Publications

Introduction

AASHE’s publications library is the leading repository of reports, journal articles, books, and student research on sustainability in higher education. Certain publication types are entered in the annual AASHE Awards Program.

At a Glance

3942
Total Resources
1903
Organizations
99
Countries
58
U.S. States & Territories
12
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.

3942 resources

A Mixed Methods Case Study: Effects of Instructors’ Beliefs on Incorporation of Sustainability Curriculum at a Midwestern University

  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)

The degree to which sustainability is taught is often varied and inconsistent across colleges, departments, and higher education institutions. However, educating students and future generations regarding the different pillars of ...


Sustainability through a Phenomenon-based learning approach : A study of student reflections

  • University of Helsinki

The purpose of this thesis is to study on how a phenomenon-based approach might evoke critical reflection on sustainability. By using the phenomenon-based learning (PhBL) approach, the aim of the ...


Learning from the Dirt: Initiating university food gardens as a cross-disciplinary tertiary teaching tool

  • Macquarie University (NSW)

Food gardens are an underdeveloped resource for teaching and research in Australian universities. While some campuses have food or botanical gardens, outside the biological or physical sciences food growing is ...


The development and evaluation of interdisciplinary STEM, sustainability, and management curriculum

  • Montana State University - Billings (MT)
  • Murray State University (KY)
  • RAND Corporation (CA)

There is an increasing need in the workforce for STEM and sustainability literate graduates. In practice, however, it is difficult to enact interdisciplinary STEM and sustainability curriculum, particularly in business ...


The relationship between the incorporation of sustainability in higher education and the student’s behavior: self-reported sustainable behavior scale

  • Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul (SP)

This study aims to describe the development and validation of a scale that measures the self-reported sustainable behavior of students in higher education institutions (HEIs) regarding their knowledge on incorporating ...


Setting the Direction for a Sustainable Future? A Critical Review of University-Enterprise Partnership Evaluation

  • Lancaster University

University–enterprise partnerships foster great opportunities for sustainable development by enabling the translation of research into viable commercial solutions. However, how do we measure the relative “success” of such a ...


How to Repurpose the University: A Resilience Lens on Sustainability Governance

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology
  • Keele University

Universities have an important role in moving society towards a more sustainable future. However, this will require us to repurpose universities, reorienting and refocusing the different university domains (education, research ...


Rethinking of higher education institutions as complex adaptive systems for enabling sustainability governance

  • Banaras Hindu University (Uttar Pradesh)

Education in particular Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are considered pivotal in promoting and implementing the targets of the United Nations-Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). However, frameworks, curriculums, pedagogies and governance policies ...


Meaning-making in higher education for sustainable development: undergraduates’ long-term processes of experiencing and learning

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Despite the increase in teaching approaches designed to integrate sustainability into higher education, the connection between students’ learning experiences and their learning outcomes remains incompletely understood. The present multi-case study ...


Increasing rates of convenience food packaging use at HEIs: a case study of the Neelsie student centre, Stellenbosch University

  • Stellenbosch University (Western Cape)

Food packaging waste from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is a significant management concern. Waste minimisation is critical to reduce the pressures on already stretched municipal infrastructure. This is set against ...


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 ...


Principles for responsible management education - PRME: Collaboration among researchers

  • Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul (SP)

This study characterizes as a systematically reviews literature on the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) through bibliometric research. The research maps and analyzes scientific research networks of PRME by ...


Development of the biotic impacts of climate change core concepts (BIC4) framework

  • Lamar University (TX)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • University of Northern Colorado (CO)

The ability of living organisms to respond and adapt to a changing climate is an urgent concern. However, current educational efforts aimed at increasing US undergraduate student climate literacy primarily ...


GIS and Sustainability Engagement in Higher Education

  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)

Does the use of an interactive GIS web map significantly influence the level of sustainability stakeholder engagement at institutions of higher education? With over 1,000 institutions of higher education ...


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 ...


Geothermal District Heating Feasibility Study for Duke University

  • Duke University (NC)

Recognizing the importance of renewable energy in combating climate change, Duke University has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2024 from a 2007 baseline. To fulfill the goal ...


UM Scope 3 Purchased Goods & Services Emissions Footprinting

  • University of Michigan (MI)

This project was conducted to address recommendations from the University of Michigan’s President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality by footprinting the institution's Scope 3 purchased goods and services ...


An analysis of building energy submetering and its uses for colleges and universities

  • Kansas State University (KS)

The intent of this report is to cover the topic of building energy submetering. Utilizing submeters to quantify building and sub-building energy usage can lead to reduced utility consumption, increased ...


Universities as Change Makers Sustainability Initiatives from Across the Globe

  • Freie Universität Berlin
  • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

“Universities as Change Makers: Sustainability Initiatives from Across the Globe” is the result of a cooperative effort of two HEI-focused international projects based at Freie Universität Berlin: trAndeS – Postgraduate Program ...


Higher education's response to the Covid-19 pandemic - Building a more sustainable and democratic future

  • Council of Europe

Public health was the immediate concern when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in Asia, then in Europe and other parts of the world. The response of our education systems is no ...


Mapping and Critical Synthesis of Current State-of-the-Art on Community Engagement in Higher Education

  • Global University Network for Innovation

This publication defines the concept of community engagement in higher education and its role in contemporary debates about the role of higher education in the 21st century and maps international ...


What are the motivations for and obstacles to disclosing voluntary sustainability information by U.S. universities in STARS reports?

  • Johns Hopkins University (MD)
  • Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden)

This study investigates voluntary sustainability reporting by U.S. universities. Using a structural equation modeling approach and Poisson regression, this analysis explores the relevant motivations for and obstacles in disclosing ...


Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Rankings: Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Internationally Comparable Indicators

  • University of Twente

As more higher education institutions strive to embed sustainable development principles in their teaching, it becomes increasingly important to identify indicators that can measure institutional contribution in a meaningful and ...


Education on the Sustainable Development Goals for nursing students: Is Freire the answer?

  • Curtin University
  • University of Wollongong (New South Wales)

Significant global events in recent years have had a substantial impact on the nursing profession. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and systemic racism are a few of the many complex ...


The Planetary Health Report Card: a student-led initiative to inspire planetary health in medical schools

  • University of California, San Francisco (CA)
  • University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College (HI)
  • University of Oxford

The warming of our planet and destruction of our ecosystems have created grave new threats to human health, such as food insecurity, physical and mental trauma from extreme weather events ...


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 ...


Education for Sustainable Development in Foreign Language Learning

  • George Washington University (DC)

This books uses the UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development framework to help educators integrate sustainability education in foreign language learning at the college level. The chapters are all written by ...


Are LEED campus buildings universally designed? Assessments at Virginia Tech

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

Purpose

As many of the next generation leaders are currently on college campuses, endorsing green buildings can foster environmental stewardship among the student body. However, marshalling in the social sphere ...


Art and higher education for environmental sustainability: a matter of emergence?

  • Aalborg Universitet

This study aims to contribute to the exploration of inter-disciplinary approaches in higher education for sustainability. It is a reflection on a case study linking students in the arts and ...


Defining a Pedagogical Framework for Integrating Buildings and Landscapes in Conjunction with Social Sustainability Discourse in the Architecture Graduate Design Studio

  • Girne American University
  • Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design

The primary objective of this research is to define a pedagogy framework for architecture Graduate Design Studio. The proposed pedagogy framework pursues the following three principal objectives: The first objective ...


Developing Ethical Future Managers Embracing Sustainability: Case Study of Budapest Business School

  • Budapest Business University

The paper describes and evaluates how a higher education institution (Budapest Business School - BBS), aspiring for AACSB accreditation, co-created innovative tools, based on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and ...


Enhancing the accountability and comparability of different campuses’ energy profiles through an energy cluster approach

  • Università degli Studi di Torino
  • Politecnico di Torino

International sustainability ranking systems generally set criteria in order to monitor global achievement of universities in terms of sustainability. However, current sustainability ranking systems do not provide specific consumption thresholds ...


Do European quality assurance frameworks support integration of transformative learning for sustainable development in higher education?

  • University of Bern
  • Universitat de Girona (Girona)
  • Kaunas University of Technology (Kaunas sav.)
  • Universiteit Hasselt

A transition toward sustainable development requires engagement of university students in transformative learning. Therefore, quality frameworks and processes should support deep approaches to sustainable development in higher education. Research and ...


An Exploration of the Relationship between Sustainability-Related Involvement and Learning in Higher Education

  • Tufts University (MA)
  • University of Michigan (MI)

Higher education institutions are charged with developing civically engaged leaders to address the pressing issues facing the country and the world. While existing literature suggests institutional practices, such as promoting ...


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 ...


Students’ knowledge and expectations about sustainable food systems in higher education

  • University of Gastronomic Sciences (Piedmont)
  • ISARA Agro School for Life
  • Eesti Maaülikool, EMÜ
  • FH Münster
  • Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego (Warsaw)
  • University of Kassel
  • University of Copenhagen
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

To clarify needs and requests of the young generation to the contemporary and future education on food systems, this paper aims to examine the following issues: students’ background knowledge, students ...


Handling climate change education at universities: an overview

  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Romanian Academy
  • Hiroshima University
  • UNSW Sydney (NSW)
  • University of the Sunshine Coast
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Kwara State University
  • University of Belgrade
  • University of Campinas
  • Universidad Católica del Norte
  • Universidade Federal Fluminense
  • University of Education, Winneba
  • Universidade Fernando Pessoa
  • University of Latvia
  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology
  • University of Fort Hare
  • Nottingham Trent University
  • Indian Institute of Management (Jharkhand)
  • University of Colombo

This paper reports on a study which aimed at identifying the extent to which matters related to climate change are addressed within the teaching and research practices at universities, with ...


COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching

  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • University of Chester
  • Bournemouth University (Dorset)
  • University of Aveiro
  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
  • Universidade Aberta
  • Universidade Federal da Paraíba
  • North-West University (North West)
  • University of Milano-Bicocca
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • College of Charleston (SC)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis, one which also influences the ways sustainability is being taught at universities. This paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which ...


Adopting sustainability competence-based education in academic disciplines: Insights from 13 higher education institutions

  • Gävle University College
  • University of Helsinki
  • University of A Coruña (a Coruña)
  • Università degli Studi di Parma
  • Universidad de las Américas Puebla
  • University of Nyíregyháza
  • Universidade Aberta
  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
  • Griffith University (Queensland)
  • European University of Lefke
  • University of Belgrade
  • University of Zaragoza
  • Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales
  • Central University of Technology
  • Warsaw University of Technology

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been incorporating sustainability into education and curricula, where recent research has focussed on sustainability competences, pedagogical approaches, and how to connect them, generally on a ...


The Planetary Wellbeing Initiative: Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education

  • Pompeu Fabra University
  • UNESCO
  • University of Essex
  • Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA)
  • École d'économie de Paris
  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
  • Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals
  • Barcelona Graduate School of Economics

We live in a time of pressing planetary challenges, many of which threaten catastrophic change to the natural environment and require massive and novel coordinated scientific and societal efforts on ...


Training wicked scientists for a world of wicked problems

  • Dickinson College (PA)
  • The Ohio State University (OH)

Humanity faces a number of wicked problems, from global climate change and the coronavirus pandemic to systemic racism and widening economic inequality. Since such complex and dynamic problems are plagued ...


A framework for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in university programmes

  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • University of Aveiro
  • University of Coimbra
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
  • Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador
  • University of Wroclaw/Uniwersytet Wrocławski (Wrocław)
  • University of Belgrade
  • Universidade Positivo
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • University of Milano-Bicocca
  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria

There is a perceived need to develop approaches, methods and tools that may help higher education institutions to systematically introduce the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into research and teaching as ...


Research on low-carbon campus based on ecological footprint evaluation and machine learning: A case study in China

  • Harvard University (MA)
  • University of Perugia
  • Northumbria University (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
  • Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Universities, the important locations for scientific research and education, have the responsibility to lead ecological civilization and low carbon transition. Ecological footprint evaluation (EFE) is usually used to measure sustainability ...


Sustainability practices at higher education institutions in Asia

  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Universidade Fernando Pessoa
  • Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) (Perak Darul Ridzuan)
  • Universiti Utara Malaysia
  • Universiti Sains Malaysia
  • University of Waterloo (ON)
  • Universiti Putra Malaysia
  • Hiroshima University
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Beaconhouse National University
  • Khulna University of Engineering & Technology
  • Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Santa Catarina)

It is still unclear how Asian universities incorporate the theory or practice of sustainable development (SD) in their research and education programmes. To address this gap, the purpose of this ...


Walking the Walk: Democratizing Change in Teacher Education

  • University of Tasmania (TAS)

In this essay, as a group of teacher educators, we discuss our experience of “walking the walk” of teacher education transformation at a time of urgent change. We reflect upon ...


Introducing the Nitrogen Footprint in SIMAP: A Review of Improvements in Nitrogen Footprint Methodology for Institutions

  • University of Virginia (VA)
  • University of California, Davis (CA)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Marine Biological Laboratory (MA)
  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • Eastern Mennonite University (VA)
  • Brown University (RI)

Nitrogen (N) footprint assessments have served as tools for sustainability, research, and education at institutions of higher learning by connecting institutional activities and resource consumption with environmental impacts through the ...


Greening of the syllabus in faculties of education sciences through sustainable development goals: the case of public Andalusian universities (Spain)

  • University of Cadiz
  • Universidad de Granada
  • Universidad de Sevilla
  • University of Malaga (Malaga)
  • Universidad Complutense de Madrid

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the presence of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN (2015) in university degrees within the fields of education, humanities ...


Mapping sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions in Latin America

  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • Universidad Galileo
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Universidade Federal da Paraíba
  • Universidad EAFIT (Antioquia)
  • Universidad de Sonora (Sonora)
  • Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world are involved in a variety of sustainability initiatives. These are acknowledged to be important elements in fostering the cause of sustainability in ...


Ecologized Collaborative Online International Learning: Tackling Wicked Sustainability Problems Through Education for Sustainable Development

  • Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg
  • Robert Gordon University
  • Keele University
  • Università degli Studi di Torino
  • Coventry University

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is increasingly embedded in higher education(HE) due to the current emphasis on tackling the environmental crisis. Similarly, CivicSociety Organisations are expanding their mobilization and ...


Assessment of the Ecological Footprint of Eskisehir Technical University–Iki Eylul Campus

  • Eskişehir Technical University
  • Kastamonu Universitesi

Sustainable development is a concept that has started gaining importance in recent years. It helps reduce the environmental impacts of cities with dense human populations. On a smaller scale, social ...