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

3962
Total Resources
1909
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.

3962 resources

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, …


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 …


Transforming science and society? Methodological lessons from and for transformation research

  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Ecologic Institute
  • Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER)

Transformation research has in the past years emerged as a shared lens to study and support radical societal change towards sustainability. Given the nascent and exploratory—yet highly normative and ambitious—character …


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 …


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: …


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 …


The Challenge of Teacher Training in the 2030 Agenda Framework Using Geotechnologies

  • Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia – UNED
  • Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Social evolution, globalization, and advances in technology are making it increasingly necessary to offer complete and comprehensive teacher training. This training should produce citizens who are concerned about the planet …


Measuring professional action competence in education for sustainable development (PACesd)

  • KU Leuven
  • University of Antwerp

Based on the concept of action competence, the current study introduces an integrated framework of Professional Action Competence in Education for Sustainable Development (PACesd) described by three defining features: willingness, …


Understanding students' intention and actual eco-friendly behavior: A qualitative research in University

  • National Penghu University of Science and Technology

Universities can be considered a community because of their large population, large size and participation in many activities on campus. The behavior of these individuals has a direct or indirect …


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 …


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 …


Sustainability and creativity through mail art: A case study with young artists in universities

  • University of Zaragoza

Universities around the world are making considerable efforts to contribute to sustainable development through their institutional frameworks, education, research or community awareness. This article discusses how young artists connect with …


Nursing students' perception of climate change and sustainability actions – A mismatched discourse: A qualitative, descriptive exploratory study

  • Dalarna University

Climate change is described as the biggest global challenge for human health in the upcoming decade. Nurses play a central role in mitigating the effect of climate change on the …


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 …


Metaphorical perceptions of academicians in administrative positions in higher education regarding the concept of sustainability

  • İstanbul 29 Mayıs Üniversitesi

The aim of this study, which was in a qualitative research design, is to reveal the perceptions of education administrators working in higher education institutions about the concept of sustainability …


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 …


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.


Incorporating green building into architectural education: what can we learn from the value-belief-norm theory?

  • Griffith University (Queensland)
  • Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research
  • Shenzhen University

Aiming to find out how to incorporate green building into the architectural curriculum, this study aims to explore the psychological path for cultivating architectural students’ awareness and motivation to learn …


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 …


COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching

  • College of Charleston (SC)
  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Bournemouth University (Dorset)
  • Universidade Aberta
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • University of Aveiro
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Universidade federal de Santa Maria
  • Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
  • University of Chester
  • North-West University (North West)
  • University of Milano-Bicocca
  • Universidade Federal da Paraíba

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis, one which also influences the ways sustainability is being taught at universities. This paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which …


University Social Responsibility: The Case of Italy

  • Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale
  • Libera Università Carlo Cattaneo, LIUC

Increasing attention is now being paid to the concept of sustainability as a crucial element of our life at all levels. The awareness that attention must be paid not only …


Learning for the Future: Exploring Effective Characteristics of Sustainability Leadership Programs in Higher Education

  • Thompson Rivers University (BC)

In response to global environmental, economic, and social issues, universities and colleges have begun to create and expand leadership courses and programs that aspire to foster sustainability change agents. This …


Evaluating and improving the contributions of university research to social innovation

  • Royal Roads University (BC)

The purpose of this study is to assess the contributions of graduate research to social innovation and change for learning and improved transdisciplinary practice. Universities, as centers of teaching and …


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 …


On the maturity of social responsibility and sustainability integration in higher education institutions: Descriptive criteria and conceptual framework

  • University of Bari Aldo Moro

This paper is intended to foster debate on the relevance of social responsibility (SR) and sustainability maturity integration in education for sustainable development goals to be fully achieved. Several contributions …


Let’s read green! A comparison between approaches in different disciplines to enhance preservice teachers’ environmental attitudes

  • Universitat de València

This article examines the effect of different educational approaches to environmental education (EE) in the environmental attitudes of 507 preservice teachers. In one experimental group EE was addressed in a …


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 …


Critical Approaches to Sustainability in the Business Communication Classroom: A Developmental Perspective

  • University of Connecticut (CT)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

Business communication faculty who invite students to critically engage with issues of sustainability must consider students’ developmental readiness to do so, as these invitations can often seem uninvited. To promote …


Healthy Settings: Barriers and Facilitators to a Healthy Campus Community

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)
  • McMaster University (ON)
  • St. Francis Xavier University (NS)

This paper provides a synopsis of findings from the first two phases of a larger campus-based participatory action research study, which examines the factors that contribute to health within a …


Environmental sustainability in higher education: Mapping the field

  • University of Magdalena
  • University of Barcelona

A considerable amount of literature has been published on environmental sustainability in the context of higher education. However, no previous studies have investigated how environmental sustainability has evolved in the …


Social and environmental reports at universities: a Habermasian view on their evolution

  • Università di Verona

This paper analyses how social and environmental disclosure has evolved over the years in Italian universities and aims to understand whether attention to sustainable development has changed. To determine this …


How do higher education institutions promote sustainable development? A literature review

  • Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have a fundamental role in transforming societies aimed at a more sustainable future. Through knowledge creation and dissemination, research, education and outreach, institutions of higher education …


Beyond practitioner and researcher: 15 roles adopted by actors in transdisciplinary and transformative research processes

  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Wuppertal Institut

To tackle complex sustainability problems, science and practice must join forces and interact in the processes of knowledge co-production. This central claim of sustainability science requires all actors to do …


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 …


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 …


Materials science community support for teaching sustainability

  • Universidad de la República Uruguay (Montevideo)
  • Mountain View Energy (MT)
  • Institute of Technology Carlow

Materials play a key role in enabling technological and economic development. With growing need to adopt a sustainable development approach across technical fields, it is useful to review the current …


What Does Education for Sustainable Development Offer in Initial Teacher Training? A Systematic Review

  • University of Jaén
  • Universidad de Granada

Promoting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education impliesan improvement and quality in the exercise of responsible citizenship, being the key inthe training of future teachers as the main …


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 …


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 …


A common framework for MOOC curricular development in climate change education - Findings and adaptations under the BECK project for higher education institutions in Europe and Asia

  • University of Huddersfield
  • Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH)
  • University of Barishal

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has identified the climate change education as a key motivation for improving energy efficiency, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction by encouraging …


The usual discourse of sustainable development and its impact on students of economics: a case from Czech higher education context

  • University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice

In recent decades, the concepts of sustainable development (SD) and sustainability have become a part of the everyday information flow. Is there real impact on students who have potential to …


The University at the Crossroads of Eco-Social Challenges: Pedagogy of Care and the Community of Life for a Transformative Learning

  • Universidad de Granada

What kind of responsibility do universities have with regard to the current emergency created by ecological and socio-economic collapse? This work begins by considering the colonization of universities by neoliberal …


Differentiated Impact of Politics- and Science-Oriented Education on Pro-Environmental Behavior: A Case Study of Chinese University Students

  • China University of Geosciences

The purpose of this study is to understand the differentiated impact of politics- and science-oriented education on pro-environmental behavior among university students. A questionnaire was designed and sent to more …


Exploring personal definitions of sustainability and their impact on perceptions of sustainability culture

  • James Madison University (VA)
  • Inflexion

The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory analysis of campus community member (i.e. students, faculty, staff) definitions of sustainability, their perceptions of select elements of sustainability culture …


Empowering undergraduate students to take action: an empathetic mindset toward education for sustainable development

  • National Sun Yat-sen University

This study aims to investigate the potential of an empathetic mindset aimed at empowering undergraduate students to work toward sustainable development (SD), addressing both theoretical and practical dimensions.


Measuring interdisciplinarity in the context of sustainability research projects toward capacity building in higher education

  • Technische Universität Dresden (Dresden)

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical framework toward facilitating the quantitative measurement of interdisciplinary understanding regarding sustainable energy systems with an application in the area of …


A hybrid approach to sustainable development competencies: the role of formal, informal and non-formal learning experiences

  • University of São Paulo

This paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory …


Promoting language education for sustainable development: a program effects case study in Japanese higher education

  • Konan University

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of education for sustainable development (ESD) approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japanese higher education. A content …


Sustainability, Energy, and the Green Economy: An Interdisciplinary Course on Environmental Sustainability and Life Cycle Analysis

  • Bronx Community College (NY)

Interdisciplinary education offers a collaborative approach to multifaceted topics, such as environmental sustainability. In this article, we present the conceptual framework and lessons learned from a team-taught course, entitled Sustainability, …


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).