New Resources

AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

Two new tools recently added to the Campus Sustainability Hub, a new AASHE member benefit, are the Campus Environmental Resource Center and the American Association of Community Colleges' Green Genome Institutional Self-Assessment Tool. The Campus Sustainability Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Contributions to the Hub are welcomed anytime.
  • Posted Aug 1, 2016

Recently Added Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a one-stop shop for AASHE members to access toolkits and resource collections in all aspects of sustainability in higher education, from academics to operations to governance. Recently added items include the publications Reshape the Education of Energy Managers and Integration of Sustainability Reporting at an Academic Institution, and an archived webinar, Solar Energy on Campus.
  • Posted Jul 25, 2016

The Future of Air Conditioning for Buildings Report

Released by the U.S. Department of Energy, the report characterizes the landscape and trends of the global air conditioning (A/C) market, including direct and indirect climate impacts, and documents solutions that can help achieve energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Sustainability Culture Resource Library

The resource library from Awake contains links to research, best practice examples and other tools that help to embed sustainability into an organization.
  • Posted Jul 25, 2016

Solar for Colleges and Universities Toolkit

This toolkit provides guidance and resources from Solar Market Pathways projects to inform the development and implementation of targeted solar programs and policies for higher education institutions. Specifically, these resources are intended to assist college and university program managers, sustainability directors, faculty, staff and other stakeholders as they seek to take advantage of the benefits of solar energy.

Solar Energy on Campus Webinar

This archive of the July 15, 2016 webinar features staff from National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Center for Resource Solutions explaining the implications of various renewable energy purchasing options to ensure that the desired solar energy claims will be supported.

Campus Climate Adaptation Planning Survey Results

Results from a survey conducted in 2015 by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, reveal that while more than half of the 45 institutions that responded to this survey have set emission reduction targets, and a quarter have established stand-alone climate change mitigation plans, only five of them have, or are developing, similar plans for climate adaptation. However, the results also demonstrate that almost a third of the institutions participating in this survey have taken specific steps towards analyzing and/or adapting to future climate change impacts. The survey results indicate strong support for assessing the likely impacts of climate change on university campuses and for developing a climate adaptation plan in response.
  • Posted Jul 18, 2016

A Higher Calling for Higher Education

Cristina Escrigas, the former executive director of, and current adviser to, the Global University Network for Innovation, offers a compelling essay regarding the need for "a new conception of human progress that recognizes the interdependence of the economic, social, political, and environmental spheres". Escrigas states, "To achieve this goal in theory and in practice, higher education institutions must become agents of progressive social change," which she says "requires rethinking the mission and practice of higher education".
  • Posted Jul 4, 2016

Ethical Internationalization in Higher Education: Interfaces with International Development & Sustainability

This resource published in Taylor & Francis Online is an analysis within a larger project focusing on ethics and internationalization in higher education. Internationalization is occurring at a fast pace and encompasses overlapping and contradictory aims largely framed by market imperatives. At the same time, institutions of higher education increasingly promote sustainability.

New Developments in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development

This book, from Springer as part of the World Sustainability Series, discusses essential approaches and methods in connection with engineering education for sustainable development. Prepared as a follow up to the 2015 Engineering Education in Sustainable Development (EESD) Conference held in British Columbia, Canada, it offers the engineering community key information on the latest trends and developments.

Educating for Responsible Management: Putting Theory Into Practice

Released July 2016 by Greenleaf Publishing, Educating for Responsible Management profiles cutting-edge approaches to pedagogy for the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) that go beyond current discussions of sustainability and corporate social responsibility content, to include a wider lens that highlights the processes of educating the next generation of responsible managers.

New Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

Recently added resources to the Campus Sustainability Hub, a new AASHE member benefit, include Future Sustainability Scenarios for Universities and Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change. The Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, outreach materials and more. With advanced filtering, search and sort options, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations.
  • Posted Jun 20, 2016

Teaching Education for Sustainable Development at University Level

This book introduces readers to the latest research and findings from projects focusing on teaching education for sustainable development at universities. In particular, it describes practical experiences, outline courses, training schemes and other initiatives aimed at promoting better teaching on matters related to sustainable development at institutions of higher education.

New Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub, a new AASHE member benefit, is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials, and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, outreach materials and more. With advanced filtering, search and sort options, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added resources to the Hub include A Model for Creating a Campus Sustainability Plan and Unifying Campus Efforts in Pursuit of Green Restaurant Certification at UC Irvine's East Food Court.
  • Posted Jun 6, 2016

LEED Lab

LEED Lab is a multidisciplinary immersion course that utilizes the built environment to educate and prepare students to become green building leaders and sustainability-focused citizens. At the close of the semester, students are prepared to sit for the LEED Accredited Professional for Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED AP O+M) exam.
  • Posted Jun 6, 2016

Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Research Grant Competition

The BCFN YES! (Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Young Earth Solutions) is an international competition for students and researchers under 35 years of age from across the globe. Launched for the first time in 2012, the aim of the initiative is to reward the best ideas about food and sustainability. Projects are assessed by an international jury according to their social impact, innovation, originality and feasibility, and the best win a monetary prize to implement them. Completed proposals must be submitted by July 27.
  • Posted Jun 3, 2016

Sustainability Literacy Test

The Sustainability Literacy Test, Sulitest.org, recently launched at the United Nations Environment Assembly in May 2016, is a tool designed to measure and improve sustainability literacy for all students in higher education regardless of the area of study, level of study or country of origin. The basic free version of the Sulitest aims to be a universal test for the academic world. The new premium version enables universities and colleges to add customized questions based on the assessment, research or pedagogical needs of an institution.
  • Posted Jun 3, 2016

Cleveland’s Greater University Circle Initiative: An Anchor-Based Strategy for Change

This case study shows how a multi-stakeholder initiative based in Cleveland achieved coordination among three large, anchor institutions located in the city's University Circle area. Through what is now called the Greater University Circle Initiative, the Cleveland Clinic, university hospitals and Case Western Reserve University network and deploy resources to challenge to the persistent poverty and disinvestment in seven surrounding neighborhoods. The Greater University Circle Initiative seeks to reweave community networks, in part through community engagement, to improve the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods, and to give residents a greater voice and connection to the resources of the anchor institutions.

Toolkit for Reinvestment Campaigns

The toolkit published by Divestment Student Network aims to provide information to students interested or involved in reinvestment work. It contains information about the structure and goals of reinvestment and resources that will enable students to run successful campaigns.

Liberating Service Learning and the Rest of Higher Education Civic Engagement

The new book released by Temple University Press describes the contradictions, unrealized potential and unrecognized urgency of the causes, risks and rewards of community-engaged scholarship. Author Randy Stoecker, professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, questions the prioritization and theoretical/philosophical underpinnings of the core concepts of service learning: 1. learning, 2. service, 3. community, and 4. change. By liberating service learning, he suggests reversing the prioritization of the concepts, starting with change, then community, then service, and then learning. In doing so, he clarifies the benefits and purpose of this work, arguing that it will create greater pedagogical and community impact.

Exploring Energy Efficiency: A Multi-Sector Survey on Energy Efficiency Tracking Platforms

The Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) report investigates how various organizations track their energy efficiency projects by conducting a multi-sector survey to assess the benefits and weaknesses of energy efficiency platforms. By examining the five different sectors of healthcare, higher education, K-12 school systems, municipalities and corporations, SEI sought to examine the overarching commonalities for organizations appearing to prioritize reducing energy use, reducing operational costs, and more closely aligning with institutional environmental and carbon reduction goals.

Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) 2.1

The newest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) features data auto-population to save time, exemplary practice options to recognize additional types of programs and initiatives, and a pre-publication review process to ensure accuracy. Learn more about the updated version of STARS by attending the upcoming webinar on June 1, Getting Started with STARS 2.1.
  • Posted May 19, 2016

New Issue: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

Included in this issue are case studies and research papers about higher education sustainability assessments, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching sustainable development, and designing sustainability science programs.

Green Revolving Investment Tracking System (GRITS) 1.5

The Sustainable Endowments Institute released its newest version of the project-level, carbon, energy and financial web-based tool, GRITS (the Green Revolving Investment Tracking System). GRITS 1.5 includes more features, customization and access to data that seeks to help institutions across the U.S. and Canada track, manage and share their energy- and resource-efficiency data.

NWEI Course Book: Sustainability Works: Rethinking Business As Usual

This new Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) discussion course book, Sustainability Works: Rethinking Business as Usual, offers sustainability staff a ready-made employee engagement process designed to inspire green teams and employee teams alike in finding solutions to organizational sustainability challenges. For faculty teaching on organizational sustainability, this course book considers the need for systems-level change that benefits both people and the planet, offering a framework for students to identify solutions through dialogue.

CGI U Innovation Fund

Launched through the Clinton Global Initiative University, the CGI U Innovation Fund will provide students will critical seed funding to help launch and scale early-stage projects. The awarded funds will range from approximately $2,000 to $10,000.

Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States – 2016 Historical Trend Report

The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education and the University of Pennsylvania's Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy examines trends in post-secondary enrollment in the U.S. by family income, race/ethnicity and family socioeconomic status.

New Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub, a new AASHE member benefit, is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials, comprehensive lists that include research centers and institutes, publications, outreach materials and more. With advanced filtering, search and sort options, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added resources to the Hub include The Need for Social Ethics in Interdisciplinary Environmental Science Graduate Programs and Education for Sustainability in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities for Change.

ASLE Grants for Projects in Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities

The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) is accepting applications from its membership for grant funding that support projects in ecocriticism and environmental humanities. ASLE is offering funding in three separate grant categories. Deadline to apply is July 1.

Sustainability Curriculum Consortium Online Dialogue and Webinars

The Sustainability Curriculum Consortium will facilitate an online, six-week dialogue beginning in April that includes recommended readings, interactive posts and webinars. The first webinar is April 13 and will host Kim Smith, Portland Community College instructor, to discuss her experiences at United Nations-sponsored events about education for sustainability. The Sustainability Curriculum Consortium seeks to catalyze the sustainability movement by creating a cohesive, aligned and integrated approach to sustainability scholarship, supported by curriculum and professional development across the disciplines.

AASHE Member Discount: 30% Off Island Press Books

AASHE members can receive 30 percent off all Island Press books through Dec. 31, 2016, including titles about sustainable urban planning and design to environmental conservation and ecosystems management.

Endangered Species Day Toolkit for College Students

In an effort to support Endangered Species Day, honored on May 20, 2016, the Endangered Species Coalition in collaboration with National Wildlife Federation's EcoLeaders Program has aggregated resources for campuses to take action and gain literacy about animals that fall into this category. Learn if your campus mascot is endangered and/or if there are vulnerable and threatened species on campus, and if so, how to use these facts to facilitate conversation and education.

Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action Toolkit

The U.S. Department of Energy released the informational resources toolkit through its Better Buildings Energy Data Accelerator developed in partnership with 18 cities and utilities across the nation. The Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action Toolkit is a compilation of case studies, guidance and real-world best practices adopted by cities and utilities to help building owners measure and track energy use and benchmark the energy performance of their buildings.

APPA's Facilities Manager Issue: Special Focus on Sustainability

The theme of the March/April 2016 issue is Sustainability Programming and Investments, and focuses on investment options for energy efficiency projects. The issue provides a compilation of recent sustainability projects conducted at 16 APPA member institutions, a GRITS update, and articles about recycling and energy efficiency.

Compendium of Organics Recovery Programs at Colleges and Universities (EPA Region 4)

The Center for Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Louisville in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 and select southeastern U.S. schools have released a guidance document for organics recovery planning. The guide is intended to introduce readers to the concepts of organics recovery with a special emphasis on composting while encouraging peer-to-peer learning.

Learner-Centered Teaching Activities for Environmental and Sustainability Studies

The broad goal of this volume from Springer International Publishing is to help advance environmental education practices that help increase students’ environmental literacy through learner-centered teaching activities.

Archived Webinar: Creating a Winning Collegiate Sports Sustainability Program

The archive of this March 24 webinar includes information about sustainability systems within collegiate athletic programs, specifically collegiate sports greening and its benefits to the campus, how athletics and sustainability staff and other stakeholders can work together to build a collegiate sports greening program, how to get credit for sports greening in STARS, and how to win new sponsors to help fund sustainability. The webinar is part of the College Sports Sustainability Makeover Contest, a Green Sports Alliance initiative intending to kick-start or upgrade stadium sustainability. Deadline to apply to the contest is May 1.

AASHE Campus Sustainability Hub

The new Campus Sustainability Hub is designed to help AASHE members quickly and easily find relevant resources through a centralized platform with advanced search and filtering options. This new member resource raises the visibility of institutions’ sustainability programs and materials, and promotes information sharing between campuses and organizations. Non-members can access limited resources.
  • Posted Mar 28, 2016

NUS Students' Green Fund: End of Fund Report

The Students' Green Fund (SGF) has recently concluded a project funding period that distributed over five million pounds ($7,187,500) to develop 25 transformative, student-led projects. With funding provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the initiative sought to advance students’ unions' ability to operate as hubs of sustainability within their institutions and beyond. A sample of significant outcomes include the creation of 42 full-time and 17 part-time staff, the creation of 335 paid student positions, 100 workshops and training courses, over 500 events, and the development of 10 student-led social enterprises.

Funding for Clean Vehicles in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) is seeking proposals from and providing funding to public entities that want to add alternative fuel vehicles, clean fuel vehicles or diesel retrofit technologies to their operations. Deadline to apply for funding is April 29.

Sustainable Development Primer for Higher Education Presidents, Chancellors, Trustees and Senior Leaders

This new primer describes the sustainability related, crucial roles and tasks for presidents, trustees and senior leadership and explains how sustainability is a robust national trend in higher education. The primer is from the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), a network of associations committed to advancing sustainability within the entire system of higher education.

The Impact of Environmental Science Research in the UK

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessed the impact of research undertaken by U.K. universities. Published in the Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, the article showcases the impact of environmental science research from U.K. universities, and explores how researchers develop and demonstrate impact, ensuring that interdisciplinary work is appropriately represented in analyses of societal effects.

The Responsible Business Person: Studies of Business Education for Sustainability

The Södertörn University doctoral dissertation, The Responsible Business Person: Studies of Business Education for Sustainability, by Pernilla Andersson, identifies the roles of a responsible business person that are articulated in business education and discusses how these roles could enable students to address sustainability issues.

Finance 101 for Sustainability Coordinators

Second Nature staff Janna Cohen-Rosenthal and Pallavee Panchal were recently published in Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The article Finance 101 for Sustainability Coordinators is adapted from a presentation given at the 2015 AASHE Conference & Expo and provides a brief introduction to financial terms for sustainability professionals.

AASHE Member Discount: Discount on Select Titles from The MIT Press

AASHE members receive 30 percent off all MIT sustainability and environment titles through Dec. 31, 2016. The discount code can be used more than once, for multiple items, and for both print and e-books.

New Issue: Environmental Education Research

The new issue from Taylor & Francis Online features articles about life trajectories of youth that commit to climate activism and a description of the inception and growth of a sustainable agriculture program on a university campus.

Guide to a Systematic Approach to Implementation of Principles for Responsible Management Education

The Transformational Model for Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Implementation is a guide on how to systemically approach the implementation of Principles for Responsible Management Education, taking into consideration the complexities and specificities of management-related academic institutions and business schools. The resource is based on the active support and input by the PRME community, and draws on concrete examples from individual PRME schools. Inspired by the Global Compact Management Model, the Transformational Model presents eight stages of PRME implementation. Through this model, institutional transformation is seen as a strategic journey that evolves through a process of continuous improvement.
  • Posted Feb 29, 2016

AASHE Member Discount: $50 Rainwater Catchment System

The University of California San Francisco is offering a rainwater collection system, called Raindrop Box, for $50 off for AASHE members. Discount ends March 15.
  • Posted Feb 23, 2016

The Contribution of Social Sciences to Sustainable Development at Universities

This new volume, published by Springer International Publishing, is the first of its kind to present contemporary examples of how social science theories, models and findings can advance all aspects of campus sustainability. The individual chapters reflect the broad diversity of research on sustainable campus development conducted within and across basic and applied social science disciplines, drawing on a range of methods and case studies from around the world.
  • Posted Feb 23, 2016

Engaging Stakeholders in Education for Sustainable Development at University Level

This book discusses the role of education for sustainable development (ESD) stakeholders at university level, involving civil society and the private sector and public sectors including local, national and intergovernmental bodies. In particular, it describes practical experiences, partnerships, networks and training schemes for increasing the capacity of ESD and other initiatives aimed at promoting education for sustainable development taking place at institutions of higher education.
  • Posted Feb 23, 2016