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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

275 resources

Reducing Carbon Emissions in a Third Level Educational Institution in Sub-Sahara Africa

  • Strathmore University

The effort to reduce carbon emissions as the arguably most prevalent cause of global warming has been a positive trend in most African countries. One of the most successful strategies ...

Using classroom schedule data to reduce energy consumption

  • Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)

Most Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) are designed to provide a ventilation based on the assumption that the rooms are fully occupied, when real occupancy is most often ...

Designing a Photovoltaic Array for Smith College

  • Smith College (MA)

The development of distributed solar energy is an opportunity for individuals and institutions to support the growth of the clean energy economy, lower their carbon footprint, promote energy security, and ...

Reducing the Nitrogen Footprint of a Small Residential College

  • Dickinson College (PA)

The release of reactive nitrogen contributes to its accumulation in the environment, causing a variety of harmful effects. To measure Dickinson College’s contribution to nitrogen pollution, and quantify the ...

Adding a Nitrogen Footprint to Colorado State University’s Sustainability Plan

  • Colorado State University (CO)

As a large land grant university with more than 32,000 students, Colorado State University (CSU) has both on-campus non-agricultural and agricultural sources of nitrogen (N) released to the environment ...

Comparing Institution Nitrogen Footprints: Metrics for Assessing and Tracking Environmental Impact

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Virginia (VA)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

When multiple institutions with strong sustainability initiatives use a new environmental impact assessment tool, there is an impulse to compare. The first seven institutions to calculate nitrogen footprints using the ...

Assessing the Social and Environmental Costs of Institution Nitrogen Footprints

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Virginia (VA)

This article estimates the damage costs associated with the institutional nitrogen (N) footprint and explores how this information could be used to create more sustainable institutions. Potential damages associated with ...

Environmental and Economic Perspectives in the Analysis of Two Options for Hand Drying At an University Campus

Environmental criteria can be part of global energy policies for the establishment of support and development actions for different technologies. Minimization of greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit to all ...

The University of Virginia as a Living Lab for Solar Energy

  • University of Virginia (VA)

Over the next five years, The University of Virginia hopes to install 1-2 megawatts of solar PV on grounds. To help prioritize projects, UVA turned to the School of Engineering ...

Wind Power Feasibility Study for Ball State University

  • Ball State University (IN)

Based on two years of site-specific wind speed measurements and actual power curve performance estimates of five commercial wind turbines, a feasibility study of wind-power potential near Ball State University ...

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 ...

Fostering STEM literacy through a tabletop wind turbine environmental science laboratory activity

  • University of Southern Maine (ME)

Increasingly, national education policy is focusing on improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) literacy by using energy as a subject matter. In particular, The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS ...

Quantity and Electricity Consumption of Plug Load Equipment on a University Campus

  • Stanford University (CA)

The percent of energy consumed by plug load equipment in commercial buildings is on the rise. Research conducted in the past has included surveying plug load equipment, measuring plug load ...

  • Posted April 3, 2017
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Do Green Buildings Outperform Conventional Buildings? Indoor Environment and Energy Performance in North American Offices

A comprehensive post-occupancy investigation of the performance of ìgreenî and ìconventionalî office buildings has been completed. The study included occupant surveys and physical building and energy use data collected from ...

  • Posted March 20, 2017
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Texas A&M gets ‘gold’ rating for campus sustainability

  • Texas A&M University (TX)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Posted March 14, 2017
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Large-Scale Renewables: The Next Chapter in Higher Education Sustainability Leadership

  • Second Nature (MA)
  • Coho Climate Advisors (MD)

Higher education is uniquely positioned to both expand and benefit from climate leadership. Many universities and colleges have substantially stepped up their commitments and efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG ...

  • Posted March 14, 2017
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Renewable Energy 100: The Course to a Carbon-Free Campus

  • Allegheny College (PA)
  • University at Albany (NY)
  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Butte College (CA)
  • Ball State University (IN)
  • University of Louisville (KY)
  • University of Delaware (DE)

America’s institutions of higher education can play a crucial role in the fight to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Colleges and universities across the country should aggressively ...

  • Posted March 14, 2017
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Plans and Living Practices for the Green Campus of Portland State University

  • Portland State University (OR)

This study aims to comprehend Portland State University (PSU)’s green campus strategies, and students’ level of knowledge and living practices relating to green campus. PSU’s sustainable campus plan ...

  • Posted Feb. 21, 2017
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Encouraging Revolving Door Usage in a Mixed-Use Building: The Influence of Visual Prompts and Descriptive Social Norms

  • Lesley University (MA)

This field experiment investigated effects of a descriptive norms-based sign combined with five footprint sticker decal prompts directing individuals to help save energy by using a revolving door, as opposed ...

  • Posted Feb. 20, 2017
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The State of Sustainability in Higher Education 2016: The Life Cycle of Higher Education Facilities

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • Gordian (SC)

Over the past two decades, colleges and universities have embraced numerous programs to minimize their environmental impact.

What were the “wins” for sustainability in higher education in 2016?

The annual ...

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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Going green in architectural education: An urban living lab experiment for a graduation green design studio in Saint Catherine, Egypt

  • Lund University

Given the current energy crises, recent efforts have been directed at bringing energy efficiency and environmental awareness across the board into architectural education in Egypt. Although interest in sustainable design ...

2015 National Solar Jobs Census

  • George Washington University (DC)

The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2015 is the sixth annual update of current employment, trends, and projected growth in the U.S. solar industry. It found that ...

Energy Efficiency Jobs in America

This report finds that energy efficiency is a massive employer with 1.9 million jobs nationwide and thousands of jobs in each and every state. The report, based on U ...

  • Posted Jan. 30, 2017
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Clean Jobs America: A comprehensive analysis of clean energy jobs in America

In this comprehensive analysis of clean energy and clean transportation jobs, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) finds that more than 2.5 million Americans now work in clean energy at businesses across ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America

  • The Pew Charitable Trusts (DC)

Despite a lack of sustained policy attention and investment, the emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably - extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and generating ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Case study for evaluating campus sustainability: nitrogen balance for the University of Minnesota

  • Carleton College (MN)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

American ecologists recently began to address the ecology of cities. Concurrently, higher education institutions have developed sustainability education programs and instituted sustainability policies and projects. This paper draws together these ...

  • Posted Jan. 27, 2017
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Should we quit our jobs? Challenges, barriers and recommendations for interdisciplinary energy research

  • University of Southern California (CA)
  • University College Dublin, National University of Ireland

Many plea for a better integration of social sciences in energy research, which would imply more comprehensive interdisciplinary energy research. We argue that in order to achieve this, institutional barriers ...

  • Posted Jan. 23, 2017
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Energy challenges: isolating results due to behavior change

  • Allegheny College (PA)

Purpose

Approximately 700 colleges and universities have committed to climate neutrality, which will require significant reductions in energy consumption. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of an Annual Energy ...

  • Posted Jan. 18, 2017
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Sustainability at Central Oregon Community College

  • Central Oregon Community College (OR)

The paper of "Sustainable Development at Central Oregon Community College" was written to influence board members, faculty, and students who were enrolled or employed at the college to consider small ...

Colorado State University: A Midscale Market Solar Customer Case Study

  • Colorado State University (CO)
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (CO)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology experienced an unprecedented level of investment and deployment between 2005 and 2015. Driven by rapidly falling module costs, high consumer demand, and targeted state and local ...

A geographic approach to facilitating local climate governance: From emissions inventories to mitigation planning

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

It is increasingly recognized that municipal and regional scale governments play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. While universities possess many resources that ...

Community support for campus approaches to sustainable energy use: The role of “town–gown” relationships

  • American University (DC)
  • Cornell University (NY)

Across the United States, universities are grappling with challenges associated with adopting approaches to more sustainable energy use. One approach has been to develop energy-related projects in their local, host ...

An overview of life cycle assessment (LCA) and research-based teaching in renewable and sustainable energy education

Engineers working as designers, managers and policy-makers play a key role in decision-making got sustainable energy solutions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key decision-making and benchmarking tool used for ...

White Paper: Investing in Clean Energy: Campuses and Endowments

  • Intentional Endowments Network (MA)

The Intentional Endowments Network's new report titled “Investing in Clean Energy: Campuses and Endowments” was designed to encourage conversation about the financial and societal benefits of clean energy investments ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2016
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Obama, Bill Gates to lead major effort to spur spending on climate research

  • The Washington Post (DC)

This article describes the launch of two separate initiatives to invest billions of dollars in clean energy research and development. "Mission Innovation” is a commitment by countries - including United States ...

  • Posted Nov. 14, 2016
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Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016

  • United Nations Environment Programme

This report tracks private and public investments in renewable energy, including research and development funding. Key findings in relation to R&D funding include:

  • Research and development spending on renewable energy ...
  • Posted Nov. 14, 2016
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Promoting energy efficiency in a South African university

  • University of Johannesburg (Gauteng)

Electricity supply issues have resulted in widespread blackouts and increased utility costs in South Africa. This is placing financial pressure on universities as they have limited means of increasing their ...

  • Posted Oct. 28, 2016
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Report: Options for Achieving a Carbon Neutral Campus by 2035

  • Cornell University (NY)

Created by the Senior Leaders Climate Action Group at Cornell University to better inform decision-making on reaching carbon neutrality by 2035. The report focuses on cost-benefit analysis of solutions to ...

  • Posted Oct. 21, 2016
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Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Performance and Energy Use Tests

  • University of California, Riverside (CA)

During fall 2015 and winter 2016, staff and students from the University of California , Riverside Office of Sustainability evaluated three energy efficient Ultra Low Temperature Freezers. This study tested the ...

Writing Solar Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Lessons from NREL’s University PV Implementation Assistance Program

  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (CO)

With funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot program, NREL is assisting higher education institutions with solar PV procurement. Universities issue RFPs as a way to get competitive bids ...

  • Posted Sept. 12, 2016
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Supporting Solar Energy through a Student-Financed Renewable Energy Initiative

  • Appalachian State University (NC)
  • Second Nature (MA)
  • Midwest Renewable Energy Association (WI)

The "Solar University Network: Innovation in Solar Energy Finance & Development" case study series highlights higher education investment in solar energy projects. The purpose of these case studies is to ...

  • Posted Sept. 12, 2016
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Public College Foundation Investment in Solar

  • Wake Technical Community College (NC)
  • Second Nature (MA)
  • Midwest Renewable Energy Association (WI)

The “Solar University Network: Innovation in Solar Energy Finance & Development” case study series highlights higher education investment in solar energy projects. The purpose of these case studies is to ...

  • Posted Sept. 12, 2016
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Third-Party, Supporter-Financed Campus Solar: An Approach and a Partnership that Works

  • Luther College (IA)
  • Second Nature (MA)
  • Midwest Renewable Energy Association (WI)

The “Solar University Network: Innovation in Solar Energy Finance & Development” case study series highlights higher education investment in solar energy projects. The purpose of these case studies is to ...

  • Posted Sept. 12, 2016
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Solar Energy on Campus - Part I: Renewable Energy Usage Claims

  • Center for Resource Solutions | Green-e (CA)

This report describes renewable energy certificates (RECs), why they are important, and what kinds of statements can be made depending on who owns them.

  • Posted Sept. 1, 2016
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Economic feasibility of campus-wide photovoltaic systems in New England

  • University of New Haven (CT)

Compared to the national average residential retail electricity price, Connecticut (CT) had the 4th highest electricity price in the country with 19.23 cents/kWh in September 2015, nearly 50 ...

Northern Arizona University Energy Mentor Program

  • Northern Arizona University (AZ)

This is a how-to guide for higher education institutions who wish to carry out behavior based energy conservation programs. The guide is based on a program that has been implemented ...

Achieving Carbon Neutrality at UCSB by 2025: A Critical Analysis of Technological and Financial Strategies

  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

In 2013, University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano established the Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI), a commitment to eliminate all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025. As one ...

  • Posted July 28, 2016
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Energy Performance of Campus LEED Buildings: Implications for Green Building and Energy Policy

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

Many university campuses in the United States are working toward their sustainable goals by adopting energy or green building policies, which require Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification ...

  • Posted July 21, 2016
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Critical Issues in Facilities Management: Energy Efficiencies

  • APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities (VA)

Energy Efficiencies is an anthology of 15 chapters and an extensive resource list on topics related to campus energy management and conservation.

Contents:

  • Financing the Future: How Green Revolving Funds ...
  • Posted July 21, 2016
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The Business Case for Renewable Energy: A Guide for Colleges and Universities

  • National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)

Growing numbers of colleges and universities are making the leap to renewable energy. And some are not only saving money - they’re making money on their renewable energy purchases. This ...

  • Posted July 21, 2016
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