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

3958
Total Resources
1908
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.

3958 resources

How freshmen perceive Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

  • University of Bayreuth

Concepts of 464 university freshmen towards Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) were analyzed. Responses were classified into seven main categories: ‘ecological aspects’, ‘ecological problems’, ‘economical aspects’, …


Diagnosis of Sustainability in the Food Engineering Creation Program of the Polytechnic University of the State of Carchi (UPEC) in the Substantive Function “Teaching”

  • University of São Paulo
  • Universidad Politécnica Estatal del Carchi

As the world population grows, technologies are developed to improve food industrialization processes that are characterized by using large amounts of resources that modify social, economic, political and environmental systems …


Creating Pedagogy to Integrate Sustainability and the Arts

  • Xavier University (OH)

The creation of a sustainable world urgently requires managers of organizations to consider large-scale changes in the practices and policies of social and economic institutions. Compelling scientific and economic information …


Education for sustainable development – from students’ and geography teachers’ knowledge to educational activities

  • University of Warsaw

The paper presents the topic of academic education for sustainable development (ESD). A diagnostic survey was made in a form of a questionnaire in three groups of respondents: active geography …


Didactic Strategies to Promote Competencies in Sustainability

  • Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Madrid)
  • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
  • University of Cadiz
  • Universidad de Salamanca
  • Universidad de Sevilla

Higher education is a principal agent for addressing the sustainable development goals proposed by the 2030 Agenda, because of its key mission of knowledge generation, teaching and social innovation for …


Environmental sustainability features in large university campuses: Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) as a model of green university

  • Jordan University of Science and Technology

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe the efforts undertaken to convert the large university campus of Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) into a green, resource-efficient …


Reviewing University Community Gardens for Sustainability: taking stock, comparisons with urban community gardens and mapping research opportunities

  • Keele University

Community gardens (CGs) in university settings are faced with challenges associated with a transient and inexperienced population of student gardeners, but they also have the potential to have a lasting …


Implementing Competence Orientation: Towards Constructively Aligned Education for Sustainable Development in University-Level Teaching-And-Learning

  • University of Bern

The call for integration of competences in tertiary education for sustainable development (ESD) has been heard. Helpful competence models for ESD are available but little exists about how to put …


Assessment of knowledge and awareness of “sustainability” initiatives among college students

  • Lamar University (TX)

Campus sustainability is essential for any university. Campus sustainability denotes the potential of the university to develop new ideas regarding sustainability through research, teaching, and practices. It necessitates improved academic …


Scaffolding Applied Learning and Sustainable Development Goals in the Furman University Sustainability Science Program

  • Furman University (SC)

The Furman University (Greenville, SC) Sustainability Science Bachelor of Science degree curriculum requires two introductory courses (Environmental Science, Sustainability Science), three intermediate courses (Human Systems, Social Systems, Dynamic Systems Modeling), …


Integrating education for sustainable development into a higher education institution: beginning the journey

  • Nottingham Trent University

Much of the current literature on integrating sustainability into HEIs is focussed on why HEIs should embrace sustainable development (SD) and what is still missing or hindering work and the …


A Grounded Theory of Education for Sustainability in the Postsecondary Classroom

  • University of Louisville (KY)

The movement incorporating sustainability into the academic mission of higher education has grown quickly in the last few decades. At the same time, vast interpretations of sustainability exist as institutions …


Prepared to Teach for Sustainable Development? Student Teachers’ Beliefs in Their Ability to Teach for Sustainable Development

  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The importance of embedding education for sustainable development has been emphasised over many years. At the same time, there has been a massive call for initial teacher education to provide …


Interdisciplinary Responses to Climate Change in the University Classroom

  • Husson University (ME)

This case report describes a novel bridge course developed by the authors, entitled, What If They're Right? Individual Responses to Climate Change. The course challenges university students to experiment with …


Devising a Competence-Based Training Program for Educators of Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned

  • University of Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire)
  • Università degli Studi di Firenze - UniFI (Italy)
  • Tallinn University
  • Frederick University

Over recent decades, education policy has been preoccupied with economic growth while paying insufficient heed to global sustainability challenges. International initiatives to promote education for sustainable development (ESD) have been …


Sustainability on campus: knowledge creation through social and environmental reporting

  • University of Edinburgh
  • Heriot-Watt University

This study contributes to the debate on sustainability in higher education through a project conducted in a single Scottish university that incorporated sustainability into undergraduate accounting education through the application …


‘Student Switch Off!’: how do university students respond to a corporate-sponsored pro-environmental social marketing campaign?

  • University of York
  • University of Birmingham
  • Queen Mary University of London

Sponsorship in pro-environmental social marketing campaigns has received limited academic attention within a higher education (HEI) context. This study examines how multi-level variables, i.e. individual (general environmental attitudes), organisational (scepticism …


Holistic competence orientation in sustainability-related study programmes: lessons from implementing transdisciplinary student team research in Colombia, China, Mexico and Nicaragua

  • Humboldt University of Berlin
  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Universidad Autónoma Chapingo

This article contributes with a tested transdisciplinary learning format to the discussion about strategies to increase regional relevance and competence orientation of higher education in the fields of sustainability and …


Influence of sustainability scholarship on competencies – an empirical evidence

  • Deakin University
  • La Trobe University (Victoria)

Purpose Curricula is developing from a pure knowledge-based outcome to a more skill-based outcome, with the objective of creating and advancing competencies that meet employer expectations. While the new Sustainable …


College Campus as a Living Laboratory: Scrubbing Scales, Saving Trees, Engaging Students

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

Opportunities for meaningful engagement of college students in their campus communities rarely focus on tree health, and even less frequently address insect pests. Tree Campus USA certification typically involves service-learning …


Key competencies, complex systems thinking, and economics education for sustainability

  • Anglia Ruskin University

The concept of key competencies is an important element of education for sustainability. The cornerstone of key competencies is complex systems thinking. Most who argue for the integration of key …


Accounting education, democracy and sustainability: taking divergent perspectives seriously

  • University of Central Florida (FL)
  • Victoria University of Wellington

How might accounting educators foster greater awareness of, and facilitate democratic dialogue about, divergent socio-political perspectives regarding sustainability? Rather than focusing on business perspectives that emphasise a 'business case' approach …


Assessing sustainability on Chinese university campuses: Development of a campus sustainability evaluation system and its application with a case study

  • Zhejiang University
  • Tongji University

With the vigorous promotion of national policies and funds, green campus construction is booming in Chinese universities. It's in great need to develop an evaluation system, as a long-term mechanism, …


Sustainability Demonstration House Project

  • Michigan Technological University (MI)

The goal of the Sustainability Demonstration House (SDH) project is to retrofit the former president’s residence, built in 1953, titled the Kettle-Gundlach Building, into a sustainability demonstration house. The SDH …


Personal waste management in higher education: A case study illustrating the importance of a fourth bottom line

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Purpose This paper aims to propose a quadruple bottom line approach for higher education leaders who must decide whether to accept sustainability initiatives that do have not have a business …


Are estimates of food insecurity among college students accurate? Comparison of assessment protocols

  • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)

A growing body of literature suggests that post-secondary students experience food insecurity (FI) at greater rates than the general population. However, these rates vary dramatically across institutions and studies. FI …


Resilience and Pedagogy: Learning From International Field Studies in Urban Resilience in Canada and Germany

  • Simon Fraser University (BC)
  • Technical University of Dortmund

What impact does an immersive, international field school experience have on learning about urban resilience; and conversely, what impact does a framing concept of urban resilience have on international field …


Sustainability in Higher Education: Perceptions of Social Responsibility among University Students

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)
  • Old Dominion University (VA)

Many construction-related training and education programs in the United States have now embraced the concept of sustainability, offering sustainable construction courses that highlight sustainable design and construction practices. These courses …


Social and institutional factors affecting sustainability innovation in universities: A computer re-use perspective

  • UNSW Sydney (NSW)

With the wave of digitisation sweeping through the higher education sector, end-of-life outcomes for decommissioned computers will pose a serious sustainability challenge for higher education institutions. This challenge presents an …


Leading by listening, learning by doing: modeling democratic approaches to conservation leadership in graduate education

  • University of Florida (FL)
  • Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (DF)
  • Universidad Veracruzana
  • Technological Institute of Ursulo Galván

Conservation professionals are increasingly called on to adopt democratic approaches that integrate public concerns and diverse societal voices yet are not taught how to do so. We use a case …


How to Cultivate an Environmentally Responsible Maker? A CPS Approach to a Comprehensive Maker Education Model

  • National Taiwan University
  • National Taichung University of Science and Technology

Environmental education is intended to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and enhance individuals’ problem-solving and decision-making skills by tackling problems in the real world. “Maker education,” on …


Think outside the European box: Identifying sustainability competencies for a base of the pyramid context

  • Wageningen University

The complex and global nature of unsustainability requires concerted efforts of sustainability change agents from developed and developing countries all over the world. Various attempts have been made to define …


Survey Study on Attitudes to Multi-Dimensional Sustainable Development with U.K. MSc Students

  • Swinburne University of Technology

As reflected in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), sustainable development is a multi-dimensional concept integrating political, ethical, economic, and other factors. Reports from the United Nations (UN) Decade of Education …


A Sustainability Theme for Introductory Programming Courses

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Sustainability is an important topic for modern college and universities, many of whom are actively promoting sustainable practices and integration of sustainability topics into course curricula. The inclusion of socially-relevant …


Does green management matter for donation intentions?: The influence of environmental consciousness and environmental importance

  • Texas A&M University (TX)

Purpose – Several factors are known to influence donations to university athletic departments including previous donations and university affiliation. This research aims to build on prior work by examining whether …


Sustainability Strategy in Higher Education Institutions: Lessons learned from a nine-year case study

  • University of Minho

Sustainable Development is recognized as one of the biggest societal challenges of the twenty-first century. Higher Education Institutions have the vision, the knowledge and the power to lead this transition, …


Formation and Function of a Collegiate Athletics Sustainability Committee

  • Georgia State University (GA)
  • Seattle University (WA)
  • University of Florida (FL)

Institutions of higher learning may be considered dual-identity organizations because of the perceived distinctiveness between universities’ academic and athletic missions. One way in which these barriers can be weakened is …


Transforming higher education through trickster-style teaching

  • Bowling Green State University (OH)

This article utilizes theoretical inquiry to examine the need for transforming conventional, industrial-scientific, higher education curriculum and pedagogy. In recognition of the scale and urgency of the changes necessary to …


Food System Field Experience: STEM Identity and Change Agency for Undergraduate Sustainability Learners

  • Michigan State University (MI)
  • Oregon State University (OR)

Experiential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning increases STEM identity and belongingness in STEM communities. Experiential food systems education affects change agency and intention to effect change. But little …


Can Education for Sustainable Development Change Entrepreneurship Education to Deliver a Sustainable Future?

An objective of the European Union’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan is to address high levels of youth unemployment in Europe by promoting entrepreneurship. Implementing entrepreneurship education in schools, colleges and …


Teaching Sustainability in an Accounting Classroom

  • Harding University Main Campus (AR)
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania (PA)

Sustainability has become an important issue in the world today for both business and society. As accounting faculty members, it is important that we add aspects of sustainability into accounting …


Towards a Rubric for Stimulating and Evaluating Sustainable Learning

  • Wageningen University

Preparing students for dealing with sustainability issues is a challenge in the field of education. This is a challenge because we don’t know exactly what we are educating for, as …


Chemistry of Sustainable Products: Filling the Business Void in Green-Chemistry Curricula

  • Bentley University (MA)

There is a need for more courses that directly address the role business plays in the development of new products and technology. This is particularly true in the areas of …


Development and evaluation of a method to estimate the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployment at higher education campuses

  • University of Limerick

This paper describes a method for the quantitative estimation of the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployed on Higher Education Campuses (HEC). This was developed to fill the need for a …


Green-washing or best case practices? Using circular economy and Cradle to Cradle case studies in business education

  • The Hague University of Applied Science

Closed loop or ‘circular’ production systems known as Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle represent a unique opportunity to radically revise the currently wasteful system of production. One of the …


Applying the ESD approach in textile and apparel education

  • University of Central Missouri (MO)
  • Cornell University (NY)

Purpose The purpose of this study was to provide more information about the effectiveness of the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approach in textiles and apparel by applying it to …


The integration of social responsibility and sustainability in practice: Exploring attitudes and practices in Higher Education Institutions

  • University of Worcester
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • University of Chester
  • Griffith University (Queensland)
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Winchester
  • University of Milano-Bicocca

The demands placed on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to deliver sustainability initiatives alongside their long-standing social responsibility commitments has been recognised in literature. However, how these interrelate in practice continues …


Universities, industries and sustainable development: Outcomes of the 2017 G7 Environment Ministerial Meeting

  • Università di Bologna

During the G7 Environment Ministerial Meeting under the Italian Presidency which took place in Bologna, Italy, 11–12 June 2017, representatives from Universities and Research Institutes and from the major industries …


Attitudes of dining customers towards sustainability-related food values at a public University campus

  • Oregon State University (OR)
  • University of Wisconsin-Extension (WI)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

The plethora of alternative food labels emerging in the marketplace reflects consumer interest in informed and sustainable purchasing. However, consumers’ preferences vary with respect to the sustainability metrics represented by …


Aim2Flourish: Introducing Chicago to the Circular Economy

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)
  • Rheaply, Inc (IL)
  • United Nations Foundation (NY)

This article highlights how Rheaply is introducing the circular economy, resource sharing, and waste diversion into business models. In this article, Aim2Flourish, the world’s first higher-education, student-run curriculum aimed to …