Case Studies
Introduction
AASHE’s case study library contains hundreds of detailed case studies on a wide variety of higher education sustainability initiatives from faculty development programs to whole campus energy retrofits to community partnerships. All case studies are entered in the annual AASHE Awards Program.
At a Glance
Total Resources
Organizations
Countries
U.S. States & Territories
Canadian Provinces
Bars in graphs can be clicked to view resources that align with a particular category. Because a resource may be listed under multiple topics and disciplines, graph data may include higher total counts than what is indicated in total resources above.
New Resources
TASTE Food: The Automated Scope 3 tool for Tracking Emissions from Food
- The Culinary Institute of America (NY)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- AASHE (MA)
- World Resources Institute (DC)
Currently, estimating purchased food emissions requires time intensive methods and cost prohibitive software which are often limited to estimating emissions based on spend. Previously, institutions that analyzed purchased food emissions …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2025
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So Local It Has an Accent: Vanderbilt University Campus Dining’s Local Suppliers Program
- Vanderbilt University (TN)
Vanderbilt University Campus Dining has long been a major advocate for increasing its local supplier purchasing. Officially beginning in 2010, VU Campus Dining has held partnerships with a wide variety …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2025
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The evolution of on-campus catering through single-use plastic reduction
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Aramark (PA)
Arizona State University (ASU), the largest public university in the United States, has reimagined its catering services to align with its ambitious sustainability goals. Anchored in service design methodology, this …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2025
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The Seafood Shift: Making Tufts Dining More Sustainable
- Tufts University (MA)
Saskia Zimmerman, a Sustainable Solutions Fellow at Tufts University helped Tufts Dining find new ways to quantify their sustainable impact and further integrate sustainable food sourcing into their work. This …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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Leading the Fight Against Food Waste and Insecurity: Food Recovery Heroes at the University of Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The University of Pittsburgh’s Food Recovery Heroes student organization has been recovering and donating surplus food from campus dining facilities and local restaurants since 2014. Over the years, the organization …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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Zero Waste Football
- Coastal Carolina University (SC)
When the gates opened for the 2019 football season, Chanticleer fans were introduced to a brand-new game day experience inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University. In addition to 11,000 …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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University of the Immaculate Conception - Sustainable Education for Culinary Professionals
- University of the Immaculate Conception
Developed by Worldchefs in collaboration with an esteemed panel of culinary experts, educators, and scientists, the Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals curriculum offers a transformative learning experience for chefs and …
- Posted Jan. 22, 2025
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Embracing Plastic-Free: Reusable Takeout at Carleton College That is Actually Reused
- Carleton College (MN)
- USEFULL (MA)
College campuses have an opportunity to positively impact the waste stream with reusable container programs in campus dining. Bon Appétit at Carleton College partnered with USEFULL to offer tech-enabled reusable …
- Posted May 31, 2024
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Composting at EMU Dining's Facilities
- Eastern Michigan University (MI)
- Chartwells Higher Education (NY)
Currently, three of EMU’s dining facilities are a part of a program that diverts pre and post consumer food waste from landfill. Our teams have a contract with a local …
- Posted April 23, 2024
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FRESH to Table: A Homegrown Dining Initiative
- Boston College (MA)
Boston College (BC) seeks to foster the ethical and personal formation of its students to prepare them for citizenship, service, and leadership in a global society. In addition, as a …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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The Community Action Center Project: Where Food Shelves Meet Carbon Offsets
- Carleton College (MN)
In the city of Northfield, MN, uneaten food typically ends up as waste in the landfill. As this food decomposes, it releases methane—a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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"Food Waste Prevention Week"
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced's (UC Merced) Sustainable Food Programs is focused on and committed to surplus food recovery, food waste awareness and prevention, food security and more. UC Merced …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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Food Waste to Energy: From Pilot Scale Biogas to Grid Tied CHP on a Campus Farm
- Dickinson College (PA)
The Dickinson College Farm is culminating a multi-year project to convert campus food waste to sustainable energy through a grid-connected biogas system. Biogas is a carbon neutral, renewable alternative to …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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USC’s Single-use Plastics Elimination – Beverage Bottles Policy
- University of Southern California (CA)
The University of Southern California (USC) established the Single-use Plastics Elimination – Beverage Bottles Policy in July 2022, prohibiting the purchase or use of single-use plastic beverage products across the …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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Earth Fest
- University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI)
Earth Fest, a free and inclusive community celebration of the past, present, and future sustainability efforts in River Falls and the surrounding area. This family friendly event was held for …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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Waste Management Education and Procedural Improvements at a Residential Dining Facility
- Wake Forest University (NC)
- Harvest Table Culinary Group (PA)
Sustainability features are only as effective as their operators. While the second largest dining facility at Wake Forest hosts several sustainability features, the compost program was lacking in strength due …
- Posted May 31, 2023
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Choose to Reuse
- Boston University (MA)
Boston University’s Choose to Reuse program, offered at seven retail dining concepts in the George Sherman Union, provides students staff, and faculty the choice between ordering their meal on reusable …
- Posted May 23, 2023
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The Working Farms Fund: Partnership to Build a Sustainable Local Food System and Support a Diverse New Generation of Farmers
- Emory University (GA)
- The Conservation Fund (GA)
Emory University has partnering with the national non-profit The Conservation Fund (TCF) to support a diverse new generation of farmers in rural Georgia and help build the local food supply …
- Posted May 16, 2023
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Tiffany Jurge plans Soup and Substance collaboration with SCITC
- Central Michigan University (MI)
- Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (MI)
Central Michigan University (CMU) presents Soup and Substance events through the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (OIDEI) for students, faculty, staff and community members. Soup and Substance events …
- Posted May 15, 2023
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Soup and Substance: Anishinaabek Food Sovereignty
- Central Michigan University (MI)
- Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (MI)
Central Michigan University (CMU) presents Soup and Substance events through the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (OIDEI) for students, faculty, staff and community members. Soup and Substance events …
- Posted May 15, 2023
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Meghan VanDamme leads composting initiative at CMU
- Central Michigan University (MI)
Meghan VanDamme and Central Sustainability collaborated with Facilities Management and CMU Residence Life to erect a compost drop-off at Northwest Apartments. The drop-off promotes sustainability by offering an opportunity for …
- Posted May 15, 2023
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Diverting Food Waste and Educating the Campus Community with Solar Powered Compost Kiosks at Illinois State University
- Illinois State University (IL)
The Illinois State University Compost Kiosks provide a model for other institutions in diverting food waste and reducing single-use plastic while educating and engaging the campus community in the act …
- Posted May 15, 2023
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UMass Dining Carbon Rating System
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Announced on Earth Day, 2022, and in partnership with My Emissions, UMass Dining, the nation's award winnning and largest higher education internally operated dining program, has launched an A-E carbon …
- Posted Jan. 10, 2023
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Food Justice Fellowships - Rooted in Community
- Saint Mary's College of California (CA)
Food insecurity is defined as the state of being without reliable access to sufficient affordable and nutritious food. Food insecurity in the San Francisco Bay Area (and our state, country …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2022
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We Feed Aggie Animals
- Texas A&M University (TX)
- Chartwells Higher Education (NY)
Texas A&M Aggie Dining launched a new "We Feed Aggie Animals" food waste initiative to enhance goals of eliminating food waste while supporting the campus community. Starting in January 2022, …
- Posted May 23, 2022
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Contactless Food Box Deliveries: Driving Down Food Insecurity
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) launched the Contactless Food Box Delivery Program in December 2020 which continues to this day. 5-10 boxes are delivered every week to those …
- Posted May 19, 2022
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Creating Effective Waste Bin Signage
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
A University of Texas at Austin Zero Waste Working Group used a comprehensive process including signage studies, waste composition data, and a progression of testing to design a new campus-wide …
- Posted March 10, 2022
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Williams College Reusable To-Go Ware Case Study
- Williams College (MA)
This reusable container program was rolled out when students returned to campus in the Fall of 2020 and was proposed with both sustainability and cost savings in mind. What differentiates …
- Posted Feb. 1, 2022
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Place Setting: Enhancing sustainable approaches to food security & community engagement through design of space
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky (CKUK) is a student-led service organization that is a partner agency of God’s Pantry Food Bank within the Feeding America’s network. Housed …
- Posted Jan. 3, 2022
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Reducing Scope Three Carbon Emissions Through Behavior Change & Menu Labeling
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
In October 2020, UC Berkeley’s Cal Dining implemented carbon emission labels to better inform customers about the carbon impact of the recipes served in the dining hall. Student researchers, Alejandra …
- Posted May 25, 2021
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Cascadia Cornucopia Food Forest as a prototype for food permaculture areas on campuses
- Cascadia College (WA)
The Cascadia Food Forest is an example of an integrated learning project at Cascadia College. It was designed to facilitate learning opportunities outside the classroom. The food forest is a …
- Posted May 21, 2021
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The People’s Fridge- A Community Fridge to Reduce Food Insecurity and Food Waste
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The People’s Fridge is a community fridge in Merced, California at a local community garden which also holds a free food distribution every Saturday called the Pop-Up People’s Pantry. The …
- Posted May 21, 2021
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Addressing Food and Housing Security among NC State University Students
- North Carolina State University (NC)
Since February 2018, when a report on student hunger and homelessness on NC State University's campus was released, the campus community has generated increased resources for students, conducted ongoing research …
- Posted May 21, 2021
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How Brandeis reduced our food carbon footprint over 20% in its first sustainable dining program
- Brandeis University (MA)
This case study reviews how Brandeis harnessed the RFP and contracting process for a new dining vendor in 2019-2021 to make huge and first-ever strides in sustainability in our dining …
- Posted May 18, 2021
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Planting the Pond
- Western Dakota Technical College (SD)
For this project, Western Dakota Tech formed an interdisciplinary team comprised of Environmental Engineering, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Electrical Trades, Computer-Aided Design, and Farm and Ranch Management students to design and …
- Posted May 18, 2021
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Bennington College Commons Renovation
- Bennington College (VT)
- Efficiency Vermont (VEIC) (VT)
Bennington College’s Commons building is the original center of its 1932 campus plan. This 45,120 square-foot renovation is the first substantial upgrade to the building since its inception. It reinforces …
- Posted May 18, 2021
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North Texas Food Policy Alliance
- University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
What are Food Policy Councils/Alliances? The first Food Policy Council started 30 years ago in the city of Knoxville. In the last decade Food Policy Councils (also called food system …
- Posted April 21, 2021
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UCCS Food Next Door | Farm Subscription Program
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (CO)
The Food Next Door Farm Subscription Program strives to help fight hunger, promote food access, boost food literacy, and support regional farmers and ranchers in our community.
- Posted April 21, 2021
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SUNY New Paltz Pivots from Plastic Bottles to Aluminum Cans to Move Beyond Plastics
- State University of New York at New Paltz (NY)
In the fall of 2020, Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS), which contracts on behalf of SUNY New Paltz for beverages to be distributed through vending machines and the dining services contractor, …
- Posted Feb. 24, 2021
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Reusable to-go Program at Northwestern Dining During a Global Pandemic
- Northwestern University (IL)
- Chartwells Higher Education (NY)
- Compass Group (NC)
Northwestern University opened its dining commons during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020 with an emphasis on reusable to-go service ware. This program used the O2GO OZZI containers …
- Posted Dec. 1, 2020
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Housing Sustainability Assistants - Compost Pilot
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Carnegie Mellon University’s Housing Sustainability Assistants team supported a 4-week composting pilot within on-campus housing to ensure successful composting implementation in the future. The student team was tasked with promoting …
- Posted May 18, 2020
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Sustainable Food and Dining: Swat2Go 2019-2020 Final Report
- Swarthmore College (PA)
The Swat2Go reusable container pilot program was developed to avoid and reduce waste through the implementation of this reusable container pilot program. Over the course of the last year, this …
- Posted May 18, 2020
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St. Lawrence University Green Café Farm To Table Course
- St. Lawrence University (NY)
St. Lawrence University's student-run Green café class is a collaborative and multi-stakeholder venture with Dining Services, Seed to Table (student food justice club), undergraduates from across disciplines, and three generations …
- Posted May 18, 2020
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“#ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign: ACG Cares for a plastic-free future!”
- The American College of Greece (Aghia Paraskevi)
The #ACGGoesPlasticFree Campaign is an ongoing project that was launched in July 2018 by the ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability (CES) which operates under the Office of Public Affairs, …
- Posted May 15, 2020
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Pop-Up People's Pantry- Feeding those in need in response to COVID-19
- University of California, Merced (CA)
The Pop-Up People's Pantry at the 18th St. People's Garden popped up in response to COVID-19 to feed our food insecure community healthy and nutritious food, predominantly fresh produce.
- Posted May 15, 2020
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No Food Left Behind: A free text service to reduce food insecurity and food waste
- University of California, Merced (CA)
No Food Left Behind is a free text messaging service that connects students, staff and faculty at the University of California, Merced to events that might have food leftover. People …
- Posted May 15, 2020
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Diversity Food Services: Leading the Way on Socially and Environmentally responsible Campus Dining in Canada
- University of Winnipeg (MB)
The University of Winnipeg Campus Sustainability Office would like to nominate Diversity Food Services for an AASHE Campus Sustainability Achievement Award.
Diversity Food Services is a joint venture of the …
- Posted May 15, 2020
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TAMU Urban Farm United (TUFU) Campus Food Forest Serves Aggies in Need
- Texas A&M University (TX)
The TAMU Urban Farm, TUFU for short, is a new concept organization on the campus of Texas A&M University (TAMU), whose mission is “Grow to Serve”. The project was made …
- Posted May 15, 2020
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Addressing Food Insecurity on Campus
- Colorado State University (CO)
Approximately 10% of students at Colorado State University experience food insecurity. In the past five years, CSU has been aggressively tackling food insecurity through the creation of innovative programs under …
- Posted May 15, 2020
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The Working Farms Fund: Partnership to Build a Sustainable Local Food System
- Emory University (GA)
Emory University and The Conservation Fund have formed a new partnership to support next-generation farmers in Georgia and help build the local food supply across metro Atlanta with a first-of-its-kind …
- Posted May 11, 2020
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