Wellbeing & Work

Introduction

An institution’s people define its character and capacity to perform; and so, an institution’s achievements can only be as strong as its community. An institution can bolster the strength of its community by offering benefits, wages, and other assistance that serve to respectfully and ethically compensate workers and by acting to protect and positively affect the health, safety and wellbeing of the campus community.

641 resources

Cooking with Purpose – Empowering Food-insecure College Students to “Take Back Cooking” for Climate Mitigation, Nutrition and Budget Benefits!

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • AASHE (MA)

Food pantries on college campuses have a wide variety of food choices with a wide variety of cost, nutritional, and greenhouse gas impacts. In an effort to encourage food-insecure students …

  • Posted May 18, 2023
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

Centering Sustainability and Well-Being in University Strategic Planning

  • Colorado State University (CO)

When it was time to develop a new strategic plan, Colorado State University made a bold decision to put a thriving planet and a flourishing humanity at the center of …

  • Posted May 17, 2023
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Sustainability Change Agent Campfire Stories: Navigating Inherent Tensions

  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

Sustainability work in higher education requires a straddling of multiple dualities such as academic/operational, incremental/transformational, deliberative pace/sense of urgency, and risk averse/risk taking. This session will introduce the concept of …

  • Posted May 17, 2023
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Ava Brewer uses student-athletes as sustainability advocates for CMU

  • Central Michigan University (MI)

Central Sustainability coordinator Ava Brewer created a video promoting sustainability at CMU using student-athletes as sustainability advocates. The video will play at football, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, volleyball and …


Pregnant and Parenting Students Belonging and Thriving Framework

  • California Polytechnic State University (CA)
  • AASHE (MA)

College success for pregnant and parenting students has important implications for racial, ethnic, and economic equity in higher education. Among students of color, one in three black students, one in …

  • Posted May 11, 2023
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

Auburn University Earth Day 2023

  • Auburn University (AL)

Earth Day is an annual event created to celebrate the environment and demonstrate support for environmental protection. More than one billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities …


Auburn University Earth Day 2023

  • Auburn University (AL)

Earth Day is an annual event created to celebrate the environment and demonstrate support for environmental protection. More than one billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities …


Auburn University Earth Day 2023

  • Auburn University (AL)

Earth Day is an annual event created to celebrate the environment and demonstrate support for environmental protection. More than one billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities …


WashU Earth Day Festival

  • Washington University in St. Louis (MO)

WashU School of Medicine held the 2023 Earth Day Festival, which included a free bike tune up for all employees and students, a farmers market, and sustainable vendor showcase. The …


Northwestern Bird Watching Walk

  • Northwestern University (IL)

The campus community was invited to join in experiencing the birds that call our campus home as well as those migrating through. An introduction to bird watching and some tips …


Stan State Eco Challenge 2023

  • California State University, Stanislaus (CA)

During Earth Month, Stan State University's Capital Projects & Facilities Management (CPFM) part-takes annually in Eco Challenge! Here is our stat during Earth Day! As a team we practice mindful …

  • Posted April 24, 2023
  • Photographs
  • View more

Bicycle Fleet Expansion

  • University of Cincinnati (OH)

As part of our commitment with the environment, our community and as a Bicycle Friendly University, we have expanded our bike fleet in order to keep up with the high …

  • Posted Feb. 23, 2023
  • Case Studies
  • View more

Webinar #3: Inner Development Goals: A Three-part Exploration

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)

Many of us are familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This three-part Community of Practice (Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 13) will allow us to space to explore the …

  • Posted Dec. 14, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

Webinar #2: Inner Development Goals: A Three-part Exploration

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
  • AASHE (MA)

Many of us are familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This three-part Community of Practice (Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Dec. 13) will allow us to space to explore the …

  • Posted Dec. 5, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

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 …


UMN Morris student explaining the electric bike program to community members

  • University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)

UMN Morris student, August Bushy, is explaining more about the UMN Morris and Regional Fitness Center electric bike program collaboration.


El Solar

  • Universidad de Monterrey

El Solar, Parking Lots Turned to Green Areas - Previously a parking lot, El Solar at Universidad de Monterrey was recently transformed into a green space. For the design, the …


Carleton University - Top Performer 2022 SCI submission

  • Carleton University (ON)

Images showing water use, campus views and student wellbeing.


MS in Environmental Health Science Occupational Hygiene and Safety Track

  • University of Sharjah

The Department of Environmental Health Science has launched its graduate program, Master of Science in Environmental Health, in Fall 2020-2021 after receiving its initial accreditation from UAE Ministry of Education. …

  • Posted June 10, 2022
  • Academic Programs
  • View more

Short Program in Resilience, Risks and Disasters

  • Université du Québec à Montréal (Québec)

The activities of the short program aim at the development of fundamental skills in disaster risk reduction so that they can be integrated into professional practice. By virtue of the …

  • Posted June 10, 2022
  • Academic Programs
  • View more

MS Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety

  • Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway (Co. Galway)

This programme’s objective is to provide you with a high quality qualification in the multidisciplinary area of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), enabling you to take on managerial responsibilities within …

  • Posted June 10, 2022
  • Academic Programs
  • View more

Embracing higher education leadership in sustainability: A systematic review

  • Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Education has long been praised for its economic benefits, which stem from the developed technical skills and improved health conditions it promotes. Nonetheless, improving the quality of education, including sustainability, …


Enabling students to face the environmental crisis and climate change with resilience: inclusive environmental and sustainability education approaches and strategies for coping with eco-anxiety

  • University of Winnipeg (MB)
  • Université de Saint-Boniface (MB)

As university educators, we should educate students to be able to address the challenges presented by the environmental crisis and climate change by being responsible eco-citizens, and creative, solution-oriented thinkers. …


Perspectives of the academic employees on university social responsibility: a survey study

  • University of Lodz

This study aims to investigate differences and similarities in the approach to understanding university social responsibility (USR) among the academic and university administrative staff.


Developing a Framework for Understanding the Personal Motivations of Sustainability Leaders

  • University of Surrey
  • Ateneo de Manila University

This study explores the initial and sustaining motivations that drive leaders to pursue sustainability as a profession or vocation. Exploratory interviews were conducted with 16 sustainability leaders in the Philippines …


Exploring sustainability cross‐culturally: Employees' beliefs on green behaviors

  • Concordia University (IL)
  • Universidad Surcolombiana

This study explores antecedent beliefs associated with green workplace behaviors within various cultures. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with non-academic employees of Canadian and Colombian universities in order to identify their …


Self-construal types and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment of employees in a university

  • Adekunle Ajasin University

In researching into workplace pro-environmental behaviors, there is sparse evidence on self-construals with dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), particularly among university employees. To fill this gap, …


Development and Application of the Just Employment Policy Assessment in American Higher Education Institutions

  • University of Toronto (ON)

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the visibility of economic inequality and the inadequacy of current minimum wage laws in the United States. Changes in the minimum wage, a living wage, …


sustainNU Holds Soundwalk

  • Northwestern University (IL)

Teaching artists from the Midwest Society for Acoustical Ecology led participants in an exploration of Northwestern University's Evanston campus soundscape. Attendees focused on specific sounds of their environment that they …


Plant Sale and Compost Giveback

  • City University of New York, College of Staten Island (NY)

On April 11th, as part of our Earth Month activities at the College of Staten Island (CSI). This was CSI Sustainability's second plant sale of the season and gave away …


CONTINGENT WORKFORCE: Size, Characteristics, Compensation, and Work Experiences of Adjunct and Other Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

  • U.S. Government Accountability Office (DC)

According to 2015 Department of Education data, contingent faculty—those employed outside of the tenure track—made up about 70 percent of postsecondary instructional positions nationwide, though this varied by type of …

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Publications
  • View more

Society’s Grand Challenges: Insights from Psychological Science - Global Climate Change

  • American Psychological Association

As a society, we face many challenges, and we depend on science to help. Whether we seek to halt global climate change, cure devastating diseases, reduce crime, end poverty, diminish …

  • Posted April 28, 2022
  • Publications
  • View more

UConn Earth Day Spring Fling Goat Yoga

  • University of Connecticut (CT)

The UConn Office of Sustainability hosted its annual sustainability festival called Earth Day Spring Fling (EDSF) on April 20th, 2022. The event featured an outdoor zero-waste barbeque, Environmental Art Exhibit, …

  • Posted April 25, 2022
  • Photographs
  • View more

Five overlooked dimensions of campus wellness: Qualitative lessons from a Health Sciences Center’s wellness program evaluation

  • Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans (LA)

Objective: Successful university wellness programs approach wellness holistically and regularly assess for improvements to program offerings. This case-study reports five lessons learned from a university wellness program evaluation that must …

  • Posted April 25, 2022
  • Publications
  • View more

‘Look to the young’- a study on climate change coping, emotion, and hope among emerging adults

  • Uppsala University

Climate change is already happening, but the long-term effects will be noticed by today’s young and future generations. Today’s young people will need to be part of mitigating emissions and …

  • Posted March 10, 2022
  • Publications
  • View more

Promoting Sustainable Menstruation On Campus and Beyond

  • AASHE (MA)
  • Dot Cup (IL)
  • Dallas College (TX)

Menstrual cups offer a sustainable solution to the environmental impact of tampons and pads and offer a solution for people who menstruate who, either because of location or economic insecurity, …

  • Posted March 10, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

Nature Rx: Using Collaborations to Highlight and Harness the Healing Power of Nature

  • University of Kentucky (KY)
  • AASHE (MA)

Nature, even just a view of green space, is healing and restorative in many ways. Public and campus greenspaces represent preventative resources, available to all, that can help combat historic …

  • Posted Feb. 3, 2022
  • Videos & Webinars
  • View more

Why Your Institution Doesn't Know What it's Doing With Telework and What to do About It

  • George Mason University (VA)

During the first year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing, many institutions transitioned to telework for all employees able to do so. However, as we …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Sustainability Professionals Expanding Beyond Sustainability

  • Bentley University (MA)
  • Smith College (MA)
  • UMass Chan Medical School (MA)
  • GreenerU (MA)

This panel will be a conversion among sustainability professionals who have taken the step from leading an institution's sustainability effort to also lead in other areas of the institution. Examples …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Creating Body Centered Action

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • Chatham University (PA)

Awakening somatic intelligence and understanding sustainable body practices are important components of an enlarged conversation of sustainability. When considering our whole being, any situation that affects our physical body also …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Building a Resilient and Just Society Through Retirement Programs

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Natixis Investment Managers (MA)
  • PRM Consulting Group (DC)

Many colleges and universities are working to align their education, research, and operations with the Sustainable Development Goals. While many have taken steps to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Lessons of Sustainability Learned as a Disaster Mental Health Counselor

  • California State University, Stanislaus (CA)

Providing services as a disaster mental health counselor involves the following for survivors: understanding their expectable reactions, employing short-term interventions, restoring their personal safety, utilizing multicultural competency and awareness, and …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Conducting Campus Dining Operations Successfully in the Middle of a Pandemic

  • Mount Holyoke College (MA)

Mount Holyoke College started tracking food waste with the Leanpath food waste prevention system in October of 2019. With the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic in early 2020 the …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Leveraging Change Communication & Management Theories for Sustainable Employee Behavior Change

  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)

The last year has been extremely stressful with the Covid-19 global pandemic, sustainability crises looming, and employee burnout across sectors. So how do we build a suite of programs that …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Keeping Campus' Buildings Healthy: Managing 3D Printer Emissions for Occupant Safety and Health

  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (TX)
  • UL (Underwriters Laboratories) (IL)

Years of research prove that designing, operating and managing our buildings with a focus on good indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential to protect the health and productivity of building …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Assessing Food Security in Higher Education

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Michigan State University (MI)

Food security exists when all people in a community, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

TreeCATs (Collegiate Arborist Trainings): A Model for Campus Tree Engagement

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

The TreeCATs (Collegiate Arborist Training) workshops, facilitated by the UK Urban Forest Initiative (UFI), promote knowledge, insights, skills, and engagement for college students, emboldening them to take a more active …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

Filling the Education Gap for Agenda 2030: SDG Academy Educational Tools and Partners

  • United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (NY)

This discussion will cover filling the gap in higher education systems for Agenda 2030. The mission of the SDG Academy is to create and curate the best educational content on …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

The Sustainability Mindset Indicator

  • oikos International
  • FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management

It has become clear that change is urgent in order to halt the many impacts humans have on our planet. Research has shown that if we want to promote engagement …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • Conference Presentations
  • View more

20 Paths to a Living Wage Policy: Is Fair Employment in Your Institution's Future?

  • Saint Joseph's University (PA)

Raising the federal minimum wage has been discussed by the Biden administration and a living wage is receiving increased attention by public, media, employers, and employees. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic …

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
  • 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.

PA 12: Employee Compensation

PA 13: Assessing Employee Satisfaction

PA 14: Wellness program

PA 14: Workplace Health & Safety

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

Wellbeing & Work Partners