aashe stars conference community hub bulletin
Login Create an Account Become a Member

AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub
Browse All

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.

View all Case Studies Submit a new Case Study

At a Glance

925
Total Resources
491
Organizations
20
Countries
48
U.S. States & Territories
7
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

925 resources
City of Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell Address Volunteers at a Tree Planting

Arizona State University Urban Forestry and Carbon Offsets Pilot

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

In 2017, the University Sustainability Practices (USP) office at Arizona State University (ASU) piloted a new urban forestry program to explore the viability of generating carbon offsets through local tree …

  • Posted Feb. 15, 2018
  • Case Studies
  • View more
The Last of It - very little material could be found and what was found was very brittle

In-Vessel Composting Trials – Ingeo Compostable Products

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Arizona State University's University Sustainability Practices office partnered with a variety of ASU departments, NatureWorks, LLC, the City of Tempe, and DTEnvironmental to test the compostability of compostable serviceware using …

  • Posted Feb. 15, 2018
  • Case Studies
  • View more
After a communal count-down, everyone is able to flood into SCORE! (commonly refered to as the running of the SCORE-ers instead of the running of the bulls).

SCORE! A free-cycling event at the University of Alberta – Augustana Campus

  • University of Alberta (AB)

SCORE! is… A pop-up swap. A store where everything is free. A community marketplace of reciprocity. A redistribution of goods. Alternative economics. A party!! SCORE! is all of the above …

  • Posted Jan. 25, 2018
  • Case Studies
  • View more
Always interactive!

Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

Talking Truth was initiated in fall 2015 to support and build on understanding of climate disruption. Our experiential events employ storytelling, film screenings, art making, author talks, and reflective writing. …

Implementing a Sustainability Internship Program at Siena Heights University

  • Siena Heights University (MI)

Michigan is experiencing numerous environmental health threats, and the SHU Sustainability Internship Program was created to engage students to address environmental challenges. Using the AASHE Guide to Creating & Managing …

Tiny House Team

Kauai Community College Tiny House Hydro Electric Micro Grid Project

  • University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)

During the Summer of 2016 a free Tiny House building course was offered free to the community of Kauai. The course ran for five days and focused on building the …

Schematic of the shadow price. In cost-benefit analysis, the "cost" used should include the lifecycle carbon emissions of all options.

Swarthmore Carbon Charge Program

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

Swarthmore’s Carbon Charge seeks to systematically incorporate the unfelt global impacts of our emissions into our decision-making, both individually and as a college.

The scope of the work necessary to …

Pump2Plug Logo

University of California, Irvine's Pump2Plug Electric Vehicle Adoption Program

  • University of California, Irvine (CA)

The UCI Pump2Plug Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption Program is widely recognized as the first university incentive programs for EV adoption through the replacement of gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles. With …

ITC Building, Western Technical College

Building as a Living Laboratory: The Integrated Technology Center

  • Western Technical College (WI)

When you enter an academic building on a college campus, you expect that learning takes place there. Desks and labs, offices and hallways, students and faculty—all are standard. But what …

University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Designated as the 40th Fair Trade University in the U.S.

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, part of a national initiative by Fair Trade Campaigns to engage college/university students in issues of global poverty, officially received designation as a …

Welding Hydroelectric Raceway

Modern Sustainability

  • University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)

RECENT PROJECTS:

  • Beach Cleanup Caddy (complete - STEM grant award pending - awaiting field testing) - Assembled a cart system specifically designed for beach cleanups, outfitted with a detachable metal …
First experiment (for Google Science Fair 2012). Weedy check (control plot in which no natural herbicides were applied) shown to left; treated areas shown to right.

Natural Herbicides Project

  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)

The Natural Herbicides Project focuses on addressing the issue of the usage of chemical herbicides with detrimental health and environmental impacts on- and off-campus. Our team developed an effective natural …

Penstemon 2.0

  • Santa Clara University (CA)

From the outset, our goal has been to foster a culture of sustainability at the University by focusing on our curriculum as an interdisciplinary community of scholars. SCU has used …

Art as the Catalyst for Critical Sustainability Conversations

  • University at Albany (NY)

The University at Albany is proud to submit an application that illustrates our use of art as the catalyst for critical sustainability conversations. This was accomplished via two main projects …

Students Contribute Record-Breaking $6 Million to Student Green Energy Fund

  • University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)

The purpose of the Student Green Energy Fund is to provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to present formal proposals to a governing Fund Council with the goal …

Report of the Smith College Study Group on Climate Change

  • Smith College (MA)

In this report, the Study Group on Climate Change (SGCC) presents its recommendations for climate action by Smith College. By implementing these recommendations, the college will coherently integrate climate action …

Jorge Luis Godines Perez, one of the farm owners of the Unión de Cafetaleros Orgánicos de Ángel A. Corzo (UCOAAC) coffee cooperative, with his son.

McGill University’s Fairtrade Campus Commitment: Roddick Roast Coffee

  • McGill University (QC)
  • Fairtrade Canada (ON)
  • The Canadian Fair Trade Network (BC)

In June 2013, McGill University was given the designation of Fair Trade Campus by the Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN). This means that 100% of coffee sold on campus is …

Some of the feedback received during the consultation on the first draft of the Pitch In redesign

Branding our Waste: Creating College-Specific Recycling Signage through Collaboration

  • Red River College Polytechnic (MB)

In an ongoing effort to improve the effectiveness of our waste and recycling programs, Red River College set about redesigning our hallway waste and recycling signage (Pitch In signs) in …

Community Engagement Panel

Sustainability Weekend Conference, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

‘Sustainability Weekend’ is a student-initiative held on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh, PA, with the goal to promote inter-disciplinary conversations to raise awareness about the many sustainability issues surrounding our …

First delivery day with Cycle Farm, Spearfish, SD

Black Hills Food Hub: rural food hubs serving a wider demographic

  • Black Hills State University (SD)

Black Hills State University (BHSU) and Spearfish community partners are seeking to create a culture that supports and values local food in order to expand the reach and depth of …

Cascadia Campus Climate Conversation (C4)

  • Cascadia College (WA)

-On October 25th, 2016, the senior cohort of the Bachelors of Applied Science in Sustainable Practices (BASSP) program at Cascadia College, Bothell, WA, held the first campus dialogue to discuss …

How Middlebury College Achieved Carbon Neutrality

  • Middlebury College (VT)

This past winter, Middlebury College achieved an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality that had been officially set in 2007. When it became clear that the College’s initial of goal recommended …

Sneak peak inside UMass Dining's new publication, the How To Guide for Foodservice Operators

Making Local, Healthy, Sustainable Delicious: The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators is a manual for restoring real food and regional food systems to the right place in our society. The guide documents UMass Dining’s journey …

Novel Solution to University's Pool and Shower Heating

  • University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)

The plan is to install a localized, state of the art heating system for Campus Recreation’s pool and shower systems. The project would involve disconnecting the central boiler heating system …

Poster used to promote SUN Delegation outreach event.

Students Spark Solar

  • University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)

A group of ten students focused in various areas of study from across the University of Minnesota Duluth campus came together to form the Solar University Network Delegation and advance …

SFU’s 20-Year Sustainability Vision and Goals Case Study Submission

  • Simon Fraser University (BC)

On the 50th Anniversary of the institution, SFU launched an ambitious engagement process to map out and envision what a “sustainable SFU” would look like in 20 years. The yearlong …

A map designating which areas on campus will undergo lighting or mechanical upgrades, or retro-commissioning through the Utility Reduction Program

Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions at the University of Calgary

  • University of Calgary (AB)

At University of Calgary, our buildings are very large contributors to our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the goal of being a leading Canadian post-secondary institution in the area of …

COAST member by college

COAST – a groundbreaking alternative transportation program at the University of Houston

  • University of Houston (TX)

COAST- Coogs on Alternative Sustainable Transportation, a new alternative transportation incentive program developed by the University of Houston’s Parking and Transportation Services department, is revolutionizing the way people commute. Launched …

Promoting Sustainability through Coordination of Campus-Wide Conservation Practices

  • University of South Alabama (AL)

While the University of South Alabama (USA) has a long history of independent sustainability ventures, it is only in last 18 months that sustainability as a program has become a …

Student Painted Signs During Community Service Leadership Event

Revisiting Service Learning Through Food Equity, One Outcome from the Chemeketa - Marion Polk Food Share Youth Partnership

  • Chemeketa Community College (OR)

Chemeketa Student Retention and College Life (SRCL) periodically offers free leadership courses to students. Chemeketa’s dreams of a student farm for the Agricultural Sciences program are still a few years …

Sustainable Biodiversity on the Georgia Southern Campus

  • Georgia Southern University (GA)

Our project recorded the biodiversity of vertebrates on the 700 acre rural campus of Georgia Southern University. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students were involved in collecting the data. Students …

Sustainability Assessment Report for Philadelphia University by using AASHE STARS Credit System

  • Philadelphia University (PA)

This project is a thesis research on sustainability at Philadelphia University. The University is known regionally for its sustainability initiatives and education. The university has won several awards and recognitions …

UMD student using dish accumulator

Transforming Campus Food Service with Anytime Dining

  • University of Maryland, College Park (MD)

The Department of Dining Services at University of Maryland (UMD) set a goal to change the student culture and experience on campus through the Anytime Dining residential dining program. The …

Student, Faculty & Staff Eco-Reps work together to map out a local adventure for their communities during a Sustain IT workshop with the Outing Club

The New Eco-Rep Model: Unifying Campus Audiences in Co-Curricular Sustainability Programming

  • Dickinson College (PA)

Dickinson College has innovatively reformed its Eco-Rep model into a combined student and employee peer-to-peer sustainability education program that creates co-curricular learning experiences aimed at unifying campus stakeholders while increasing …

First Responder Training for Photovoltaic Fires

Solar Garden Partnership: A Renewable Energy Innovation

  • Grand Valley State University (MI)
  • Consumers Energy

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) began a renewable energy project in partnership with its local utility, Consumers Energy, after the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a Solar Garden program. This …

Student Interns Auditing Plumbing Fixtures in Residences

Stanford University's R&DE Creatively Responds to the California Drought

  • Stanford University (CA)

Sustainability is a core value to Stanford University's Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE). R&DE is responsible for about 1/3 of Stanford's campus, housing over 13,000 residents and serving over 18,000 …

SPF Project: McGill Farmers' Market

McGill University's Sustainability Projects Fund

  • McGill University (QC)

The Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) is a crown jewel of McGill University’s sustainability efforts and a best-practice model for universities. The SPF’s main goal is to build a culture of …

McGill Students Lobby to Create Climate Officer Position

  • McGill University (QC)

In Spring 2016, Management PhD student Amir Nosrat, and other colleagues at the Post-Graduate Students' Society of McGill University, came up with the idea to create a Climate Officer position …

Cowbell Cleanup volunteers before a game

Cowbell Cleanup

  • Mississippi State University (MS)

Cowbell Cleanup is an initiative that was started by the Office of Sustainability on Mississippi State University's campus. The University faces a large influx of guests during home football games, …

University of Saskatchewan Aerial Shot

The Campus Sustainability Plan: A Community Building Momentum

  • University of Saskatchewan (SK)

Progress on campus wide sustainability is not easy. It takes both planning and implementation to realize results. The University of Saskatchewan is realizing results from its Campus Sustainability Plan, developed …

UTRGV Tree Campus Team

Community Engaged Scholarship and Learning in Urban Forestry helps UTRGV earn Tree Campus USA Designation

  • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)

In 2014, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (through its legacy institution UTPA), one of the largest Hispanic Serving Institutions in the country, proposed and offered three iterations of …

Portland State University - All Gender Restroom Policy

  • Portland State University (OR)

In late 2015 Portland State University (PSU) administration officially adopted an all gender restroom policy (also sometimes referred to as gender-neutral, unisex, or universal) for the PSU campus. The all …

Fifteen buildings across campus host the 4.5 MW of rooftop PV

Stanford achieves dramatic greenhouse gas emissions reductions to surpass state, national, and international climate targets

  • Stanford University (CA)

Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) is a new campus energy system powered by renewables, designed to meet the current and future energy needs of Stanford University in an environmentally, socially, …

Las Pintas Solar Experience group, 2013

Johnson County Community College Student Sustainability Committee

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)

As a broadly effective, innovative, engaging, and replicable project, Johnson County Community College’s Student Sustainability Committee [the SSC, the Committee] is a compelling and powerful tool for developing student leadership …

KMRB Energy Reduction Project

  • University of Rochester (NY)

The University of Rochester’s Medical Center operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week in a 5.4 million square foot complex. Facilities Operations is responsible for providing conditioned air for …

What Harrelson Hall looked like before deconstruction.

NC State University Achieves 95 Percent Diversion With Building Deconstruction

  • North Carolina State University (NC)

Harrelson Hall, the first round classroom building constructed on a university campus, was deconstructed in 2016 and NC State University exceeded its waste diversion goal, diverting 95 percent of non-hazardous …

American University in Cairo 2017 Carbon Footprint Report

  • American University in Cairo (Cairo)

The first step of reducing a university’s carbon footprint is measuring its current size. The 2017 Carbon Footprint Report is the 4th in the American University in Cairo’s Carbon Footprint …

Solar panels on Shuford Stadium Parking Lot, Catawba College

Project Green Step 2030: Catawba College Campus Solar Energy Installation

  • Catawba College (NC)

Catawba College completed a solar energy project in 2016 that is projected to produce more solar electricity than all the other North Carolina colleges and universities combined. This was the …

Watershed UGA: A living laboratory transforming campus and community through teaching, research and service

  • University of Georgia (GA)

Watershed UGA created a vision and framework for using the campus as a living laboratory to advance sustainability through teaching, research, public service and outreach, and university operations. We are …

Zero Waste Events Expanding Across Campus (Synchronized Swimming Athletic Tournament)

The Ohio State University Sustainability Goals Development Project

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

In November 2015, The Ohio State University announced the establishment of sustainability goals to guide the university as it develops durable solutions to the challenges of sustainability and in evolving …

All Material Copyright © 2005–2023 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
AASHE reserves the right to control the reproduction and use of all material posted on this website.
For questions about this site, please email resources@aashe.org — Privacy Policy

About
Finding Resources
Submission Guidelines