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

3968
Total Resources
1910
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.

3968 resources

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 …


Higher education institutions, SDG2 and agri-food sustainability: lessons from Chulalongkorn University and Thailand

  • Chulalongkorn University

This paper examines higher education efforts linking United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and agri-food system sustainability given reports of stagnant movement for SDG2 in Southeast Asia and lack of …


Making sense of frustration and complexity when introducing sustainability in teacher education

  • University of Oslo

Teacher educators must question whether we are sufficiently preparing student teachers to educate children and young people who will have to cope with climate and environ­mental crises. This article reports …


Major shift or business as usual? An investigation on the impacts of responsible management education

  • University of Shanghai for Science and Technology

Various curricula and educational materials for responsible management education (RME) have been developed by business schools from different parts of the world for sustainable development. There is, however, limited research …


Black and Indigenous Theoretical Considerations for Higher Education Sustainability

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

In this conceptual paper, the authors make the case for why and how researchers can incorporate Black and Indigenous standpoints in higher education scholarship. We begin by drawing parallels between …


From publications to public actions: the role of universities in facilitating academic advocacy and activism in the climate and ecological emergency

  • University of Kent
  • Cardiff University
  • University of Lausanne

Thousands of universities have made climate emergency declarations; however the higher education sector is not rising to the collective challenge with the urgency commensurate with scientific warnings. Universities are promoting …


Reducing the environmental impact of food service in universities using life cycle assessment

  • Eckerd College (FL)

This study aims to use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of food purchases at a small, liberal arts college. The authors also use the results to develop …


Contribution of PRME in education, research, and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions

  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul
  • Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul (SP)

This paper aims to assess the contribution of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in higher education, covering education, research and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions (HEIs) …


Climate change concern among youth: Examining the role of civics and institutional trust across 22 countries

  • Columbia University (NY)

Although scholars have long documented perceptions of climate change and the public’s evolving response to the perceived risk it poses, only more recently have these analyses begun to examine youth …


Do University Students’ Security Perceptions Influence Their Walking Preferences and Their Walking Activity? A Case Study of Granada (Spain)

  • Universidad de Granada

A sustainable city must be a safe place for its inhabitants when walking, with the absence of fear of crime being one of its main attributes. Although perceived insecurity is …


Teaching What Society Needs: “Hacking” an Introductory Marketing Course With Sustainability and Macromarketing

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • Simon Fraser University (BC)
  • Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway (Co. Galway)
  • University of London
  • Middle East Technical University
  • IE Business School

Marketing classes are often focused on the micro level, failing to account for wider societal issues. In this article, we argue for the inclusion of a wider macro-sustainability focus, one …


Advancing SDG competencies in higher education: exploring an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach

  • Kristianstad University

This study aims to explore an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach for advancing knowledge and understanding of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at higher education institutions (HEIs).


University gardens for sustainable citizenship: assessing the impacts of garden-based learning on environmental and food education at Spanish higher education

  • Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador
  • University of Valladolid

Gardens are being used at all educational stages, because they provide with a real-world context for active and experiential learning. In Spain, there exists a movement in favor of their …


Higher Education and Skills Development in Africa: An Analytical Paper on the Role of Higher Learning Institutions on Sustainable Development

  • University of Nairobi

Many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa face challenges that require the intervention of national governments, development partners and other stakeholders. HEIs also require new investment paradigms to maximize students’ …


Sustainability as an Emerging Paradigm in Universities

  • University of Valladolid
  • Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz
  • Universitat Carlemany
  • Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores
  • Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado
  • Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre

This article aims to review the perspective of sustainability adoption in universities through two dimensions: firstly, from the educational and research process, and second, from their global positioning in terms …


Can student managed investment funds (SMIFs) narrow the environmental, social and governance (ESG) skills gap?

  • Queen's University
  • Memorial University of Newfoundland (NL)

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it endeavors to document the current state of environmental, social and governance (ESG) pedagogy within undergraduate finance courses of business schools, and …


Growing action research on environmental learning in schools: a school-university partnership

  • University of Toronto (ON)

A team of teacher-researchers in a large urban school board is working in partnership with researchers from a leading Canadian university to use action research to broaden and deepen environmental …


The impact of peer learning on student performance in an architectural sustainability course

  • University of Texas at San Antonio (TX)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (CA)
  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya

The importance of sustainability in architecture currently necessitates the integration of innovative teaching strategies on the subject into architecture programs. This study aims to introduce and examine peer learning pedagogy …


The patterns of curriculum change processes that embed sustainability in higher education institutions

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Implementing education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) is critical to facilitating a transition toward sustainable development. However, little is known about the specific implementation processes that …


Taking power seriously: Towards a power-sensitive approach for transdisciplinary action research

  • Maastricht University
  • Kozminski University

In this paper, we focus on transdisciplinary action research to explore the key challenge of post-normal science – how to deal with power. First, the paper reviews the literature on …


Investigating the environmental behavior of business and accounting university students

  • National Technical University of Athens
  • University of West Attica

The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying dimensions of environmental behavior (EB) and examine how environmental education (EE) and ecological sensitivity (ES) motivate the EB of Business …


Exploring environmental sustainability of academia as a working space

  • Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
  • Robert Gordon University

This study aims to examine the organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment among US-based faculty members, in social sciences, natural sciences, the humanities and engineering. Potential barriers that may stop …


Can Higher Education Institutions’ Stakeholders Drive Regional Sustainable Development? Yes, They Can?!

  • University of Beira Interior

Although Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) develop and announce actions related to sustainable development (SD), these actions and the results achieved are often not perceived by their stakeholders. This article aims …


Sustainable Development Goals and Education: A Bibliometric Mapping Analysis

  • Universidad Pablo de Olavide
  • UNICEF (NY)

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving life in all its dimensions, covering all sectors, with a particular emphasis on education. The …


The Effect of Service Quality on Student Loyalty and Student Satisfaction: An Empirical Study of Universities in Vietnam

  • Ho Chi Minh City Open University

In recent years, there have been several studies on service quality in higher education, however, research on service quality and sustainable activities affecting student loyalty has been largely ignored in …


Higher Education Interdisciplinarity: Addressing the Complexity of Sustainable Energies and the Green Economy

  • Sapienza Università di Roma

Universities play a strategic role towards a sustainable future, as they address the complex scientific research on green transition and enable students from diverse backgrounds to acquire different skills, integrate …


Drivers for Sustainability Awareness Development in Tourism Curricula: The Case of Spanish Universities

  • Universidad de Extremadura

Spain is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world, and one of the top ten countries in terms of tourism contribution to its economy. As tourism is …


A cost-minimizing approach to eliminating the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions at institutions of higher education

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

Many institutions of higher education have committed to carbon neutrality. Given this goal, the main economic issue is minimizing cost. As for society as a whole, dominant decarbonization strategies are …


What Do Freshmen Know about Sustainability? Analysing the Skill Gap among University Business Administration Students

  • Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
  • Universidad de Murcia (Murcia)

This study aims at creating and validating an instrument to assess the level of mastery in sustainability competencies of freshmen students in business-related studies. To reach this goal, a questionnaire …


Higher Education for Sustainability: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence 2013–2020

  • University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Higher education for sustainable development (HESD) has grown into a substantial field of research and practice. HESD proposes that higher education will be central in a transition towards more sustainable …


Students’ learning sustainability – implicit, explicit or non-existent: a case study approach on students’ key competencies addressing the SDGs in HEI program

  • Kristianstad University

This study aims to understand better the student awareness and knowledge on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are used in higher education institutions (HEIs) to motivate students’ learning on …


Higher Education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)—Potential Contribution of the Undergraduate Courses of the School of Social Sciences of the University of Évora

  • University of Évora

In this work we analyzed the mapping of Sustainable Development Goals in the curricular units of the undergraduate courses of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Évora. …


A literature review on the strategies implemented by higher education institutions from 2010 to 2020 to foster pro-environmental behavior of students

  • Università degli Studi di Udine

Changing the present behavior of individuals toward a more sustainable lifestyle is a complex task requiring a well-established strategy and institutional commitment. The purpose of this paper is to understand …


Lean practices toward a balanced sustainability in higher education institutions: A Brazilian experience

  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Centro Universitário UniFBV

As few studies have explored the causal relationship between both the triple bottom line (TBL) of sustainability and the lean practices in higher education institutions (HEIs), the purpose of this …


Supporting the role of universities in leading individual and societal transformation through education for sustainable development

  • University of Bristol
  • Quality Assurance Agency For Higher Education (--None--)
  • University of St Andrews (Scotland)
  • University of the West of England, Bristol
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Cardiff Metropolitan University
  • Advance HE

There is growing recognition of the value of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for all learners, and of the unique role that universities play in the transformation of individuals, institutions …


Sustainable geography in theory or in practice? Reflections from a participant at NGM 2019

  • UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Academic conferences have a large carbon footprint due to long-distance travel by participants and contribute to increased consumption in other ways. With reference to Stephen Sterling’s distinction between education about …


Epistemic stability and epistemic adaptability: interdisciplinary knowledge integration competencies for complex sustainability issues

  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Global sustainability challenges transcend disciplines and, therefore, demand interdisciplinary approaches that are characterized by cross-disciplinary collaboration and integration across disciplines. In accordance with this need for interdisciplinary approaches, sustainability professionals …


A Global MetaUniversity to Lead by Design to a Sustainable Well-Being Future

  • University of Denver (CO)
  • Australian National University
  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

The COVID19 pandemic has revealed deep, ingrained problems with higher education, but also opportunities for positive transformation. In the post-COVID world, education at all levels has the chance to become: …