Practical Guide to Reducing the Campus Carbon Footprint
APPA has released a new report titled, "The Educational Profession's Practical Guide to Reducing the Campus Carbon Footprint." The resource for facilities managers provides pragmatic assistance to effectively implement a carbon reduction plan. The guide is broken down into five chapters that expand on the following actions: forming a stakeholder group; completing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory; developing a strategic climate action plan, indentifying resource investments, and implementing a tactical plan.
Publication: The Role of IT in Campus Sustainability Efforts
EDUCAUSE has posted a new publication entitled, "The Role of IT in Campus Sustainability Efforts." The whitepaper captures key findings from the two day Summit on IT Greening and Sustainability and outlines a higher education agenda for moving forward.
Publication: The Vital Role of Community Colleges
The National Council for Workforce Education and the Academy for Educational Development have published a new guide entitled, "Going Green: The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and Green Workforce." The publication features 3 sections on "Addressing Climate Change and Promoting Sustainability," "Educating and Preparing America's Green Workforce," and "Six Action Steps for community College Leaders to Build a Sustainable Future."
Audio Recordings of Campus Sustainability Presentations
Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E) has made audio recordings from selected past events available for download for free. Available presentations include, "Seven Steps to Developing a Climate Action Plan," "Leadership's Role for Administrators in Establishing a Campus Sustainability Program," and "What You Need to Know About EPA Tier II Filing Requirements."
Email List for Sustainable IT at Universities
EDUCAUSE has launched "Sustainable IT Constituent Group," a new online discussion list for sharing information on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through IT infrastructures at colleges and universities. Joyce Dickerson, Director of Sustainable IT at Stanford, will moderate discussions, suggest interesting topics, and coordinate the annual gathering at the EDUCAUSE Annual Meeting in the fall.
Online Book: Addressing Global Env'l Security Through Educational Curricula
Springer Link has posted a new book, "Addressing Global Environmental Security Through Innovative Educational Curricula," online and made the copy available for download. The book includes chapters titled, "Science on the Marsh: Towards the Ground of Education for Sustainable Development," "The Educational Dilemma of Environmental Security: Hard Science or the Art of Decision Making," "Learning Eco-Efficiency Tools Through University-Corporate Cooperation," and "A Comparison of Ecological Education and Sustainable Development Education."
Online Book on Sustainability Education
C.A. Bowers has posted a new book online entitled, "Transitions: Educational Reforms that Promote Ecological Intelligence or the Assumptions Underlying Modernity?" The free downloadable book features chapters on ecologically sustainable educational reforms, the challenge facing science educators, rethinking social justice issues within an eco-justice conceptual and moral framework, and a state-wide approach to ecologically sustainable education reforms.
Best Practices for College Unions & Student Activities
The Association of College Unions International (ACUI) has released a new online publication entitled, "Sustainability Smarts: Best Practices for College Unions and Student Activities." The publication covers green cleaning, fair trade, car-sharing programs, sustainability ratings and rankings, and using technology to connect with students about sustainability.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc has released the December 2008 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record . This month's issue features an editorial by L. Hunter Lovins, President of Natural Capitalism Solutions; a roundtable on integrating sustainability into the higher education curriculum; the AASHE Student Award-Winning Paper, "Converting Food Waste to Biogas;" and an interview with David Kepler, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Dow.
New Issue of The Journal of Ecopedagogy
The Ecopedagogy Association International has published its latest issue of Green Theory & Praxis: The Journal of Ecopedagogy . The scholarly journal presents research papers and essays on ecological politics and culture, ecocriticism, the critique of social structures, and sustainability education. The current issues includes such papers as, "Toward an Ecopedagogy of Children's Environmental Literature," "Understanding the Ideology of the Earth Liberation Front," and "Capitalist Discipline and Ecological Discipline."
AASHE 2008 Keynote Speaker Videos
AASHE has posted the keynote speaker videos from its conference, AASHE 2008: Working Together for Sustainability and Beyond. Videos include Lester R. Brown, Founder and President of the Earth Policy Institute; Van Jones, Founder and President of Green for All; and Peter Senge, Senior Lecturer at MIT and chair of the Society for Organizational Learning.
Best Practices for College Unions & Student Activities
The Association of College Unions International has launched a new publication entitled, "Sustainability Smarts: Best Practices for College Unions and Student Activities." Topics covered include sustainability rating systems, college tours, sustainability blogs, fair trade, and green cleaning.
Podcast: Understanding What the Sustainability Movement Means
The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted a podcast interview with Debra Rowe, a professor of renewable energy, energy management, and psychology at Oakland Community College (MI). Rowe is also the President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development.
Revolving Loan Fund and Green Fees Resources
Campus InPower has posted two new resource pages on its website. The Green Fees page contains sample bylaws, a campaign timeline and guide, a volunteer training guide, and sample flyers. The Revolving Loan Fund page features an RLF overview, a payback guide, and AASHE's Clean Energy Revolving Loan Fund guide.
Building Local Food Programs on College Campus
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers has published "Building Local Food Programs on College Campus," a guide that provides tangible guidance on how to conceptualize, structure, and implement food programs that support local family farmers. The publication includes chapters on "Understanding College Student Interest," "Financial Guidelines," "Working with Distributors," "Guidelines for Farmers," "Education, Marketing, and Making the Case," and "Summary Tips for Getting Started."
New AASHE Resource on Responsible Investment Practices
AASHE has posted a new resource that highlights colleges and universities that take sustainability into account when making investment decisions. The resource provides a list of Responsible Investment Policies and a list of Committees on Responsible Investment.
ACUPCC Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol
The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment has released a Voluntary Offset Protocol to guide ACUPCC institutions and others through the process of evaluating and investing in the voluntary carbon offset market. The 73 page document offers a set of 10 principles characterizing high-quality offsets.
New Guide on Funding Mechanisms for Campus Sustainability Initiatives
AASHE has posted a new guide in its Resource Center entitled "Raise the Funds, A Student and Administrator's Guide to Funding Mechanisms for Campus Sustainability Initiatives." The new guide, which includes information on student fees, ESCO and university partnerships, endowments and internal campus banks, administrative funds, outside grants, alumni funds, and revolving loan funds. The guide was published by Campus InPower in partnership with AASHE, Breakthrough Generation, Wild Gift, and Big Ideas at Be
USGBC Higher Education Update
The U.S. Green Building Council has launched a new newsletter on green buildings at higher education institutions. The Higher Education Update's first issue features an introduction from the USGBC's Higher Education Sector Manager, an interview with a student from St. Mary's College of Maryland, and information on Harvard University's Green Building Resource.
Whitepaper on Writing a Climate Action Plan
EH&E has released a free whitepaper entitled “Striving for Climate Neutrality on Campus: 7 Steps to Writing a Climate Action Plan for a Reduced Carbon Footprint.” The paper describes seven distinct steps to creating a university planning document that provides a roadmap for achieving a greenhouse gas reduction target.
New Issue of 'Sustainability: The Journal of Record'
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has released the latest issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record . The fifth issue contains and interview with Dedee DeLongpre, the University of Florida Director of the Office of Sustainability, profiles Michigan State University's sustainability program, and features articles such as, "In the Green: Green IT 101," "Covergence: Innovators in Sustainability, AASHE honors four top leaders in the field," and "Research and Solutions: Think Systemically, Act Cooperatively: The
Clean Air Cool Planet Online Campus Climate Action Toolkit
Clean Air-Cool Planet has released the newest version of its online Campus Climate Action Toolkit (CCAT). It is intended to model what an actual published Campus Climate Action Plan might look like and provide direction for creating a new plan. It consists of guidance for every aspect of "campus climate action" along with hyperlinks to technical resources and examples/case studies that will help people understand, plan, and execute or implement the CCAP's various elements.
List of Sustainability Research Inventories
AASHE has released a list of Sustainability Research inventories. The list highlights institutions that have identified their sustainability research activities. The resource is available to AASHE members only.
2008 Guide to Social & Env'l Issues in Grad Business Programs
Net Impact has released its 2008 issue of Business as UNusual . The publication is a report of a survey sent to MBA students to evaluate their own institutions in the areas of social and environmental issues. The report includes school profiles, which contain information on curriculum, student activities, career services and alumni, administrative support, and reasons to attend, and provides ratings and aggregate responses from the survey.
Interview with Princeton Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs
AASHE has posted an interview between Michael Oppenheimer, Princeton Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, and University of Kentucky student Tate White. Oppenheimer is a scholar on global warming and has participated actively on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the co-authors of the Fourth Assessment Report. In the interview, Oppenheimer discusses his thoughts on the role of higher education in addressing climate change.
Paper on Reasons for Green College Admissions Processes
ConnectEDU has released a "green" paper entitled, "Why 2008 is the Year of Green Admissions." The paper is a report of research conducted to evaluate student perspectives around going green as they approach college admission. The paper reports on how green accomplishments affect college choice and how campuses can be socially responsible during the admission process. The Connect! Green Survey, a survey which polled the high school class of 2009 for the report, found that, although colleges are engaged in
List of Sustainability Course Inventories
AASHE has published a list of sustainability course inventories. The list highlights institutions that have cataloged their sustainability course offerings and links to each campus' inventory. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
Presidential Perspectives Chapter on Green Issues at U W. Georgia
The Presidential Perspectives Series has released a new chapter entitled, "Red, White, Blue, and Green – University of West Georgia," authored by Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, President of the University of West Georgia. In the chapter, Dr. Sethna discusses how sustainability is taking an increasingly prominent role on college campuses and how success with environmental initiatives ultimately requires equal parts of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the community.
List of Campus Recycling & Waste Minimization Websites
AASHE has published a list of campus recycling and waste minimization websites on its resource center. All waste management programs listed have elements of source reduction, waste minimization or reduction, waste stream diversion, or recycling. This resource is only accessible to AASHE members.
New Book on the Linguistic Basis of Sustainability Education
Chet C. Bowers has published a book entitled, "Toward a Post-Industrial Consciousness: Understanding the Linguistic Basis of Ecologically Sustainable Education Reforms." The book features chapters on "The linguistic colonization of the present by past thinkers who were unaware of environmental issues," "revitalizing the cultural commons in an era of political and ecological uncertainties," and "toward an ecologically sustainable vocabulary." The book also contains a handbook for faculty workshops on how t
NWF Green Campus Newsletter
The National Wildlife Federation has started a free bi-weekly e-newsletter called ClimateEdu: News for the Green Campus. The newsletter aims to provide news, in-depth case studies, research updates, reviews, reports, tools, and announcements for on-campus environmental efforts. The goal of the publication is to support colleges and universities in their work of protecting wildlife and our own human habitat from the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.
New Thesis on the Factors That Affect Campus GHG Emissions
AASHE has posted a new thesis entitled, "U.S. Higher Education and Global Climate Change: An Exploration of Institutional Factors That Affect Greenhouse Gas Emissions". The study explores the differences between greenhouse gas emissions of different colleges and universities in the U.S. and analyzes some of the factors that might explain these differences. The thesis was completed by Luba Zhaurova, a Master's degree candidate in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. This resour
Campus Climate Neutrality Toolkit
GreenCityBlueLake has completed a campus climate neutrality toolkit that lists ideas on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at higher education institutions. The toolkit was created for students, faculty, and staff that are looking for ways to infuse curriculum and campus with lessons of sustainability.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc has released the August issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record . This month's issue features an editorial by Nancy Cantor, chancellor of Syracuse University, articles on "Core Competencies for Sustainability Professionals" and "Sustainable Transportation Initiatives," and a profile of Butte College's sustainability efforts.
NWF Guide to Climate Action Planning
The National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Program has released a "Guide to Climate Action Planning." The guide addresses how colleges and universities can develop and implement plans to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions quickly and cost effectively.
AASHE Interview Series: Vice Chancellor, U Minnesota-Morris
In the third installment of the AASHE Interview Series, Lowell Rasmussen, the Vice Chancellor of Finance and Facilities at the University of Minnesota, Morris, discusses the many renewable energy projects that the University is undertaking and the partnerships it has built in the community.
List of Campus Climate Action Plans
AASHE has released a list of existing campus climate action plans and a list of publications useful for preparing a climate action plan. The list also contains information on schools that have formally adopted their plan and schools that have signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment.
Online Reporting Tool for Campus GHG Emissions
As part of its support for the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, AASHE has created an online tool for signatories to report on their GHG emissions. The new tool, which is integrated with the tool for submitting two-month reports, also includes new data about the tangible actions that signatories have committed to implement. Finally, the tool also includes a directory of ACUPCC Implementation Liaisons.
Compilation of Feedback on STARS 0.5
AASHE has released a document compiling all feedback received on version 0.5 of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS). The document includes feedback from over 50 individuals from across the campus sustainability community.
Whitepaper on Trayless Dining
ARAMARK has published a whitepaper entitled, "The Business and Cultural Acceptance Case for Trayless Dining." The paper lists reasons for considering, the cultural shift in accepting, and the business case for tray removal. The publication also provides best practices and gives case studies for the University of Maine at Farmington and Grand Valley State University (MI). In related news, the USA Today has published an article on how colleges and universities are going trayless. The article reports
Northwestern U Guide to Living Green
Northwestern University (IL) has posted "Sustainable You! A guide to green living at NU" online. The guide is intended to demonstrate how students can live sustainably on campus by reducing their personal impact on the environment and contributing to NU's sustainability efforts. The publication lists simple steps students, faculty, and staff can take to conserve energy and water, and provides information on NU's recycling system and alternative transportation options available on campus.
Presidents' Climate Commitment Annual Report
AASHE, ecoAmerica, and Second Nature, the three organizations that support the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment have released the 2007 ACUPCC Annual Report. In addition to a snapshot of all signatory reports received by December 31, 2007, the 2007 Annual Report includes a collection of brief stories from select ACUPCC institutions describing exciting climate and energy successes on their campuses related to ACUPCC implementation. In related news, AASHE, ecoAmerica, and Second Nature have also released an ACUPCC Reporting Snapshot that is current as of June 30, 2008.
Publication on the State College Role in Advancing Sustainability
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities has published "The State College Role in Advancing Environmental Sustainability: Policies, Programs and Practices." The paper discusses the need for partnerships between higher education and state policymakers in order to advance sustainability as a public policy priority.
University World News Special Report on Campus Sustainability
The University World News has published a special report examining sustainability efforts at higher education institutions across the world. The special report includes stories about the state of campus sustainability initiatives in the US, UK, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, and Australia.
AASHE Interview Series: Sustainability Coord, Green Mtn College
AASHE has posted its second interview as part of its new interview series with sustainability leaders from campuses, businesses, and non-profit organizations that are taking the lead in advancing sustainability in higher education. In this interview, Jesse Pyles, the Service-Learning and Sustainability Coordinator at Green Mountain College (VT), discusses the various sustainability projects taking place at Green Mountain, offers some advice to others getting started in his position, shares how he incorporates the social dimensions of sustainability into his work, and more.
Aspen Institute Guide to Socially Responsible MBA Programs
The Aspen Institute's Center for Business Education has published its "Guide of Socially Responsible MBA Programs: 2008-2009." The guide includes profiles on 114 different MBA programs and offers resources on joint MBA degrees, MBA concentrations, and school profiles by region.
List of Dissertations and Theses on Campus Sustainability
AASHE has posted a collection of dissertations and theses specifically devoted to campus sustainability. The papers are divided into categories corresponding with AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS): Education and Research, Operations, and Administration and Finance. This resource is for AASHE members only.
