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

3959
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.

3959 resources

Making the Business Case for Campus Sustainability

  • Gordian (SC)

In this report, Sightlines (a Gordian company) highlights how environmental sustainability programs at higher education institutions would reduce operating costs via increased efficiency measures as well as attract sustainability-minded students …


Harvard College Women's Center Commitment Environmental Justice

  • Harvard University (MA)

The Harvard College Women’s Center values environmental sustainability in our programming and office work/space/management. We acknowledge that neglect and destruction of the natural environment disproportionately affects women and people of …


Dartmouth Sustainability Office Inclusivity & Diversity Action Plan

  • Dartmouth College (NH)

The Dartmouth Sustainability Office challenges and empowers Dartmouth College and our students to solve the human and environmental problems presented by a rapidly changing planet. We do this via hands …


Carbon Negative: Reducing Dining’s Carbon Foodprint at Penn State

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Abstract Diet is an often unrecognized, but large contributor to our carbon footprint. An average American diet has a carbon footprint of 1.72 metric tons of CO2-eq every year,1 which …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
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COVID-19 and Sustainability Resources

  • Princeton University (NJ)

The Office of Sustainability has compiled this list of resources to support Princeton University students, faculty and staff as they navigate challenges related to sustainability and COVID-19 at this moment …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2020
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The role of planning in implementing sustainable development in a higher education context

  • University of Malta (Northern Harbor District)
  • Bournemouth University (Dorset)
  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Beira Interior
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Manchester Metropolitan University
  • University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz
  • Universität Bonn (Köln)
  • Amirkabir University of Technology
  • University of the Aegean (Lesvos)

The implementation of sustainable development in higher education is an important goal, and one which requires much planning. The many recurring problems and barriers that hinder the attainment of sustainable …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2020
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Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level

  • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
  • University of Beira Interior
  • University of Passo Fundo
  • Manchester Metropolitan University

This book documents and compares the experiences of a wide range of universities across the five continents with regard to sustainable development, making it of special interest to sustainability researchers …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2020
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Universities of Sanctuary Ireland (UoSI) Guidelines on Becoming a University of Sanctuary

  • Places of Sanctuary Ireland

Places of Sanctuary Ireland has a Universities of Sanctuary Ireland (UoSI) stream, a sister network to the Universities of Sanctuary UK stream, that encourages and celebrates the good practice of …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2020
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Universities of Sanctuary Resource Pack

  • City of Sanctuary UK

The City of Sanctuary organization has a Universities of Sanctuary stream that recognizes and celebrates universities that welcome sanctuary seekers into their communities and foster a culture of inclusion.

This …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2020
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2020 Higher Education Sustainability Professionals Survey & Report

  • AASHE (MA)

The 2020 report presents the results of the 2020 Higher Education Sustainability Professionals Survey, and serves as an update to our 2017 report. It examines the nature of sustainability positions …

  • Posted Aug. 24, 2020
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STARS Aligned: Using the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System to Report on Contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

  • AASHE (MA)

This guide demonstrates how institutions can use the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to report on their contributions to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Posted July 13, 2020
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Routledge Handbook of Ecocultural Identity

  • Routledge

The Routledge Handbook of Ecocultural Identity (2020) is a timely book, as across the globe more and more of us awake to our always interconnected selves. The Handbook brings the …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Integrating climate and food policies in higher education: a case study of the University of California

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

Most climate change mitigation policies, including those of higher education institutions, do not include food system greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Yet the food system contributes ~30% of anthropogenic GHGE, mostly …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Addressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Business-Related Air Travel at Public Institutions: A Case Study of the University of British Columbia

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, yet is not addressed in most national-, regional-, municipal-, or institutional-level climate action plans. There is a tremendous …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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The Ivory Tower Tax Haven: The state, financialization, and the growth of wealthy college endowments

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Popular anxiety about economic inequality has been compounded by the lavish consumption of the super-rich. In the domain of higher education, there are parallel signs of growing popular resentment towards …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Benchmarking Sustainable Engineering Education: Final Report

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

The primary objectives of this project were to: (1) identify accredited engineering programs at US institutions that incorporate sustainability concepts into engineering curricula and within these programs characterize the design …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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UVM’s Roadmap to Zero Waste: Effective Strategies for Enhancing Zero Waste Management Goals at the University of Vermont

  • University of Vermont (VT)

This senior thesis seeks to provide effective strategies for enhancing Zero Waste management goals at the University of Vermont by incorporating the needs of campus stakeholders. As the global garbage …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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UBC Bookstore Plastic Bag Alternative

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Single-use plastic bags have become a common household item since the 1970s. These are supplied nearly everywhere from grocery stores, to clothing stores and bookstores. Used to hold groceries, trash, …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Navigating Michigan Dining Towards Carbon Neutrality

  • University of Michigan (MI)

In Fall 2018, the University of Michigan made a public pledge towards carbon-neutrality. This pledge, along with pressure from concerned citizens at the local and global level, make it essential …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Assessing the Feasibility, Costs, and Benefits of Transitioning Part of the University of South Carolina Shuttle Fleet to an Alternative Fuel Source and Promoting Anti-idling Strategies

  • University of South Carolina (SC)

The current University of South Carolina shuttle fleet is made up of eleven (11) light duty shuttles and thirteen (13) heavy duty school buses, all of which rely on gasoline …

  • Posted July 10, 2020
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Exploration of Creation Care and Sustainability Among Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Members

  • Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (DC)
  • Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) (PA)

This exploration highlights Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) members who are creatively contributing to the common good and building a just, thriving world for all via environmental stewardship. …

  • Posted June 23, 2020
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Sustainability Literacy in a Time of Socio-Ecological Crisis: Using Reaccreditation as a Leverage Point for Innovation in Higher Education

  • College of Charleston (SC)
  • University of Kentucky (KY)

This article presents a case study of innovation in sustainability education in higher education. It does so by explaining the to-date progress of a multi-year reaccreditation process begun in 2016 …

  • Posted June 12, 2020
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Understanding Food Waste at Johnson County Community College: A Multi-Method Approach

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)

Food waste and food insecurity are vastly different, yet inextricably linked, social, economic, and environmental problems which afflict societies throughout the world. This study contributes to the literature on individual …


Coming of Age at the End of the World: The Affective Arc of Undergraduate Environmental Studies Curricula

  • Cal Poly Humboldt (CA)

Sarah Jaquette Ray writes about her experiences as an educator having to navigate the complex classroom emotions that arise in this age of imminent environmental collapse in this chapter on …


Chartwells Higher Education Curates Sustainable, Plant-Based Pop-Up Stations for Vegan Options

  • Northeastern University (MA)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (MD)
  • University of North Florida (FL)
  • Chartwells Higher Education (NY)

Chartwells Higher Education is continuing their ongoing commitment to sustainability with the introduction of new plant-based options on campus. Vegan Awareness Month, which is in November, provided the perfect opportunity …


Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the University Curriculum

  • University of Edinburgh

The Department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability established a curriculum review pilot project to identify teaching related to the Sustainable Development Goals in the Business School’s curriculum.

During this academic …


U.S. Sustainable Food Market Generation Z Consumer Segments

  • Iowa State University (IA)

This study explores the interaction between environmental consciousness and sustainable food attributes as predictors in the market segmentation process for sustainable foods with respect to United States (U.S.) Generation Z …


Addressing environmental knowledge and environmental attitude in undergraduate students through scientific argumentation

  • COMSATS University Islamabad (Islamabad)

This study was aimed at connecting undergraduate students to nature and later involving them in scientific argumentation as an effort to improve environmental education. The objective was to investigate the …


Education for sustainable development (ESD): Effects of sustainability education on pre-service teachers’ attitude towards sustainable development (SD)Education for sustainable development (ESD): Effects of sustainability education on pre-service teachers’ attitude towards sustainable development (SD)

  • National University of Modern Languages (Islamabad Capital Territory)
  • COMSATS University Islamabad (Islamabad)
  • University of Education Lahore (Punjab)

Teachers’ education has a pivotal role in the process of societal change and for leading towards a sustainable future. The current study aimed at investigating the effect of a course …


Sustainable Engineering Cognitive Outcomes: Examining Different Approaches for Curriculum Integration

  • Arizona State University (AZ)
  • Colorado School of Mines (CO)
  • The Citadel (SC)
  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)

As continued globalization of the world’s economic, environmental, and societal interactions strains the planet to meet anthropogenic demands, universities are striving to integrate sustainability education into engineering curricula intended to …


Why has sustainability advanced in management schools? A sociological explanation (Por que a Sustentabilidade tem avançado nas Escolas de Gestão? Uma explicação sociológica)

  • Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS

This theoretical essay aims to provide a sociological explanation for the increasing importance of sustainability principles and practices in Management Schools. It does so by approximating two theoretical perspectives. First, …


Carbon footprint as an environmental sustainability indicator for a higher education institution

  • University of Haripur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
  • Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA)
  • International Islamic University (Islamabad)

This study aimed to quantify carbon footprint of the University of Haripur (UoH), Pakistan for one fiscal year (July 2016-June 2017). Primary data was collected through questionnaire surveys, interviews, personal …


Sustainable engineering master module – insights from three cohorts of European engineering team

  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • Polytechnic University of Milan
  • Technische Universität Berlin (Berlin)
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (Berlin)
  • Warsaw University of Technology

Mobility and transnational migration are current social developments among the population of the European Union. These developments in both society-at-large and companies, linked to the challenges of sustainability, lead to …


Determinants of pro-environmental behavior: A comparison of university students and staff from diverse faculties at a Swiss University

  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology
  • ETH Zurich (Zurich)
  • École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

In the context of an initiative to become a carbon neutral campus, an online survey (N = 1864) of students, scientists, and administrative and technical staff of the Swiss Federal …


Safety management module to create social sustainability skills

  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology
  • Swedish Defence University (Stockholms Län)

Purpose This study has a scope limited to a specific course and changes integrated to the core of the KTH naval architecture master program. The students in the program have …


Teaching sustainability: complexity and compromises

  • University of Wollongong (New South Wales)
  • Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Universidad EAFIT (Antioquia)
  • Universidad Icesi
  • University of New England (Australia)
  • Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen/Police Academy Lower Saxon (Braunschweig)
  • Ewha Womans University (Seoul)

Purpose Sustainability is one of the leading challenges of our age, and higher education plays a vital role in supporting the implementation of sustainability initiatives. There has been substantial progress …


Teaching the Three E's of Sustainability Through Service‐Learning in a Professional Program

  • University of Colorado Colorado Springs (CO)
  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Baldwin City, KS Chamber of Commerce (KS)

Using seven established course design principles for effective service‐learning, this chapter discusses the lessons learned in teaching the three E's of sustainability: environmental; economic; and (social) equity, in a professional …


The HESFS for higher education funding, employment and sustainability

  • MEF University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a higher education funding and employment system that obviates barriers to sustainable development and helps engrain the notion of sustainability into …


Energy efficiency actions at a Brazilian university and their contribution to sustainable development Goal 7

  • University of Passo Fundo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse recent actions of energy efficiency implemented by University of Passo Fundo, a higher education institution located in the south of Brazil, …


Teaching Introductory Economics to Promote Sustainability

  • Northeastern University (MA)

This chapter addresses how sustainability can be incorporated within the Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics curriculum. Examples of assignments along with case study assessments of the impact of …


Sustainability Education as a Pathway to Minority Participation in STEM

  • Columbia University (NY)

Sustainability education offers higher education institutions opportunities to broaden the participation of groups traditionally underrepresented in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This chapter focuses on an exploratory …


Sustaining future environmental educators: building critical interdisciplinary teaching capacity among graduate students

  • Portland State University (OR)
  • University of Oregon (OR)
  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
  • University of Washington, Bothell (WA)

Scholars of environmental studies and sciences must work across disciplinary boundaries, especially in politically charged contexts with clear race and class-based inequities. Sustainability-focused programs are confronted with the task of …


Student representations and conceptions of ecological versus social sciences in a conservation course

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus (NJ)
  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)

There is consensus among scientists that it is important that students understand the nature of science (NOS) and are competent in using primary literature to support understanding of complicated environmental …


Rivalry, excludability and positive transport externalities – case study of a private university in Poland

  • University of Wroclaw/Uniwersytet Wrocławski (Wrocław)

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rivalry and excludability in transport systems on the positive external effects important for the functioning of a large …


Including SDGs in the education of globally responsible leaders

  • ISAE Brazilian Business School, Higher Institute of Administration and Economics

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the role of education in developing a new mindset for sustainability leadership by analyzing a project of a Brazilian business …


Learning and Teaching Through the Online Environmental Justice Atlas: From Empowering Activists to Motivating Students

  • McGill University (QC)
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona)

The chapter analyzes how the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas.org), an online interactive platform developed to visualize and study struggles against environmental injustices worldwide, is used in higher education curricula to …


Confronting anxiety and despair in environmental studies and sciences: an analysis and guide for students and faculty

  • Ursinus College (PA)
  • Yale University (CT)
  • Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative (WY)

In the field of environmental studies and sciences (ESS), teachers and students face a daily barrage of dire news and information from all manner of sources and all corners of …


Education for flourishing: an illustration of boundary object use, peer feedback and distance learning

  • Halmstad University
  • Ghent University

Purpose Teaching sustainable development at the higher education level requires that existing curricula are supplemented with multi-disciplinary (and sometimes multi-national) collaboration and integrated thinking. The purpose of this paper is …


Student nurses exposed to sustainabilty education can challenge practice: A Cohort study

  • University of Plymouth (Devon)

Climate change will adversely impact on the health of populations and on the ability of healthcare systems to deliver appropriate and timely care. Furthermore, resource scarcity requires nurses to practice …


Mapping out Students’ Opportunity to Learn about Sustainability across the Higher Education Curriculum

  • University of Michigan (MI)

Decades of policy initiatives, a developing body of literature, and a growing cadre of practitioners are united in suggesting that the preeminent approach to educating students about sustainability is by …