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

4186
Total Resources
2013
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.

4186 resources

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 partnership? …


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 across …


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 greenhouse gas emissions. …


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 …


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 sustainability …


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 …


Fostering Sustainability through Mobility Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)

International mobility programmes embed higher education (HE) students in a learning process in which they gain key knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs), some of them crucial in pursuing the Sustainable …


Identifying Assessment Opportunities in Postgraduate Learning for Sustainability

  • London South Bank University
  • University of the West Indies (Kingston 7)
  • University of Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire)

This paper offers a rationale for how ESD related learning at postgraduate level can beassessed. It proposes a framework for evaluating whether assessments in Masterís levelprogrammes align with the pedagogical …


Exploring opportunities to incorporate systems thinking into secondary and tertiary chemistry education through practitioner perspectives

  • Deakin University

Recently, the chemistry education community has focused considerable effort on incorporating systems thinking into chemistry education as a means to address global challenges such as sustainability. In this project, a …


Mapping social structures for sustainability transformation at McGill University, Canada

  • McGill University (QC)

For a university to be a prime mover for sustainability transformation, all units of the university should contribute. However, organizational change in educational institutions is often studied by examining specific …


The Impact of Service Learning in the Development of Student Teachers’ Socio-Educational Commitment

  • Comillas Universidad Pontificia (Madrid)

This research arises from the university’s need to contribute to the training of professionals, especially teachers, who, in turn are committed to contribute to a more sustainable and socially just …


(Im)possibilities of “circular” production: Learning from corporate case studies of (un)sustainability

  • University of Leeds (West Yorkshire)
  • The Hague University of Applied Science

This article discusses Cradle to Cradle (C2C) and circular economy designs including three key principles of C2C production as well as the so-called 9-R hierarchy of priorities in circular economy …


Exploring sustainability cross‐culturally: Employees' beliefs on green behaviors

  • Concordia University Chicago (IL)
  • Universidad Surcolombiana

This study explores antecedent beliefs associated with green workplace behaviors within various cultures. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with non-academic employees of Canadian and Colombian universities in order to identify their …


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 …


A self-assessment tool for social responsibility in higher education. Reporting on a national policy development process in Portugal

  • Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra (Coimbra)

Providing higher education institutions (HEIs) with a tool for self-assessing their social responsibility (SR) that generates the information and knowledge necessary to a strategic approach to adopting the Green Paper …


Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US University Based Case Study

  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (TN)

Single-serve machines have proven to be a rapid and convenient mechanism for preparing coffee for consumption. However, disposing the single-use coffee pods accompanying each use creates insurmountable waste in landfills. …


Higher education and the sustainable tourism pedagogy: Are tourism students ready to lead change in the post pandemic era?

  • Universidad Complutense de Madrid

The present context of COVID19 pandemics has highlighted the vulnerability of tourism. Sustainable tourism needs to be thoroughly implemented to confront this and other crises; and sustainable tourism pedagogies must …


Sustainable development competencies and student-centered teaching strategies in higher education institutions: the role of professors as gatekeepers

  • Hochschule Pforzheim
  • Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen

This study aims to investigate the role of professors as gatekeepers for sustainable development competencies (SDC) in disciplinary study programs. It aims to understand which factors are crucial for professors …


Sustainability practices at higher education institutions in Asia

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

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 …


Sustainability university rankings: a comparative analysis of UI green metric and the times higher education world university rankings

  • University of São Paulo
  • Universidade Federal do Paraná (PR)

This study aims to answer the research question: How to evaluate the structure of global university sustainability rankings according to the Berlin Principles (BP) framework.


An empirical study on discussion and evaluation of green university

  • Minghsin University of Science and Technology

Sustainable development has become an important criterion for human beings to pursue happiness in their daily lives. In order to ensure the sustainable development of the earth, the first step …


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 …


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

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

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 …


Selection and framing of briefs for educational circular design projects

  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
  • University of Limerick
  • Linkoping University

This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability …


Carbon Footprint at a United Arab Emirates University: GHG Protocol

  • American University of Sharjah

University campuses can be leaders of change by tracking carbon footprints and establishing strategies for reductions. The American University of Sharjah (AUS) has led this effort in the United Arab …