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

3944
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.

275 resources

Greening the Bottom Line: Advancing Institutional Sustainability Goals With Green Revolving Funds

  • Sustainable Endowments Institute (MA)

Greening the Bottom Line: Advancing Institutional Sustainability Goals with Green Revolving Funds tracks the latest trends and highlights best practices to enable more institutions and communities to learn about and ...

  • Posted Aug. 17, 2023
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Rethinking education for SDG 7: A framework for embedding gender and critical skills in energy access masters programmes in Africa

  • University of Cape Town

To address the complex energy access challenges on the African continent a local skilled workforce is needed. Considering the crucial role distributed and renewable energy (DRE) is expected to play ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Is IoT monitoring key to improve building energy efficiency? Case study of a smart campus in Spain

  • University of Zaragoza

This work validates and demonstrates the potential of a methodology based on a continuous monitoring system with real time measurements, as a key support to make decisions on buildings energy ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Transdisciplinary learning exercise on post occupancy evaluation and retrofitting of built spaces

  • College of Engineering Trivandrum

The need to develop sustainable strategies and solutions to design and retrofit buildings to be comfortable living environments that reduce energy and resource consumption is crucial in achieving the sustainable ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Energy Consumption in Office Buildings: A Case Study of an Australian University Campus

  • University of Technology Sydney
  • University of Twente

Building energy management, in terms of both adopted technologies and occupant consumption behaviour, is becoming an essential element of sustainability and climate change mitigation programs. The global COVID-19 pandemic and ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Understanding the impact of state-level financial incentives on the deployment of renewable energy at colleges and universities

  • Georgia State University (GA)

Over 400 colleges and universities have signed carbon reduction pledges through Second Nature. Nonetheless, a review of their greenhouse gas inventories shows that many universities continue to show limited or ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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The State of Renewable Energy In Higher Education

  • AASHE (PA)
  • Coho Climate Advisors (MD)

This slide deck identifies and summarizes important renewable energy trends in higher education so that campuses can learn from each other as they transition to renewable energy. It is based ...


Water–energy–carbon nexus at campus scale: Case of North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power

  • North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power
  • Nanjing University

Clarifying the nexus between water, energy, and carbon has great importance regarding regional sustainable development. A university campus is a multifunctional comprehensive community attribute suitable for exploring campus–scale water ...


Geothermal District Heating Feasibility Study for Duke University

  • Duke University (NC)

Recognizing the importance of renewable energy in combating climate change, Duke University has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2024 from a 2007 baseline. To fulfill the goal ...


An analysis of building energy submetering and its uses for colleges and universities

  • Kansas State University (KS)

The intent of this report is to cover the topic of building energy submetering. Utilizing submeters to quantify building and sub-building energy usage can lead to reduced utility consumption, increased ...


Enhancing the accountability and comparability of different campuses’ energy profiles through an energy cluster approach

  • Università degli Studi di Torino
  • Politecnico di Torino

International sustainability ranking systems generally set criteria in order to monitor global achievement of universities in terms of sustainability. However, current sustainability ranking systems do not provide specific consumption thresholds ...


The Potential for Electricity-use Reduction in Grinnell College Residence Halls through Behavioral Manipulation

  • Grinnell College (IA)

I studied the potential for electricity-use reduction through behavioral change in on-campus residence halls. I used social comparisons to induce behavioral change in the residents. The results did not show ...


The influence of group-level factors on individual energy-saving behaviors in a shared space: The case of shared residences

  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • Shenzhen University

In business and service buildings, shared spaces constitute large areas where occupants share energy resources and manage them. Changing people's behaviors toward conscious and efficient energy use within shared ...


The Role of Simulation and Serious Games in Teaching Concepts on Circular Economy and Sustainable Energy

  • Boston University (MA)
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
  • University of Southampton
  • Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Barcelona)
  • Universidad Pública de Navarra

The prevailing need for a more sustainable management of natural resources depends not only on the decisions made by governments and the will of the population, but also on the ...


Scalable pathways to net zero carbon in the UK higher education sector: A systematic review of smart energy systems in university campuses

  • Buro Happold (NY)
  • University College London (London)

The following literature review sets out the state-of-the-art research relating to smart building principles and smart energy systems in UK higher education university campuses. The paper begins by discussing the ...


Cooling supply costs of a university campus

  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • EIFER - European Institute for Energy Research

Global climate change and growing research activities lead to increasing cooling demands and related supply costs at universities, while at the same time ambitious goals towards carbon neutral campuses are ...


Motion and Sash Height (MASH) alarms for efficient fume hood use

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)

Ventilation, including fume hoods, consumes 40–70% of the total energy used by modern laboratories. Energy-conscious fume hood usage—for example, closing the sash when a hood is unused—can ...


Higher Education Interdisciplinarity: Addressing the Complexity of Sustainable Energies and the Green Economy

  • Sapienza Università di Roma

Universities play a strategic role towards a sustainable future, as they address the complex scientific research on green transition and enable students from diverse backgrounds to acquire different skills, integrate ...


Investigating barriers to efficient electricity management practices in government-owned tertiary institutions: a case of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

  • Obafemi Awolowo University
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Federal University of Technology Akure

Energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; however, certain barriers have hindered its adoption in public universities. Hence, it is essential to identify and analyze the ...


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 ...


One Year Real Data Rooftop PV System Performance Analysis of a University Academic Campus

  • Philadelphia University (Jordan)

This paper presents the details of 13 rooftop PV systems installed at Philadelphia University (PU) in Amman-Jordan and gives an assessment of these PV systems in terms of the design ...


Pathways to eliminate carbon emissions via renewable energy investments at higher education institutions

  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Newark Campus (NJ)

Higher education institutions are among the many public and private sector entities that have committed to long-term sustainability goals in response to the threat of climate change. A key challenge ...


Market Assessment of Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Laboratories

  • My Green Lab (CA)
  • San Diego Gas & Electric (CA)
  • Southern California Edison (DC)
  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company

A combination of market research, online surveys, in-person interviews, and a broad literature review of previous industry reports was used to estimate the potential for energy efficiency in laboratory facilities ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
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Determining key drivers of efficient electricity management practices in public universities in Southwestern Nigeria: An empirical study

  • Obafemi Awolowo University
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Federal University of Technology Akure

University campuses are one of the major consumers of electricity. Therefore, it is important to investigate factors related to electricity saving. This study aims to examine the key drivers in ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
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A Solar Market Pathway for Independent Colleges in Virginia

  • Shenandoah University (VA)
  • Eastern Mennonite University (VA)
  • Roanoke College (VA)
  • Bridgewater College (VA)
  • Randolph College (VA)
  • Virginia Union University (VA)
  • Hampton University (VA)
  • Hollins University (VA)
  • Ferrum College (VA)
  • Emory & Henry College (VA)
  • Mary Baldwin University (VA)
  • University of Lynchburg (VA)
  • Appalachian School of Law (VA)
  • Marymount University (VA)
  • Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (VA)
  • Washington and Lee University (VA)
  • United States Department of Energy (DC)

The Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) was founded in 1971 and currently operates as Virginia Private Colleges, a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization representing 28 accredited nonprofit independent ...

  • Posted April 28, 2022
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Sustainable design of Cornell University campus energy systems toward climate neutrality and 100% renewables

  • Cornell University (NY)

In this paper, the sustainable design of carbon-neutral energy systems is addressed, considering earth source heat, lake source cooling, on-site renewable electricity generation, and sustainable peak heating systems. The electricity ...

  • Posted April 25, 2022
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Capturing Energy Savings from Correcting VAV Box Minimums on Campus

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The Office of Sustainability at UC Berkeley leads energy and water saving campaigns on campus and has set the goal to reduce energy use intensity by an average of at ...

  • Posted April 25, 2022
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University of Michigan Carbon Neutral Power and Heat Infrastructure Study: Summary Report

  • University of Michigan (MI)

This report was compiled during the academic year of 2019-2020 for the University of Michigan (U-M) President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality by the Integral Group, an external firm selected ...

  • Posted Nov. 17, 2021
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The University of Michigan Building Efficiency Studies

  • University of Michigan (MI)

This report was compiled during the academic year of 2019-2020 and 2020 - 2021 for the University of Michigan (U-M) President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality by SmithGroup Inc., an external ...

  • Posted Nov. 17, 2021
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Energy Consumption Policies at the University of Michigan: A Report Developed for and Supported by the U-M President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality

  • University of Michigan (MI)

This report was compiled during the academic year of 2019-2020 for the University of Michigan (U-M) President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality by the Energy Consumption Policies Internal Analysis Team ...

  • Posted Nov. 17, 2021
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Mobility Electrification at the University of Michigan: A Report Developed for and Supported by the U-M President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality

  • University of Michigan (MI)

This report was compiled during the academic year of 2019-2020 for the University of Michigan (U-M) President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality by the Mobility Electrification Subgroup. Through its work ...

  • Posted Nov. 16, 2021
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Clean Energy Master Plan

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

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) Campus Challenge Partner under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) REV ...


Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan

  • Brock University (ON)

With the issuance of this revised energy conservation and demand management plan (ECDM), Brock University is re-affirming its commitment to energy conservation and sustainable operations. The conservation and demand management ...


Strategic Energy Plan

  • California State University, Long Beach (CA)

California State University, Long Beach currently has 96 buildings on its campus spread over 323 acres with a total approximate square footage of 4,400,000. The Campus has executed ...


Carbon neutrality should not be the end goal: Lessons for institutional climate action from U.S. higher education

  • Hamilton College-Clinton.NY (NY)
  • Smith College (MA)
  • Ceres (MA)

Climate action pledges have increasingly taken the form of commitments to net carbon neutrality. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are uniquely positioned to innovate in this area, and over 800 United ...


Lehigh, Lafayette, Muhlenberg and Dickinson Join Forces for Unprecedented Renewable Energy Project

  • Dickinson College (PA)
  • Lafayette College (PA)
  • Lehigh University (PA)
  • Muhlenberg College (PA)
  • Coho Climate Advisors (MD)

In February 2020, Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Muhlenberg College and Dickinson College announced a partnership to purchase renewable energy as a collective. Together, the four schools will purchase the largest ...

  • Posted July 15, 2021
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Energy use and CO2 emissions in the UK universities: An extended Kaya identity analysis

  • Florida International University (FL)
  • Australian National University
  • Kingston University London
  • London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Universität Duisburg-Essen

We investigate the progress of the UK universities in greening their energy sources in line with the UK's goal of becoming a net-zero economy by 2050. Using the HESA ...


Action learning partnerships: carbon, commerce and community co-learning at a Canadian university

  • University of Northern British Columbia (BC)
  • Prince George Chamber of Commerce (BC)
  • Carbon Realities Consulting (BC)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss an innovative course offered as a partnership between the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) (Canada), the Prince George Chamber ...


Embodied, operation, and commuting emissions: A case study comparing the carbon hotspots of an educational building

  • State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
  • University of Florida (FL)
  • University of Vaasa
  • Jilin University

Building operational energy, mobility energy, and materials embodied energy contribute to a significant portion of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings stand at the intersection of these three contributors and ...


Implications of Massachusetts Climate Policy for Smith College

  • Smith College (MA)

Smith College has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. To meet this goal, Smith is considering transitioning its district energy system from steam heat generated with natural gas to ...


Carbon Neutrality at Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study Analysis of Arizona State University

  • Arizona State University (AZ)

Campus sustainability and the goal of reaching carbon neutrality have become a major trend among many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) globally, and many of them have taken public pledges to ...


Reducing energy demand in China and the United Kingdom: The importance of energy literacy

  • University of Plymouth (Devon)
  • Zhejiang University
  • Plymouth Marjon University

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible across the globe, awareness of the need for cleaner energy and demand reduction is growing. Energy literacy offers a strong potential ...

  • Posted April 23, 2021
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Energy Efficiency Improvement in K-12 Schools: A Case Study in Florida

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

K-12 schools are responsible for over 1.4% of the total annual energy consumption in the United States. In a collaboration between Florida Institute of Technology and Brevard Public Schools ...

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Lessons from unsuccessful energy and buildings sustainability actions in university campus operations

  • University of Coimbra

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly striving to deploy actions that promote the efficient use of energy and other resources on university campuses. Successful sustainability initiatives are vastly described in ...

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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Towards energy transition at the Faculty of Education of Bilbao (UPV/EHU): diagnosing community and building

  • University of the Basque Country

Purpose This paper aims to present the results of a study aimed at performing a first diagnosis of energy literacy and energy use in a Faculty of Education, by means ...

  • Posted April 22, 2021
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The motivation and development impact of energy saving to sustainability in the construction of green campus: a case study of the Zhejiang University, China

  • Zhejiang University
  • University of Kitakyushu (Fukuoka)

The construction of green campus is related to the global sustainable development. Under the guidance of campus energy-saving policy, China’s green campus mainly focuses on campus’ energy saving. In ...

  • Posted April 21, 2021
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IoT Platform for Energy Sustainability in University Campuses

  • University of Coimbra
  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
  • Comillas Universidad Pontificia (Madrid)

University campuses are normally constituted of large buildings responsible for high energy demand, and are also important as demonstration sites for new technologies and systems. This paper presents the results ...

  • Posted April 21, 2021
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Internal stakeholders' perspective on lean energy and environmental sustainability: the case of Notre Dame University - Louaize

  • Notre Dame University - Louaize

This study will contribute to the understanding of the relationship between Energy and Environmental Sustainability (EES) Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours in order to recommend actions to be undertaken by the ...


Funding community sustainable development using zero energy buildings

  • Millersville University (PA)

This paper aims at bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks for community sustainable development and descriptive-only case studies by using a case study to demonstrate a conceptual model or framework ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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Green FSC: Creating a Sustainable Campus

  • Florida Southern College (FL)

Colleges and universities account for more than 1.5% of US total annual emissions: understanding how individual institutions can become more sustainable is critical in tackling the existential threat of ...

  • Posted Jan. 12, 2021
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