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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.

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At a Glance

3946
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.

New Resources

56 resources

Teaching sustainability within the context of everyday life: Steps toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the EUSTEPs Module

  • Global Footprint Network (CA)
  • Universidade Aberta
  • University of Coimbra
  • University of Aveiro
  • University of Siena
  • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Kentriki Makedonia)

In a world characterized by Ecological Overshoot, where humanity demands more from natural ecosystems than they can sustainably renew, education can nurture sustainability-minded citizens and future leaders to help accelerate ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Bottled vs tap water perceptions, choices and recommendations in a US Midwest university community

  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (IL)
  • University of Southern Maine (ME)

Purpose:This study aims to determine preference and concerns regarding tap vs bottled water and recommendations to increase tap water use in a US Midwest university. The authors propose interventions ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Climate justice in higher education: a proposed paradigm shift towards a transformative role for colleges and universities

  • Northeastern University (MA)

Moving beyond technocratic approaches to climate action, climate justice articulates a paradigm shift in how organizations think about their response to the climate crisis. This paper makes a conceptual contribution ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Defining Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions

  • Loyola University Maryland (MD)
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

People interact with each other based on shared meaning. In the absence of shared meaning, organizations fail to identify and achieve goals. Focus is generally placed on how to engage ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Campus foodscapes as sites of transformation: mapping policy and projects in US universities envisioning just, sustainable and healthy food systems

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)
  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)

Globally universities have expanded their mission beyond teaching and research: recognising their broader responsibilities to their students, communities and civic neighbours, and to sustainable operations and infrastructure. This research considers ...

Differential Vulnerability to Extreme Heat Events Among the UC Campuses: A quantitative analysis of social vulnerability to extreme heat in communities surrounding UC Campuses

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Davis (CA)

Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and longer as a result of global climate change. Individual characteristics and conditions amplify exposure and impact of extreme heat events. I ...

Development of the University Food Environment Assessment (Uni-Food) Tool and Process to Benchmark the Healthiness, Equity, and Environmental Sustainability of University Food Environments

  • University of Tasmania (TAS)
  • Monash University (VIC)
  • Deakin University
  • Flinders University (South Australia)
  • University of Melbourne (Victoria)
  • University of Wollongong (New South Wales)
  • University of Sydney (NSW)

Globally, there is increasing interest in monitoring actions to create healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable food environments. Currently, there is a lack of detailed tools for monitoring and benchmarking university ...

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 ...

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 ...

Building University Capabilities to Respond to Climate Change Through Participatory Action Research: Towards a Comparative Analytical Framework

  • University of The South Pacific (Central Division)
  • University College London (London)
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Kenyatta University
  • International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) (England)

This paper aims to explore how the principles of participatory action research (PAR) articulate with questions of climate justice. Drawing on three qualitative case studies in Brazil, Fiji and Kenya ...

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 ...

University leadership in climate mitigation: reducing emissions from waste through carbon pricing

  • Syracuse University (NY)
  • Seoul National University

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate potential impact of internal carbon pricing in emission reduction in Higher education institutions (HEIs). Over the past century, human activities have increased greenhouse gas ...

Towards an equity competency model for sustainable food systems education programs

  • Teachers College, Columbia University (NY)
  • Middlebury College (VT)
  • University of British Columbia (BC)
  • American Museum of Natural History (NY)
  • Columbia University (NY)
  • Tufts University (MA)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)

Addressing social inequities has been recognized as foundational to transforming food systems. Activists and scholars have critiqued food movements as lacking an orientation towards addressing issues of social justice. To ...

Educational contexts and designs for cultivating leaders capable of addressing the wicked issues of sustainability transitions.

  • Blekinge Institute of Technology

The ongoing sustainability crisis offer numerous, multifaced societal challenges as a result of the ongoing degradation of socio-ecological systems by human activity causing massive ecological damage and human suffering. Overcoming ...

Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Brown University (RI)

With a lack of United States federal policy to address climate change, cities, the private sector, and universities have shouldered much of the work to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and ...

Can public universities play a role in fostering seed sovereignty?

  • University of British Columbia (BC)
  • University of Toronto (ON)

Across Canada and the United States, public universities were founded with a mission to contribute to broad societal well-being. Yet, the capacity of public research institutions to develop and disseminate ...

Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG): What Is Wrong with ESDGs, and What Can We Do Better?

  • The Hague University of Applied Science

This article will discuss social, environmental, and ecological justice in education for sustainable development (ESD) and Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG). The concept of sustainable development and, by extension ...

  • Posted Feb. 17, 2021
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Indigenous perspectives on education for sustainable healthcare

  • University of North Dakota (ND)
  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
  • University of Auckland
  • Bond University (Queensland)
  • El Fondo para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas de América Latina y El Caribe (FILAC)
  • Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation (NT)

A range of global environmental changes are contributing to an increasing global burden of disease. Since human health and well-being are intimately associated with the health of our planet, healthcare ...

Reducing Smith College’s Dining GHG emissions: An analysis of beef and milk substitutions

  • Smith College (MA)

The life cycle of food is responsible for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through production, processing, distribution, and waste. The environmental impact of food varies by ...

Unveiling the path towards sustainability: scientific interest at HEIs from a scientometric approach in the period 2008-2017

  • Carlos III University of Madrid

Humanity has experienced the impact of an unsustainable economic model at all levels. This topic has crystallized in different summits and conferences during the 20th century. As a result of ...

Using Vertically Integrated Projects to embed research-based education for sustainable development in undergraduate curricula

  • Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
  • University of Strathclyde

Purpose This paper aims to share the University of Strathclyde’s experience of embedding research-based education for sustainable development (RBESD) within its undergraduate curricula through the use of an innovative ...

Intersectional sustainability and student activism: A framework for achieving social sustainability on university campuses

  • Southwestern University (TX)
  • University of Sydney (NSW)

In recent decades, universities have made significant progress toward environmental sustainability and have likewise tightened their budgets and restructured economic models in the name of financial sustainability. However, institutions of ...

  • Posted March 4, 2020
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A lifecycle cost analysis of transitioning to a fully-electrified, renewably powered, and carbon-neutral campus at the University of Dayton

  • University of Dayton (OH)

This paper analyzes the cost-effectiveness of converting the University of Dayton (UD) to a fully-electrified, renewably powered, carbon-neutral campus by 2025. The greenhouse gas (GHG) impact and 30-year lifecycle costs ...

  • Posted Feb. 10, 2020
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A review of empirical data of sustainability initiatives in university campus operations

  • University of Coimbra

Given the need to actively address the challenges of climate change, university leaders have a growing interest in reducing their campuses’ environmental impact. This article carries out a comprehensive literature ...

  • Posted Feb. 10, 2020
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Demystifying Sustainability Behaviors on College and University Campuses: A Mixed Methods Analysis

  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)

In response to the growing threat posed by climate change, colleges and universities are implementing interventions to engage students and employees with achieving sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals ...

Let's Get Sorted: The Path to Zero Waste at Pomona College

  • Pomona College (CA)

This senior thesis in environmental analysis explores the Zero Waste ideal and its practical application to a college campus. Given the growing global trash crisis and its grave environmental, social ...

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 ...

Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto

  • University of Toronto (ON)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science

The Expanded Student Engagement Project (ESE) has developed three comprehensive inventories which aim to increase student knowledge of sustainability-related course content and increase student engagement in on- and off-campus, curricular ...

  • Posted March 15, 2019
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We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

Most historically and predominantly white institutions (HPWIs) now desire some number of black students on their campuses. However, recent theoretical scholarship suggests that HPWIs’ desire for and willingness to embrace ...

  • Posted Nov. 13, 2018
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Pathways to carbon neutral energy systems at the University of California, Davis

  • University of California, Davis (CA)

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2025 the University of California, Davis (UCD) seeks to eliminate its dependence on fossil energy sources. This study outlines a methodology to identify optimal equipment ...

Designing a Proxy Carbon Price Strategy for Smith College

  • Smith College (MA)

This thesis to Design a Proxy Carbon Price Strategy for Smith College was written to internalize the social cost of carbon emissions into financial decision-making. A proxy carbon price is ...

Towards a universal carbon footprint standard: A case study of carbon management at universities

  • University of Southampton

Organisations of all types are significant contributors to international greenhouse gas emissions. The business case for supporting low-carbon practices is gathering pace, alongside the regulatory demands imposed through carbon emission ...

Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal

  • Tecnológico de Monterrey (Nuevo Leon)
  • Gävle University College
  • University of Toulouse

Research into and practice of Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) have been increasing during the last two decades. These have focused on providing sustainability education to future generations of ...

  • Posted April 16, 2018
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Infusing Sustainability in Higher Education in Ireland: The Green Curriculum Model (GCM) and the Dispositions, Abilities and Behaviours (DAB) Competency Framework

  • Dublin City University

There are numerous sustainability challenges facing the world today, including: climate change, pollution, consumerism and poverty. To make the world a more sustainable and better place to live in, humanity ...

  • Posted April 11, 2018
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Recapturing the learning opportunities of university sustainability indicators

  • Tulane University (LA)

Reconfiguring student involvement in university sustainability assessments and reporting can create important learning opportunities. In the 1990s, students conducted campus environmental audits and assessments, which were often the first step ...

  • Posted March 29, 2018
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Green for All? Gender Segregation and Green Fields of Study in American Higher Education

  • Cornell University (NY)
  • Harvard University (MA)

Using the example of green fields of study in higher education, which emerged largely in response to the growing prominence of the environmental movement over recent decades, this article posits ...

  • Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Introduction to Watershed Studies

Relocating Education for Sustainability: From the campus to the community

  • Kent State University (OH)

For 25 years, higher education has been challenged to provide a path toward sustainability. This challenge is both lofty and necessary. During this time, higher education has yet to make ...

A comparative study of the efficacy of intervention strategies on student electricity use in campus residence halls

  • Radford University (VA)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether, and how, electricity consumption by students in university residence halls were impacted through three intervention strategies.

Design/methodology/approach: The ...

The Drivers Behind Edible Food Recovery Programs at Institutions of Higher Education

  • Messiah University (PA)

Food waste is a multi-faceted issue that affects societies on a social, economic, and environmental level. In 2014, more than 38 million tons of food were thrown away in the ...

The Nitrogen Footprint Tool Network: A Multi-Institution Program to Research and Reduce Nitrogen Pollution

  • University of Virginia (VA)
  • Eastern Mennonite University (VA)
  • Brown University (RI)
  • Dickinson College (PA)
  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Chicago (IL)

Humans release reactive nitrogen into the environment at a rate that is 4 to 5 times as large as from natural terrestrial processes. They do this by producing and applying ...

  • Posted April 26, 2017
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Beyond Interpersonal Competence: Teaching and Learning Professional Skills in Sustainability

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Successful careers in sustainability are determined by positive real-world change towards sustainability. This success depends heavily on professional skills in effective and compassionate communication, collaborative teamwork, or impactful stakeholder engagement ...

  • Posted April 25, 2017
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Green cities and ivory towers: how do higher education sustainability initiatives shape millennials’ consumption practices?

  • University of Michigan (MI)

College-educated millennials, motivated by a preference for vibrant, walkable neighborhoods with access to good public transportation, are helping to drive an economic resurgence in many American cities. At the same ...

  • Posted Aug. 22, 2016
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Doubling Energy Efficiency at the University of Michigan by 2030

  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Johnson Controls, Inc (WI)

Approximately 84 million Americans spend their days in colleges, universities, and public or private primary and secondary schools. The commercial building sector, which includes educational institutions, accounts for 18.44 ...

Water Conservation at the University of Houston

  • University of Houston (TX)

A group of University of Houston students enrolled in Energy & Sustainability with similar interests in water conservation investigated a potential water-saving solution for the University of Houston.

Their research ...

Finding Heart: Generating and Maintaining Hope and Agency through Sustainability Education

  • Colorado Mountain College (CO)

In his landmark book Native Science (2000), indigenous educator Gregory Cajete eloquently articulates the motivations and questions that drive this study. For Cajete, effective education of our time entails “finding ...

Learning Through Eating: Bringing Campus Dining Operations into an Introductory Environmental Science Course

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Sustainability initiatives in higher education often flourish as the result of cross-functionality of teaching, research, and operational staff. At the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Resources ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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Evaluating Penn's Green Living Certification: Successes and Recommendations for Improvement

  • University of Pennsylvania (PA)

As Penn's first environmental certification program aimed at rewarding students' personal behaviors, the Green Living Certification program has the potential to affect behavior change and promote a culture of ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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Analysis of Student Behaviors Impacting Carbon Emissions Through Community Based Social Marketing Research

  • Oberlin College (OH)

Academic institutions cannot achieve climate neutrality through technology alone; members of the college community must also be engaged in creating a culture of sustainability. This research project employed a community-based ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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Growth or Decline? The Form and Function of the Sustainability Agenda in Higher Education

  • University at Albany (NY)

Literature on organizational strategy in higher education suggests that colleges adapt to new circumstances based on differing motivations: some colleges are seeking new growth strategies while others are trying to ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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Fostering Sustained Energy Behavior Change And Increasing Energy Literacy In A Student Housing Energy Challenge

  • University of Hawaii at Manoa (HI)

We designed the Kukui Cup challenge to foster energy conservation and increase energy literacy. Based on a review of the literature, the challenge combined a variety of elements into an ...

  • Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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