New Resources

Storytelling for Sustainability in Higher Education: An Educator's Handbook

Written by academics and storytellers, the book is based on each author's experiences of using stories within teaching. It uses storytelling as a useful tool for facilitating understanding of sustainability concepts that tend to be complex and multifaceted.
  • Posted May 11, 2020

Wasted Food Solutions Toolbox

The toolbox, created by the Center for EcoTechnology, provides resources that aim to reduce and divert food waste, from source reduction, source separation, and food donation guidelines to understanding organics waste bans and providing hauler contracting guidance.

Environmental Justice Toolkit

The toolkit defines environmental justice, features various university, community and international case studies, and includes specific action items that people can take to advocate for and promote environmental justice. The toolkit was collaboratively developed by University of Connecticut professors and students, local community organizers, and national advocates at the United Nations Association of the USA.
  • Posted Apr 22, 2020

Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a one-stop shop for AASHE members to access toolkits and resource collections about all aspects of sustainability in higher education. With advanced search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Apr 20, 2020

International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories 2019 Conference Presentations

The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories is offering last year's conference presentations free of charge to anyone to aid distance learning and education about lab challenges, technologies and case studies at research institutions.
  • Posted Apr 13, 2020

Land Ethics Curriculum Resources

These resources form the Aldo Leopold Foundation explore land ethics generally and specifically through Aldo Leopold’s articulation of a “land ethic” and can be used either as standalone elements such as a film, video or book in your course, or they can build upon each other.

Operational Recommendations for Higher Education During COVID-19 Shutdowns

Released by TVA EnergyRight for Business and Industry, the "COVID-19 Response: Modified Operations Recommendations for Higher Education" resource provides guidelines for turning off or adjusting electronics, appliances, and energy and water systems across campus, as well as sanitation, maintenance and operational practices to undertake while facilities are unoccupied.
  • Posted Apr 6, 2020

Sustainable Development and Higher Education Institutions: Acting With a Purpose

This special issue, published in the open access journal "Sustainability", builds on papers presented at the 2018 International Sustainable Campus Network conference. The articles cover a range of perspectives on sustainability, including organization and management issues, networking and city partnership themes, student involvement, gender issues, and metrics and indicators related to the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Posted Mar 30, 2020

Second Nature Solutions Center

Second Nature's Solutions Center identifies carbon and energy reducing activities to support campus climate action goals. The objective of the Solutions Center is to help campuses review more quickly the solutions available and to help build a presentation for decision makers to be able to assess and prioritize decisions faster in order to accelerate climate action.
  • Posted Mar 26, 2020

Meal Exchange Canada: Food Support for Students

Meal Exchange, which supports universities and colleges across Canada, has organized a list of supports available for students that includes community support groups, emergency food services, and local food delivery. Additionally, students that are facing food insecurity now can submit a form to Meal Exchange for food relief.
  • Posted Mar 23, 2020

New Issue: Sustainability: The Journal of Record

The last issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record is a special issue covering the 2019 AASHE Sustainability Award winners, including the second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Judy Walton. Additionally, the issue includes research about sustainability competencies among graduates.
  • Posted Feb 24, 2020

New Report: #RealCollege 2020: Five Years of Evidence on Basic Needs Insecurity

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice released a new report on the basic needs insecurity crisis that some college students face, which is based on a survey that has reached more than 330,000 students and 400 colleges and universities. Some key findings include 39 percent of respondents were food insecure in the prior 30 days, 46 percent of respondents were housing insecure in the previous year, and 17 percent of respondents were homeless in the previous year. While the report also includes programs and policies to support students' basic needs, it strongly recommends focusing on prevention rather than only responding to emergencies.
  • Posted Feb 17, 2020

Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development Report

This report is the result of the analysis of the second Global Survey on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development conducted by the International Association of Universities. It discusses the role that higher education institutions play in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Posted Feb 14, 2020

AASHE STARS Data Accuracy Video Series

The STARS Data Accuracy Video Series is a compilation of short videos that highlight tips and resources for submitting high-quality and accurate content for credits with high error rates. The series also contains a video describing differences between STARS 2.1 and 2.2, and a video that goes over where to find resources and support for conducting a STARS assessment.
  • Posted Feb 10, 2020

Introduction to Zero Carbon Online Course

Offered by the International Living Future Institute, this course is a one-hour introduction to carbon in the built environment, and what project teams should consider when pursuing their first Zero Carbon building.

Embodied Carbon Guidance Document

The International Living Future Institute has created the Embodied Carbon Guidance Document in order to provide practices and methodologies that help draw a common understanding of embodied carbon. This guidance seeks to help project teams quantify the reductions made within their projects and empower them to create measurable change in order to meet their climate action goals.
  • Posted Jan 21, 2020

Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform for higher education that houses best practices, course materials, and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, green funds and more. With advanced search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Jan 17, 2020

Higher Education for Sustainability

This book explores how higher education and sustainability interact in New Zealand, and argues that higher education at present may be contributing as much to unsustainability as it does to sustainability. It considers how education, and higher education in particular, works alongside a wide range of other life experiences to impact individuals’ attitudes and actions. In turn, it envisions a form of higher education that supports graduates to decide what their contribution to a sustainable future will be. This book addresses those aspects of higher education that are best suited to fostering the development of students’ abilities and dispositions to think deeply, critically and independently about the world.
  • Posted Jan 13, 2020

New Issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record

The latest issue includes case studies about Furman University's weatherization assistance program for community members, and equity and sustainability in higher education.
  • Posted Jan 6, 2020

Examining the Impact of Divestment from Fossil Fuels on University Endowments

This legal studies paper examines the impact of total or partial divestment on endowment values for all university types as well as a select group of institutions that are illustrative of their peers by endowment size.
  • Posted Jan 6, 2020

Report on Addressing the Climate Change and Poverty Nexus

This report makes recommendations for improving the ways in which the interrelated challenges of poverty and climate change are understood and addressed. Policy recommendations and tools are presented and discussed, based on the premise that improving the coherence and coordination of policy, institutional, financial and practical linkages between climate responses, poverty reduction and food security initiatives will contribute to greater integration of, and gains towards achieving, the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement targets. The report is intended to be a tool to support policy development and action by policymakers, government officials, development and humanitarian agencies, local level institutions and communities, and researchers.
  • Posted Dec 16, 2019

Rethinking Diversity Frameworks in Higher Education

With the goal of building more inclusive working, learning and living environments in higher education, this book seeks to reframe understandings of forms of everyday exclusion that affect members of nondominant groups on predominantly white college campuses.
  • Posted Dec 6, 2019

Climate Crisis Educational Resources

Developed by faculty from the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems, UC-CSU NXTerra is a resource for faculty from all disciplines seeking to enhance their teaching and learning about the climate crisis, critical sustainability and climate justice studies, both inside and outside the classroom.
  • Posted Dec 2, 2019

Creating Space for Democracy: A Primer on Dialogue & Deliberation in Higher Education

This primer offers a blueprint for achieving the civic mission of higher education by incorporating dialogue and deliberation into learning at colleges and universities. It aims to impart the power and impact of public talk, offers the insights and experiences of leading practitioners, and provides the grounding to adopt or adapt the models in their own settings to create educative spaces and experiences that are humanizing, authentic and productive.
  • Posted Dec 2, 2019

ICAN Report: Schools of Mass Destruction: American Universities in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex

Released by The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), “Schools of Mass Destruction: American Universities in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex", details the ways in which roughly 50 U.S. colleges and universities are supplying the scientific, technical and human capital necessary to maintain and expand weapons of mass destruction.
  • Posted Nov 25, 2019

NCSE Report on Climate Science Research

"Climate Science Research in the United States and U.S. Territories: Survey of Scientific Publications From Selected Public Universities (2014-2018)", released by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), provides a snapshot of the scope and focus of climate science-related research in selected public research institutions over the last five years across all 50 states and U.S. territories. NCSE analyzed the research of 80 public institutions from all 50 states and found that they had produced 10,004 studies on the impacts of climate change on their regions between 2014 and 2018. The report is intended as a resource to help decision-makers recognize the local salience of climate change and to develop policies that are responsive to the challenges facing their regions.
  • Posted Nov 25, 2019

New Issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record

The latest issue features a case report titled "Reflective Practices in Sustainability Education" and an article about systems-thinking modeling for zero carbon emissions in buildings.
  • Posted Nov 22, 2019

Proxy Carbon Life Cycle Cost Calculator Version 2.0

Version 2.0 of the spreadsheet calculator is available, which supports proxy carbon pricing based on life cycle cost analysis. The calculator was developed and is maintained by Smith College.
  • Posted Nov 15, 2019

RecycleMania: Activity Guide for Freshmen, Dorm Dwellers, and Student Leaders

This guide is for college and university students who wish to help their school participate in waste reduction and waste elimination measures, increase recycling, and take part in the spring RecycleMania competition. The guide provides activities and resources to engage RAs and new students, and to increase waste reduction and recycling practices among all students and faculty.

Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education

This encyclopedia serves as a tool to support universities across the world to implement sustainable development in higher education in a number of key areas. Five sections cover policy-making, visioning, structures, management and strategies; teaching, learning and competencies; research and transformation; campus greening, design, operations and carbon impacts; and student and stakeholder initiatives and involvement.
  • Posted Nov 11, 2019

Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, green funds and more. With advanced search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Nov 5, 2019

The Craft of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning: A Guide for Faculty Development

This book aims to provide a foundation and tools for faculty to craft a community-engaged course. The book provides a scope and sequence of information and skills ranging from an introduction to community engagement, to designing, implementing and assessing a course, to advancing the craft to prepare for promotion and tenure.
  • Posted Oct 17, 2019

Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use

This guide, published by AASHE and Root Solutions, aims to help sustainability practitioners understand, select and effectively apply behavioral interventions to reduce paper use.
  • Posted Oct 14, 2019

Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Version 2.2

The latest version of the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), version 2.2, features greater international relevance; allows institutions to highlight notable sustainability initiatives, called Points of Distinction; simplifies criteria for many credits; and awards points for engaging in a review-and-revision process before submitting a report. New participants will join under v2.2, while existing participants can upgrade to v2.2 right away or choose to report under v2.1 until Aug. 31, 2020.
  • Posted Oct 4, 2019

Sustainable Development Goals and Institutions of Higher Education

This book discusses the integration of the SDGs into higher education curricula. It presents implementations of the SDGs in university teaching, learning, research and development and offers applications and examples of how SDG studies promote technological innovations on campuses and in communities in which they exist.
  • Posted Oct 1, 2019

Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, green funds and more. With advanced search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Sep 23, 2019

Plowing, Sowing and Harvesting: Sustainable Educational Facilities (Resource in Spanish)

This publication for Spanish-speaking institutions shares lessons learned from efforts to transform educational institutions into sustainable spaces.

Democratic Engagement Action Plan Rubric

The rubric, published by Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, is designed to help self-assess campus democratic engagement action plans so in an effort to identify potential areas for improvement and build on existing strengths. It was developed to supplement the publication, Strengthening American Democracy: A Guide for Developing an Action Plan to Increase Civic Learning, Political Engagement, and Voter Participation Among College Students (2nd Ed.).
  • Posted Sep 9, 2019

A Guide for Developing an Action Plan to Increase Civic Learning, Political Engagement, and Voter Participation Among College Students

Strengthening American Democracy: A Guide for Developing an Action Plan to Increase Civic Learning, Political Engagement, and Voter Participation Among College Students, published by Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, is an improved and expanded guide designed to help faculty, staff and students write strong campus action plans to increase nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation among college students. It provides a framework for developing and documenting institutional goals and strategies. It is not meant to be prescriptive but adapted to institutional context.
  • Posted Aug 27, 2019

Diversity in Higher Education Information Technology Report

The report by College and University Professional Association for Human Resources highlights the need for higher education information technology (IT) to address the improvement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Findings from the report show that diversity among professionals working in higher education IT does not reflect the diversity of today’s college students. The field remains largely White (81 percent) and male (74 percent). Only 3 percent of professionals in the field are women of color. The report also includes demographic data disaggregated by age and region, as well as data around pay equity, length of service, and the pipeline into higher education IT.
  • Posted Aug 5, 2019

Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability Hub is a simple, intuitive and centralized platform that houses best practices, course materials and comprehensive lists including research centers and institutes, publications, green funds and more. With advanced search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Aug 2, 2019

Guide to Interactions Between Carbon Accounting, Institutional Goal Setting & Energy Procurement

This report provides a practical guide to institutional emissions and energy planning for administrators, managers and decision-makers. A key finding of this report is that institutions require an awareness and knowledge of three interlinked components: carbon accounting, institutional goal setting and energy procurement. Moreover, it identifies that setting institutional principles that reflect fundamental values and motivations is essential for developing a clear and consistent emissions and energy plan. Included in the report are useful links to outside resources and case studies of prior institutions that created energy and emission plans.
  • Posted Jul 22, 2019

New Issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record

The most recent issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record includes an interview with Shana Weber about Princeton's new sustainability action plan; and articles about LEED version 4.1 and global university rankings.
  • Posted Jul 22, 2019

Sustainable Development Goals Online Platform

The curated library, introduced by Taylor & Francis, has over 12,000 articles and chapters corresponding to the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as a selection of materials to help lecturers teach sustainability and enhance students’ satisfaction with their institutions.
  • Posted Jul 22, 2019

Circular Economy Learning Hub

Launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the immersive Learning Hub allows users to learn more about the circular economy through different learning paths using real-world case studies. Content begins at an introductory level by asking, what is the circular economy? Then it dives specifically into fashion, cities, artificial intelligence and food. There are dedicated sections for business engagement in the circular economy and communicating the circular economy.
  • Posted Jul 19, 2019

United We Dream: Higher Education Educators & Schools Toolkit

This toolkit was designed to help undocumented students and educator allies work with their institutions to increase the resources and support systems available to undocumented students at their school. Presented by United We Dream, this toolkit was created to provide examples for institutions to create sanctuary spaces for their students, parents and educators.
  • Posted Jul 15, 2019

New Campus Sustainability Hub Resources

The Campus Sustainability 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 search filtering, this key member benefit is designed to facilitate information sharing between campuses and organizations. Recently added publications include:
  • Posted Jul 2, 2019

Free UN Sustainable Development Courses

Seventeen universities have developed an initiative to educate learners about the SDGs. Coursera is the primary platform where online courses are offered for the general public to learn about one or more of the goals. Some of the courses provide a hands-on experience with an NGO or international organization who is working to achieve the SDGs through their work.
  • Posted Jun 24, 2019

Climate Champions Podcast

Launched in summer 2019 by the Sport Ecology Group, the first season of the Climate Champions Podcast is an 11-episode limited series featuring conversations about climate change, zero waste, carbon neutrality, energy conservation, climate adaptation, disaster recovery, ocean plastics and more. Dave Newport, director of the Environmental Center at CU Boulder and Monica Rowand, sustainability manager at University of Louisiana at Lafayette both provide an interview on the podcast.
  • Posted Jun 10, 2019