AASHE Releases 2023 Sustainable Campus Index
AASHE recently published the 2023 Sustainable Campus Index, spotlighting sustainability achievements and celebrating top-performing colleges and universities in 17 impact areas. Powered by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), this annual report includes a new Trends & Innovations section identifying innovations and trends that are shaping the field of sustainability in higher education, including progress toward carbon neutrality, large-scale renewable energy transitions, advancing racial equity & social justice, closing the sustainability skills gap, major investments in sustainability research, and dissociation from fossil fuel companies.
U California Awards $80M Toward Climate Priorities
As part of a historic partnership between the University of California (UC) and the state of California, the university in August announced it is awarding over $80 million in climate action grants to spur implementation of solutions that directly address state climate priorities. The selected projects aim to improve the health of farmworkers; increase resilience of state water and power systems; and identify innovative nature-based solutions toward biodiversity degradation, sea level rise, and wildfire risk.
U Michigan Hires Shana Weber as AVP for Campus Sustainability
Shana S. Weber was recently appointed as the university's first associate vice president for campus sustainability. Currently the founding director of Princeton University’s Office of Sustainability, Weber will work with all 19 schools and colleges, Student Life, Michigan Medicine, Athletics, and various organizations within Business & Finance to advance sustainability and carbon neutrality across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses. She assumes the role on Sept. 5.
AASHE Publishes 2023 Higher Education Staffing Report
Using data provided through AASHE's Higher Education Staffing Survey, the 2023 Salaries & Status of Sustainability Professionals in Higher Education Report examines the nature of sustainability positions at colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and other countries. The report provides insights into salaries, funding, supervision, job satisfaction, challenges and more. Among the key findings, there was an increase in responses from chief sustainability officers and sustainability directors, and 73 percent of respondents indicated their position was housed in an office or unit with sustainability in its name, compared to 68 percent in 2020.
