed at understanding how institutions of higher education have developed and structured their Climate Action Plans. The goal of the …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Student Engagement through Research Experience: The U-Challenge at Texas A&M
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Texas A&M University (TX)
- Johnson Controls, Inc (WI)
In the spring semester of 2017, the Department of Residence Life and Utility & Energy Services at Texas A&M partnered to host their first annual Utilities Challenge (dubbed the 'U-Challenge'). …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Integrating Participatory Action Research Into Internships and Outreach - Univ of Illinois at Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is Chicago's only public research university with 30,000 students, 15 colleges, a hospital and a health sciences system. This session introduces Participatory Action …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Co-Curricular Learning and Sustainable Development Competencies: Towards Research Collaboration
- De Montfort University
This session will enable participants to compare and contrast practice and identify opportunities and challenges to developing students' competencies to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via co-curricular …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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NE Drawdown: A Multi-College Effort to Adapt & Implement Impactful Regional Climate Change Solutions
- Amherst College (MA)
- Smith College (MA)
- Williams College (MA)
This past summer, students from Amherst, Smith, and Williams colleges investigated the global Drawdown methodology, compiled regional climate data to determine the top priorities for the area, and conducted a …
- Posted Nov. 5, 2018
- Conference Presentations
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Greening the Lab (and Beyond!) A Guide to Applying Green Chemistry to Practical Settings and Creating Displays to Spread the Word
- Cornell University (NY)
- Harvard University (MA)
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
- University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (WI)
- The University of British Columbia (BC)
Not all chemistry laboratories are created equal. Broken fume hoods, confusing waste beakers, and distillations that have been running (as far as anyone can tell) since the lab bench was …
- Posted Oct. 10, 2018
- Publications
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Sustainability and the Humanities
- Canterbury Christ Church University
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
This book explores the strong links between sustainability and the humanities, which go beyond the inclusion of social sciences in discussions on sustainability, and offers a holistic discussion on the …
- Posted Sept. 7, 2018
- Publications
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Engagement Experiments for the CMC Sustainability Action Plan
- Colorado Mountain College (CO)
The Colorado Mountain College's Spring Valley campus conducted a couple experiments in the "Fostering Sustainable Behavior" class of Fall 2017. This included an action team, survey team, and an education …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2018
- Publications
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Princeton University Vertical Farming Project
- Princeton University (NJ)
The Princeton University Vertical Farming Project, led by Dr. Paul Gauthier, uses a hydroponic and artificial lighting growing system to study the viability of feeding a rapidly growing world population …
- Posted Aug. 6, 2018
- Photographs
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Washington Youth Summit on the Environment
- George Mason University (VA)
Students conduct fish sampling survey in the Potomac River off the shores of Leesylvania State Park.
- Posted Aug. 3, 2018
- Photographs
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Resilient Cities Initiative
- California State University, Chico (CA)
The Resilient Cities Initiative (RCI) is an interdisciplinary applied research think-tank for cities established by the Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University, Chico in 2016. The RCI connects …
- Posted Aug. 3, 2018
- Photographs
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Accelerating Change through the President’s Sustainability Research Program
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- AASHE (MA)
This webinar describes the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship (PSRF) model, an innovative program at Swarthmore College that matches motivated students with staff and faculty mentors to research, develop, and implement …
- Posted Aug. 2, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Indirect Water Footprint Illustration
- University of Virginia (VA)
University of Virginia is the first institution to document an indirect/virtual water footprint for the water impact of products purchased by the institution. A recent study calculated the UVA water …
- Posted Aug. 1, 2018
- Photographs
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Nitrogen Footprint Network Workshop
- University of Virginia (VA)
Fifth annual Nitrogen Footprint Network meeting, hosted by the University of Virginia.
- Posted Aug. 1, 2018
- Photographs
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Energy Research: Sustainability @ Dickinson
- Dickinson College (PA)
Dickinson students and faculty conduct research that contributes to creating sustainable solutions to pressing problems of our times. Our research encompasses a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, ranging …
- Posted July 31, 2018
- Photographs
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Dickinson Farm
- Dickinson College (PA)
Located just a few miles from campus, the Dickinson College Farm is a 50-acre, USDA-certified organic farm and living laboratory where students can gain distinctive, hands-on learning experiences. With 12 …
- Posted July 31, 2018
- Photographs
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Campus Engagement: Sustainability @ Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
- Dickinson College (PA)
The Hive, Dickinson's beekeeping cooperative, is our newest living laboratory. The Hive engages students, staff, and faculty in learning about sustainability problems and solutions through the direct experience of beekeeping, …
- Posted July 31, 2018
- Photographs
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Mexican Grey Wolf Research and Annual Count
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(landscape) Cyrenea Piper, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stands near a Mexican gray wolf during the agency’s annual count. (Photo by Jenna Miller/Cronkite News)
Leaving tracks: …
- Posted July 30, 2018
- Photographs
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Binghamton University's Neighborhood Heritage and Sustainability Project
- Binghamton University (NY)
Local residents decorate pumpkins at Binghamton University's Fall Festival, held at Walnut Street Park. This event is part of the Neighborhood Heritage and Sustainability project supported by Binghamton University's Sustainable …
- Posted July 24, 2018
- Photographs
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Envirome Institute
- University of Louisville (KY)
The Envirome Institute pioneers a new, interdependent vision of health, supports research on the effects of the environment on health, and promotes holistic scholarship, locally and globally.
Within the University …
- Posted July 13, 2018
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability
- Western University (ON)
The Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability is an interdisciplinary enrichment program designed for current graduate students (MSc/MA/MESc or PhD) who wish to become specialists in specific aspects of environment …
- Posted July 5, 2018
- Academic Programs
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Planetary Opportunities: A Social Contract for Global Change Science to Contribute to a Sustainable Future
- University of Oxford
The global change research community needs to renew its social contract with society by moving beyond a focus on biophysical limits and toward solution-oriented research to provide realistic, context-specific pathways …
- Posted June 29, 2018
- Publications
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Carbon brainprint – An estimate of the intellectual contribution of research institutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Cranfield School of Management
Research and innovation have considerable, currently unquantified potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by, for example, increasing energy efficiency. Furthermore, the process of knowledge transfer in itself can have a …
- Posted June 29, 2018
- Publications
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Envisioning futures for environmental and sustainability education
- Wageningen University
This edited collection invites educational practitioners and theorists to speculate on - and craft visions for - the future of environmental and sustainability education. It explores what educational methods and …
- Posted June 28, 2018
- Publications
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Narratives of Educating for Sustainability in Unsustainable Environments
- University of North Carolina, Pembroke (NC)
Through pedagogical narratives, literary analyses, reflective essays, and collaborative dialogues, this book explores the professional and intellectual tensions of curricula, pedagogies, and personal practices that honor the relationships of interspecies …
- Posted June 28, 2018
- Publications
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Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
- University of Beira Interior
- University of Passo Fundo
- Manchester Metropolitan University
Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level compares various colleges around the world, focusing on sustainable development. This book is intended for those who are either practitioners or researchers …
- Posted June 28, 2018
- Publications
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Promoting Participation in a Culture of Sustainability Web Survey
- University of Michigan (MI)
The Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program (SCIP) at the University of Michigan is designed to measure and track the university’s progress (Callewaert and Marans 2017) in moving the campus community towards …
- Posted June 28, 2018
- Publications
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Making Your Campus A Bee Campus USA Affiliate
- University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)
- University of Connecticut (CT)
- AASHE (MA)
- Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus (OR)
- The Xerces Society (OR)
While pollinators are imperative for the reproduction of 90% of the world’s wild plant species and three-quarters of crops, announcements of their national and global staggering declines seem relentless. However, …
- Posted June 21, 2018
- Videos & Webinars
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Interdisciplinary Environmental and Sustainability Education and Research: Institutes and Centers at U.S. Research Universities
- Tufts University (MA)
- Global Council Science and the Environment (DC)
Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability focused institutes and centers (IESICs) serve a crucial role in bridging the knowledge needs of society and the knowledge production capabilities of universities. They facilitate research, …
- Posted June 20, 2018
- Publications
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Academic Research in the 21st Century: Maintaining Scientific Integrity in a Climate of Perverse Incentives and Hypercompetition
- Virginia Tech (VA)
Over the last 50 years, we argue that incentives for academic scientists have become increasingly perverse in terms of competition for research funding, development of quantitative metrics to measure performance, …
- Posted June 20, 2018
- Publications
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There is No Such Thing as Free Higher Education: A Global Perspective on the (Many) Realities of Free Systems
In the past few years, many countries around the world have debated the financing of higher education. Increasingly, claims emerge that higher education should be free. This article analyses the …
- Posted May 30, 2018
- Publications
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Project Delta
- University of Texas at El Paso (TX)
- Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)
Project Delta was created by ESW-UTEP to evaluate and enhance The University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP's) current recycling system. This project is expected to be finalized by December …
- Posted May 21, 2018
- Case Studies
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Analyzing Ecological Integrity: An Assessment of Princeton University’s Natural Areas
- Princeton University (NJ)
How can aerial images be used to interpret land use-changes? What can lake sedimentation tell us about erosion patterns? To what extent do forest patches act as stream buffers? How …
- Posted May 21, 2018
- Publications
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Campus Mapping Project
- Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)
Florida Gulf Coast University is located on over 300 acres of wetland and upland preserves. Our unique location has led to the values of environmental stewardship, literacy, and service to …
- Posted May 21, 2018
- Case Studies
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Stanford R&DE's Student Living Laboratory
- Stanford University (CA)
Stanford University’s Residential & Dining Enterprises in partnership with students and academic departments have transformed its facilities in to a living laboratory by performing cutting edge research on student behavior …
- Posted May 21, 2018
- Case Studies
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Integrating problem- and project-based learning opportunities: assessing outcomes of a field course in environment and sustainability
- University of Saskatchewan (SK)
Improving student competencies to address sustainability challenges has been a subject of significant debate in higher education. Problem- and project-based learning have been widely celebrated as course models that support …
- Posted May 21, 2018
- Publications
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Mississippi State Community Garden
- Mississippi State University (MS)
In the spring of 2017, the Student Association at Mississippi State University secured funding to further sustainability on campus. This funding was used in part to hold a proposal competition. …
- Posted May 18, 2018
- Case Studies
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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.