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

4204
Total Resources
2017
Organizations
101
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.

4204 resources

Greening on-campus housing: blending commercial and higher education contexts

  • Virginia Tech (VA)

With the United States higher education sector representing over five billion square feet and expending over six billion dollars annually on energy costs, the higher education institution has an opportunity …


Multiple case-study analysis of service-learning as a means to foster sustainability competencies amongst pre-service educators

  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • Rovira i Virgili University
  • Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

The aim of this multiple case-study analysis was to find out the influence that service-learning methodology has on the development of sustainability competences amongst university students (Preschool, Primary and Social …


Universitas: how do students perceive university social responsibility in three European higher education institutions?

  • Universidade do Porto

The social dimension of Higher Education has gained relevance on the political and strategic discourses that urge Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to put University Social Responsibility (USR) into action and …


Music as a Tool for Promoting Environmental Awareness. Experiences of Undergraduate Education Students on the Production of Video Tales in the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Universidad de Salamanca
  • Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

This paper elaborates on the didactic implementation of musical theater with undergraduate education students. Students had to select, prepare, justify, design, elaborate, rehearse, stage, and record an educational tale that …


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) …


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 …


Conceptualization of sustainability among students, administrative and teaching staff of a university community: An exploratory study in Italy

  • Università degli Studi di Torino
  • Politecnico di Torino
  • Sapienza Università di Roma

Universities have been widely recognised as unparalleled potential catalysers for sustainability, being both formal learning institutions and places where informal, mutual influences and lay/expert knowledge meet. The 17 Sustainable Development …


Reflections and reflective practice to advance responsible management education for sustainability: the case of an Australian MBA programme

  • Griffith University (Queensland)

This paper aims to explore Master of Business Administration (MBA) students’ “reflections” and/or “reflection on practice” of sustainability into responsible management education using Bain et al.’s (2002) 5Rs (reporting, responding, …


UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development Framework and the Reality of University–Community Cooperation in the Caucasus Mountain Region

  • University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
  • Armenian State Pedagogical University
  • Tbilisi State University

The project Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caucasus Region (CaucaSusT) initiated the integration of transdisciplinary approaches into partner universities in Armenia and Georgia. The aim was to develop …


Developing an Integrated Sustainability Management Approach for Higher Education Institutions

  • University of the West of England, Bristol

The Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) around the world have to pay the main role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals for that HEIs need to be sustainable first. This …


Learning towards environmental sustainability practices: insights from a values-based participatory research approach

  • University of the Free State
  • Fudan University

Transformative Learning Theory is instrumental in fostering sustained positive change in adult learners as it explains how critical reflection in crystallization processes results in emancipatory learning. Despite its relevance, there …


Custom-made apparel manufacturing micro-enterprise owners’ perspectives on sustainability: how higher education can contribute

  • University of South Africa

The purpose of this paper is to investigate custom-made apparel manufacturing micro-enterprise (CMME) owners’ perspectives of sustainability within their business practices throughout the entire product development process and determine how …


Potential for urban agriculture to support accessible and impactful undergraduate biology education

  • Rollins College (FL)
  • Salish Kootenai College (MT)
  • Tulane University (LA)
  • University of St. Thomas (MN)
  • University of San Diego (CA)

Active learning in STEM education is essential for engaging the diverse pool of scholars needed to address pressing environmental and social challenges. However, active learning formats are difficult to scale …


Toward a Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education Road Map

  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)
  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • American Chemical Society (DC)

Although principles and practices of green and sustainable chemistry have been articulated for more than 20 years, they have yet to become systemically infused into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The …


A scale for assessing student understandings of marine resource conservation and sustainability: psychometric verification and the latent mean difference between genders

  • Tzu Chi University
  • National Taiwan Ocean University

This study developed a scale for evaluating how well students understand marine-resource conservation and sustainability; it evaluated the scale’s psychometric properties and investigated the gender difference in the scale’s score. …


Evaluation of Scientific Research in Universities Based on the Idea of Education for Sustainable Development

  • Nanyang Technological University
  • Tsinghua University
  • Hubei University
  • Wuhan University

Our research aims to establish an evaluation framework and evaluate the sustainability of scientific research in universities. Based on the concept of Education for Sustainable Development and the function of …


Online learning and teaching for the SDGs – exploring emerging university strategies

  • RMIT University

The purpose of this paper is to explore emerging synergies and tensions between the twin moves to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and online learning and teaching …


Integrating Sustainable Development Goals in educational institutions

  • Universitat Jaume I (Castelló)

This research contributes to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Education, a growing area of research, by means of a systematic review of the literature on …


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 …


Toward a sustainability assessment framework of research impacts: Contributions of a business school

  • Vienna University of Economics and Business

Business schools have the potential to become an important driver for sustainable development (SD) by broadening their research assessments beyond scientific performance. Assessment frameworks that expand the scope from academic …


Enabling Sustainable Development by Embedding Tongan Knowledge into University Science Curricula

  • University of Auckland

Sustainable development requires the valuing of Indigenous knowledges. The complex and intertwined processes of coloniality and globalisation have contributed to spreading a dominant set of Western knowledge, values, and practices …


Sustainable Smart Cities Challenges in Project Management Curriculum

  • The Academic College of Tel Aviv–Yaffo

Business schools aim to educate and train tomorrow’s managers, who will be responsible to lead their organizations towards success. Since businesses use projects as the main means to implement innovative …


Trends in scientific publishing on sustainability in higher education

  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
  • University of Chester
  • Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná
  • Universidade Positivo

It is widely acknowledged that research and publications in peer reviewed journals offer important metrics in describing the academic outputs of higher education institutions on one hand, and their societal …


Arranging university semester date to minimize annual CO2 emission: A UK university case study

  • University of Edinburgh
  • Tsinghua University
  • Sichuan University

Existing methods of reducing carbon emissions on campus often require substantial investment, and the potential opportunities for carbon dioxide and energy savings in universities with existing infrastructure have not been …


A comprehensive approach for the feasibility assessment of on-campus food waste composting

  • American University of Sharjah
  • German Jordanian University

Food waste management is increasingly emphasized globally due to its economic and environmental impacts and the strategic transformation towards sustainability. This can be observed from the increasing number of Zero …


Towards an eco-literate tertiary music education: Notes from a South African context

  • University of the Witwatersrand

On 20 September 2019 in Cape Town, as part of the global protests on inaction on climate change, the African Climate Alliance submitted a memorandum of demands to South African …


A Holistic Approach to Education for Sustainability: Ecofeminism as a Tool to Enhance Sustainability Attitudes in Pre-service Teachers

  • Universitat de València

To achieve an effective Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), teachers should possess appropriate sustainability attitudes to transmit those values to their future students.In this article, a holistic educational intervention around …


Exploring the utilisation of theoretical basis in existing campus sustainability appraisal tools

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A theoretical perspective is a key in the categorisation, structuring, interpretation of methodological research findings, and explanation of campus sustainability studies. A comprehensive review of existing campus sustainability appraisal tools …


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.


Sustainability Reporting at a Crossroads in Italian Universities: Is Web-Based Media Adoption Deinstitutionalising Sustainability Reporting?

  • Università degli Studi ""Gabriele d'Annunzio""

Higher education institutions and universities have recently started to publish their sustainability and corporate responsibility reports. Yet, due to digitalisation and the benefits of digital reporting, websites offer organisations novel …


Scalable pathways to net zero carbon in the UK higher education sector: A systematic review of smart energy systems in university campuses

  • Buro Happold (NY)
  • University College London (London)

The following literature review sets out the state-of-the-art research relating to smart building principles and smart energy systems in UK higher education university campuses. The paper begins by discussing the …


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

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

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’ …


Innovations and challenges in SDG integration and reporting in higher education: a case study from the University of South Florida

  • University of South Florida (FL)

As the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been widely adopted since 2015, higher education institutions (HEIs) are experimenting with ways they can be measured, reported and incorporated into all …


The Culture and Personal Disposal Practices of University Students: A Qualitative Study in Brazil and Germany

  • Universidade Federal do Ceará

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cultural components and municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal individual practices in the context of Brazilian and German university students. To achieve this …


Investigating Web-Based Sustainability Reporting in Italian Public Universities in the Era of Covid-19

  • University of Salerno
  • Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"

Universities are increasingly called to demonstrate to stakeholders their active commitment to responding to social and environmental issues through comprehensive reporting practices. Such expectations were further enhanced by the recent …


A Qualitative Assessment of Community Learning Initiatives for Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change: Applying UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework

  • Bournemouth University (Dorset)
  • The Open University of Japan

This study uses qualitative research methods of text mining to elucidate the potential and prospects for community-based learning opportunities for raising environmental awareness and bringing about healthy behaviour change among …


Addressing plate waste and consumption practice at university canteens: realizing green university through citizen-consumers

  • Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University

This study aims to explore ways to minimize plate waste at university canteens by studying plate waste and consumers at three main canteens of a university, Thailand.


Kicking the Habit: Rethinking Academic Hypermobility in the Anthropocene

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)

Examining the hypermobility of many “elite” academic workers, this article situates mobility within the context of higher education and sustainability, decoloniality, and institutionalized expectations for academic travel. The mobility of …


Education for Sustainable Development in Spanish Engineering Degrees. Case study

  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • University of Cadiz
  • Universidad Pablo de Olavide

The purpose of this work is to present a methodology for analyzing the perception of engineering students about the sustainability learning they have achieved during their university studies. This study …


Organizational Change Management for Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Quantitative Literature Review

  • University of Surrey

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have been urged to integrate sustainability across all their structural and organizational dimensions. A promising area of research and practice that can help to deliver this …


Education for sustainable development with transdisciplinary-oriented courses - experiences and recommendations for future collaborations in higher education teaching

  • Wuppertal Institut

The paper investigates how teacher trainees in higher education geography and external, non-scientific partners perceive and experience collaborations in an active teaching and learning approach. Such formats are recommended in …


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 …


Circular economy, cradle to cradle and zero waste frameworks in teacher education for sustainability

  • Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences

Sustainability is a major concern in education policies. This paper aims to describe how alternative economic education including concepts of the circular economy (CE), cradle to cradle (C2C) and zero …


Correlation between electric energy use and CO2 emissions in a university campus in Brazil

  • Universidade Federal Fluminense

The purpose of this article is to examine the correlations between greenhouse gas (GHG) by CO2eq emissions and the use of electricity on the Praia Vermelha campus of the Universidade …


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 …


Effectiveness of a game-based class for interdisciplinary energy systems education in engineering courses

  • University of Tsukuba

Professionals in the energy sector are required to understand the interactions among technology, society, and the environment to tackle complex trade-offs among policy issues. The fostering of such professionals with …


From environmental education to education for sustainable development in higher education: a systematic review

  • Universidad de Salamanca

In education concerning environmental issues, there are two predominant currents in the world, environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD is the formal commitment and therefore promoted …


Lean management and sustainable practices in Higher Education Institutions of Brazil and Portugal: A cross country perspective

  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • University of Minho

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the perception of Lean management practices and its influence on sustainability practices in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The theoretical background was supported …


Impact culture: transforming how Universities tackle 21st century challenges

  • University of York
  • Newcastle University
  • Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) (Scotland)

New ways of doing research are needed to tackle the deep interconnected nature of 21st Century challenges, like climate change, obesity and entrenched social and economic inequalities. While the impact …


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).