AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub

Overcoming Barriers: Organizational Effectiveness of College Sustainability Offices

This study assesses the organizational effectiveness of six small colleges that have demonstrated a commitment to campus sustainability practices. Given the complex structures and competing demands within a small college ...

• Posted March 29, 2018
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The Importance of Incentives and Grants for Green Buildings

• Virginia Tech (VA)

The aim of this manuscript is to reconsider the building lifecycle cost of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings certified within the higher education sector. It adds to ...

• Posted March 29, 2018
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Achieving Sustainability in the City of Winona, Minnesota (USA): A Case-Study

• Winona State University (MN)

The City of Winona is a small urban center (27,000 people) in southeastern Minnesota. Located along the Mississippi River, the city is nestled below steep bluffs that limit further ...

• Posted March 29, 2018
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An economic value assessment of ecological services in the tree community at Winona State University Arboretum

• Winona State University (MN)

Trees possess intrinsic and extrinsic attributes that contribute to enhancing high environmental standards in a majority of landscapes, also while improving quality of life for human communities and other biota ...

• Posted March 29, 2018
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Integrating Geoscience and Sustainability: Examining Socio-Techno-Ecological Relationships Within Content Designed to Prepare Teachers

• Arizona State University (AZ)

Coupling the study of sustainability with geoscience may enable students to explore science in a more sophisticated way by examining the social–technological–ecological relationships that exist between human–nonhuman ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Integrated Interdisciplinary Science of the Critical Zone as a Foundational Curriculum for Addressing Issues of Environmental Sustainability

• Pennsylvania State University (PA)
• University of Arizona (AZ)
• University of Dubuque (IA)
• University of Nebraska at Omaha (NE)
• University of New Hampshire (NH)
• University of California, Merced (CA)

Earth's critical zone (CZ) is the uppermost layer of Earth's continents, which supports ecosystems and humans alike. CZ science aims to understand how interactions among rock, soil, water ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Organizational life cycle assessment: suitability for higher education institutions with environmental management systems

• Polytechnic University of Valencia (Valencia)

The purpose of this study is to analyze the suitability of organizational life cycle assessments (O-LCAs) for higher education institutions (HEIs) with special attention to the benefits and particularities of ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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New Trends in the Higher Education: Renewable Energy at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering

• Holon Institute Of Technology

Renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are the key for creating a clean energy future for not only the nation, but the world.World Energy Consumption relies heavily on coal ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Maturation of sustainability in engineering faculties – From emerging issue to strategy?

• Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels Region)
• Universidad de Chile (Region Metropolitana)

Although higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have seen a blossoming of sustainability initiatives of various kinds in recent years, the variety of institutional and socio-economic contexts brings about an equally plural ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Are Beliefs in the Importance of Pro-Environmental Behaviors Correlated with Pro-Environmental Behaviors at a College Campus?

• Elon University (NC)

One method sustainability professionals at institutions of higher education utilize to address institutional sustainability goals is implementing outreach programs aimed at facilitating the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) by the ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Impact of a Participatory Analysis of a Campus Sustainability Social Network: A Case Study of Emory University

• Emory University (GA)

Social network analysis makes visible the invisible connections and flows that underlie complex social relationships. Applied organizational researchers have used social network analysis to assess and improve organizational and leadership ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Sustainability and Civic Engagement: A Communications Engagement and Education Plan

• Bridgewater State University (MA)

Across the United States primarily on a town or city basis, the increasing public awareness and understanding of the detrimental impact of human activity on the environment is fostering the ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Learning while creating value for sustainability transitions: The case of Challenge Lab at Chalmers University of Technology

• Chalmers University of Technology

To achieve a sustainable future, a variety of societal systems need to be transformed and new ways of social collaboration created. Higher education institutions play an important role in guiding ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Learning how to understand complexity and deal with sustainability challenges – A framework for a comprehensive approach and its application in university education

• University of Helsinki

Sustainability challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty and rapid urbanization are complex and strongly interrelated. In order to successfully deal with these challenges, we need comprehensive approaches that ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Learning and teaching sustainability: The contribution of Ecological Footprint calculators

• Global Footprint Network (CA)
• Cardiff University
• University of Siena

Consumption habits imply responsibility. Progressive awareness of the scale of materials, energy, goods and services consumed on a daily basis and knowledge of the implications of consumption choices are prerequisites ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Interdisciplinarity: Practical approach to advancing education for sustainability and for the Sustainable Development Goals

• Kingston University London

The need for a more sustainable world was unanimously acknowledged by United Nations members in September 2015, when 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were set, positioning education at the heart ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Integrated circular economy and education model to address aspects of an energy-water-food nexus in a dairy facility and local contexts

• Başkent University

Universities have responsibilities for accelerating pedagogical innovation to enable a more sustainable future. This research work develops a three-phased approach for integrating principles of a circular economy system within a ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Inspiration From the Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Learning in Higher Education

• Deakin University

Within higher education there is widespread support for developing students’ interdisciplinary skills. Despite this, evidence for, and practice of, cross-faculty interdisciplinary sustainability learning remains in its infancy. Recent articles have ...

• Posted March 22, 2018
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Synthesis and Study of Sustainable Polymers in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory: An inquiry-based experiment exploring the effects of size and composition on the properties of renewable block polymers

• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

A discovery-based experiment highlighting the use of renewable starting materials to synthesize triblock polymers was developed and successfully implemented in our introductory organic chemistry laboratory course. Green chemistry principles applied ...

• Posted March 20, 2018
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Boston Area Lab Energy Benchmarking Study: Year 1 & Year 2

• Boston Green Ribbon Commission (MA)

Year 1 Report: Lab facilities are often the source of the greatest energy use at large research institutions, disproportionate to the square footage they occupy, so they are a key ...

• Posted March 15, 2018
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Towards Green Campus Operations: Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development Initiatives at Universities

Matters related to sustainable development, albeit global in nature, are best handled at the local level. This line of thinking is particularly true to the higher education context, where the ...

• Posted March 13, 2018
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Insights into responsible education for sustainable development: The case of UWE, Bristol

• University of the West of England, Bristol

In this paper, we argue that it is opportune to revisit profound questions about the purpose, nature and value of higher education in society at a juncture where the context ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Inquiry into sustainability issues by preservice teachers: A pedagogy to enhance sustainability consciousness

• Lahore College for Women University

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is transformative education aiming at developing participants’ understanding of sustainability issues and transforming their attitudes and behaviours regarding environment, society and economy. Sustainability consciousness, an ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Infusing sustainability into software engineering education: Lessons learned from capstone projects

• Lappeenranta University of Technology

Sustainable development (SD) has become a millennium challenge for humanity. It has boosted the integration of sustainable, sound practices across different fields (e.g. e-participation, smart transportation, sustainable agriculture). Information ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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If Living Labs are the Answer – What's the Question? A Review of the Literature

• Curtin University

The world's economy is becoming increasingly knowledge intensive. This will drive further technological, societal and organisational change. A knowledge intensive economy gives the producers of knowledge – universities – a potentially ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Identification of core objectives for teaching sustainable healthcare education

• University of California, San Francisco (CA)

Physicians will be called upon to care for patients who bear the burden of disease from the impact of climate change and ecologically irresponsible practices which harm ecosystems and contribute ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Key Performance Indicators to optimize the environmental performance of Higher Education Institutions with environmental management system – A case study of Universitat Politècnica de València

• Polytechnic University of Valencia (Valencia)

Key Performance Indicators are typically a component of economic and financial decision-making. Defining Key Performance Indicators for relevant environmental aspects of an institution can be seen as a step toward ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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How do Green Buildings Communicate Green Design to Building Users? A Survey Study of a LEED-Certified Building

• Michigan State University (MI)

Studies investigating the benefits of green buildings can be approached by the affordance theory—the perceived properties of a thing that determine how it could possibly be used. This study ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Higher Education Institutions in the United States: Commitment and coherency to sustainability vis-à-vis dimensions of the institutional environment

• Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

This work proposes a cohesive approach to assess the degree of commitment and institutional coherence of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States to address the challenges posed by ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Higher education in the sustainable development goals framework

• UNESCO

Agenda 2030 for sustainable development focuses attention on lifelong learning opportunities for all. The new targets expand on their predecessors, the Millennial Development Goals, by both widening and deepening the ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Empathy as an Antecedent of Social Justice Attitudes and Perceptions

• Appalachian State University (NC)

At the same time that social justice concerns are on the rise on college campuses, empathy levels among US college students are falling (Konrath et al. 2016). Social injustice resulting ...

• Posted March 12, 2018
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Case Study: Using a Service-Learning Course to Reinforce the Three Pillars of Sustainability

• University of Mississippi (MS)

Service-learning courses at the university level provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about sustainability. The senior and graduate level elective course Service-Learning for Water Treatment at the University ...

• Posted March 9, 2018
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2017 Guide to Business Schools for Social and Environmental Impact

• Net Impact (CA)

The information in the 2017 Guide to Business Schools for Social and Environmental Impact (formerly Business as UNusual) was compiled from an online survey completed by almost 2,000 students ...

• Posted March 9, 2018
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Universities and Conflict The Role of Higher Education in Peacebuilding and Resistance

This book uses a series of case studies to examine the roles played by universities during situations of conflict, peacebuilding and resistance.

While a body of work dealing with the ...

• Posted March 9, 2018
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Hidden curriculum in student organizations: Learning, practice, socialization and responsible management in a business school

For many students, education does not simply mean obtaining a university degree and, consequently, a good job; rather, there is also a need to attain personal satisfaction and a sense ...

• Posted March 5, 2018
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How old is our Campus? – measure the environmental benefit of adaptive reuse of existing building

• University of Maryland, College Park (MD)

This project will generate three renovation and adaptive-reuse strategies for one worst performed building, environmental impact reduction benefit of adaptive reuse will be quantified and the used as a benchmark ...

• Posted March 5, 2018
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Public-Public Partnerships for a New Paradigm in the Civic Role of the University

• California State University, Chico (CA)

Recognizing the need to proactively prepare engaged citizens for the dynamic socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the 21st century, the Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University (CSU), Chico ...

• Posted March 5, 2018
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Exposing Students to Environmental Sustainability in Accounting: An Analysis of its Impacts in a U.S. Setting

• Illinois State University (IL)
• University of Northern Iowa (IA)

In this research study, we examine whether the introduction of two different forms of an environmental sustainability intervention into differing sections of an introductory-level managerial accounting course at a US ...

• Posted March 5, 2018
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Green Interview: Kimberly Smith, Director of Conferences and Events, AASHE

• AASHE (PA)

When Kimberly Smith began as director of conferences and events at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), she already thought she was doing her part ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Green machines? Destabilizing discourse in technology education for sustainable development

• University of Gothenburg

Technology education (TE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) increasingly converge. This makes perfect sense given the techno-optimism that permeates the prevailing discourse on sustainable development. The present article reviews ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 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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Gendered citizenship and the individualization of environmental responsibility: evaluating a campus common reading program

• Washington State University, Pullman (WA)

Campus common reading programs are intended to stimulate critical thinking and dialogue across disciplines yet scarce evidence exists to evaluate the success of such programs. We assess the extent to ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Flame Retardant Chemicals in College Dormitories: Flammability Standards Influence Dust Concentrations

• Harvard University (MA)
• University of New Hampshire (NH)
• Silent Spring Institute (MA)
• University of Antwerp

Furniture flammability standards are typically met with chemical flame retardants (FRs). FRs can migrate out of products into dust and are linked to cancer, neurological impairment, and endocrine disruption. We ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Faculty Development for Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Directions

• University of San Francisco (CA)

This research involved the conduct of a conceptual review of 28 refereed journal articles and a survey of campus centers for community engagement staff to identify salient features and trends ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Experiential Learning and Pathways to Carbon Neutrality

• University of Montana- Missoula (MT)

To date, more than 650 university presidents across the United States have become signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). A central goal of being a ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Experiments and evidence in sustainability science: A typology

• Arizona State University (AZ)
• Leuphana University of Lüneburg

Experiments are crucial for sustainability science because they allow researchers to produce evidence about the causes of sustainability problems and about the effectiveness of solutions. Many laboratory and field studies ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Evaluation of an informational and behavior change program to increase students' self-reported energy conservation

• Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
• State University of New York at Brockport (NY)

A systematic evaluation of a program, consisting of sustainability education, self-management strategies, and feedback, to decrease college students' energy use was conducted. During treatment, the experimental group showed increased self-reported ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Environmental sustainability practices in South Asian university campuses: an exploratory study on Bangladeshi universities

• University of Waterloo (ON)
• University of Chittagong

Environmental sustainability practices in universities can play an important role in helping society form a sustainable future. In this study, the roles that Bangladeshi universities play in terms of sustainability ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Environmental sustainability of universities: critical analysis of a green ranking

• University of Trento (Trentino)

Today, the principles of sustainability and sustainable development represent key points in policy development and activities of the Higher Education Institutions, both for their impact on the environment and the ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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Climate Resilience Planning and Organizational Learning on Campuses and Beyond: A Comparative Study of Three Higher Education Institutions

• Boston University (MA)
• Cornell University (NY)
• Smith College (MA)

Higher education institutions around the world are confronting challenges associated with climate change, and many are trying to model practices that support climate change mitigation and resilience. This work initiates ...

• Posted Feb. 28, 2018
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