Sustainability Culture Survey
A doctoral candidate at the Florida Institute of Technology is conducting a research study on strategic organizational sustainability. The study is an organizational culture questionnaire gauging the level of perceived integration of triple bottom line (economic, social, and environmental) sustainability practices within organizations. All answers will be kept confidential and only people involved in this study will have access to the material.
UN SDG Action Awards
The U.N. SDG Action Awards aim to highlight projects that scale up, broaden and sustain the global movement of action for the Sustainable Development Goals. Applications are due by May 25.
Soliciting Feedback on Recommendations for Improving Commuting Data Collection
Second Nature and the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute have co-facilitated a working group of sustainability professionals representing ten different higher education institutions. The purpose of the group is to improve data collection and reporting related to commuting impacts in higher education, identify opportunities for standardization across inventory tools (SIMAP) and reporting platforms (e.g., Second Nature, AASHE STARS), and to ultimately improve the comparability and accuracy of greenhouse gas inventories. The working group has produced recommendations and tools and is seeking feedback.
AASHE Sustainability Awards Call for Submissions
Applications and nominations for a 2020 AASHE Sustainability Award are due May 15. There will be 11 award winners selected from across four categories recognizing individuals and initiatives that are advancing sustainability in higher education. The suite of prizes includes a complimentary pass to AASHE's annual conference.
COV-AID Student Engagement Award
The COV-AID (Communities of Virtual Alliance & Inter-Dependence) Student Engagement Award is a pilot grant program to respond to the unfolding global pandemic caused by the new coronavirus. The award will publicly recognize and support undergraduate students who are currently engaged in their local communities in ways that contribute to more equal and more inclusive societies. There will be 10 awardees selected to receive $2,500 each. Applications are due June 1.
AASHE Sustainability Awards Call for Submissions
Applications and nominations for a 2020 AASHE Sustainability Award are due May 15. There will be 11 award winners selected from across four categories recognizing individuals and initiatives that are advancing sustainability in higher education. Winners receive a complimentary pass to AASHE's annual conference, a plaque from Rivanna Natural Designs, and an opportunity to present a session at the 2020 conference and a 2021 webinar.
Call for Nominations: Ideas Worth Teaching Awards
An initiative of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, the Ideas Worth Teaching Awards highlight teaching that prepares students with the content, skills and mindset to respond to the complexity and rapidly changing issues embedded in our economic and social systems. This year’s awards will focus on individual courses and recognize educators creating movement and change in business education. The deadline to nominate a course is May 8.
Interactive Online Poetry Project Honoring Earth Day
Earth Stanzas is an interactive poetry project in honor of Earth Day to which anyone can contribute. Hosted by The Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminar and the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, Earth Stanzas draws on the inspiration of eight poets who engage the beauty, depth and interconnectedness of the Earth.
Earth Day at 50: Teach-Outs
To honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the University of Michigan has organized a Teach-Out, an intergenerational and interdisciplinary conversation about what sustainability means across different sectors, disciplines and lived experiences. Participants will explore themes related to global sustainability efforts, climate change and environmental justice. The Teach-Out is available for free from April 6-30.
NWF EcoLeaders Equity & Justice Graduate Student Research Fellowship
The NWF EcoLeaders Equity and Justice Fellow will support the growth and development of EcoLeaders and EcoCareers programs based on research of best practices in the field, stakeholder engagement, and the development of a proposal for strategies moving forward. Fellows receive a $3,000 stipend. The fellowship begins in May and lasts for about 4-6 months. The deadline to submit is April 20.
Rachel Carson Council Fellowship Program
The Rachel Carson Council Fellowship program trains fellows to do environmental organizing and advocacy work on their campus and in their community while gaining important grassroots organizing skills. The fellowship is for the 2020-21 academic year and offers a $2,000 stipend. Applications are due May 1.
Call for Submissions: 'Sustainability' Journal
Submissions are invited for a special issue in the journal Sustainability called “Environmental Justice and Sustainability”. The special issue aims to examine how sustainability strategies intersect with or obscure racial inequalities, social hierarchies, environmental rights, housing segregation, and spaces of advantage and disadvantage.
Call for Applications/Nominations: EE 30 Under 30
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) invites applications and nominations for the EE 30 Under 30. People recognized with this honor use environmental education to address social and environmental issues. All winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2020 NAAEE Annual International Conference in Tucson, Arizona, from Oct. 14-17, 2020.
Turning Green 30-Day Virtual Classroom
Launching April 1 and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, this 30-day lesson plan aims to inform and inspire students through hands-on environmental education.
AASHE Sustainability Awards: Call for Submissions
Each year, AASHE gives 11 awards across four categories to those at the forefront of higher education sustainability. The award categories recognize sustainability achievements by individuals and institutions as well as high impact research on campus sustainability. Submissions and nominations are due on May 15.
Students PIRGS: Pledge To Stay Home
Student PIRGs invites students to take the #PledgeToStayHome, which means committing to staying home unless absolutely necessary, hosting video calls with friends and promoting the pledge on social media.
24-Hour Earth Day 2020 Virtual Event
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network has organized a 24-hour webinar event on April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It is broken into two 12-hour events. It will explore the Sustainable Development Goals through the lens of well-being and happiness.
Solve Climate by 2030: A Virtual Teach-In
On Tuesday, April 7, the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, along with university and college partners, is convening conversations focused on solving climate change by 2030. The event features 52 simultaneous, university-hosted webinars with varying start times by state. Faculty and teaching instructors are encouraged to make a class about climate by assigning students to watch their state's webinar, then discuss it in the next class. Solve Climate offers teaching guides for discussion. International universities are welcome to participate.
Sunrise School: Four-Day Training: Green New Deal & Coronavirus
Sunrise School is an online training program designed to train thousands of young leaders in movement building. Beginning March 24 and with three different time slots to choose from, Sunrise School is offering a four-day training about the Green New Deal, how the coronavirus crisis fits into it and potential next steps.
Sign-On Letter: Green Stimulus Proposal
This open letter and call to action for the members of the U.S. Congress focuses on the longer-term challenges associated with economic recovery and transition to a sustainable economy after COVID-19. Written by climate and social policy experts in academia and civil society, the letter proposes a suite of solutions aimed at creating green jobs, increasing standards of living, transitioning justly away from fossil fuels and more. The proposal is aligned with the "5 Principles for Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus" and includes providing funding to higher education for climate risk management and green economy training programs.
Now Online & Rate Reduced: Fair Trade Campaigns 2020 National Conference
The Fair Trade Campaigns 2020 National Conference, March 18-21, is now virtual and registration has been reduced to $75. The conference will highlight intersections between sustainability, social justice and Fair Trade, and explore solutions for a just and sustainable future through keynotes and breakout sessions. Registration allows for real-time access and access to any of the sessions for 60 days.
Sustainability Leadership Storytelling Scholarship
The U.S. Green Building Council‘s Living Standard campaign and Center for Green Schools invite applications from high school seniors or college undergrads for a post-high school education scholarship in the amount of $2,500 for first place and $1,000 for runner-up. Applications should focus on how students are leading on sustainability in their schools and communities. The deadline to submit is April 12.
#MakeClimateAClass National Power Dialog
The Center for Environmental Policy at Bard College is catalyzing a nationwide series of campus and community Power Dialogs on April 7. Organized by Solve Climate By 2030, dialogs will spotlight how transforming global energy and transportation in the 2020s will get us on the path to climate stabilization by 2030. On the evening of April 7, 52 simultaneous, university-hosted webinars will air, one in every state as well as in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Faculty and teaching instructors are encouraged to make a class about climate by assigning students to watch their state's webinar, then discuss it in the next class.
Earth Day Ecochallenge
Earth Day Ecochallenge is a 30-day environmental and social engagement program, developed and managed by Northwest Earth Institute. From April 1 - 30, participants select actions to take that align with their values and make a 30-day commitment to complete those actions, while reinforcing more sustainable habits.
Request to Help Support the Student Sustainability Survey
Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS) International is organizing a survey of student opinions and attitudes towards sustainability. The survey is intended for all students, not just students involved in or learning about sustainability. SOS is seeking universities and student organizations to communicate the survey to students in return for the data. The survey will be open from April 1 - 30, 2020. SOS International will provide support (promotional materials, response rate updates, etc.) to organizations that can help share this survey with students. Those able to help distribute the survey should email sandi@sos.earth.
AASHE Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum Workshops
There are nine curriculum workshops to choose from on topics ranging from climate anxiety in the classroom to environmental justice to food and health. Additionally, there are workshops designed for any faculty to introduce sustainability content in any course or to develop a new course. Event types also vary from online to in-person.
Defend Our Future Campus Ambassador
Defend Our Future's Campus Ambassador program encourages applications from students who want to help build networks by recruiting new volunteers and supporters, deepen relationships with allies and local businesses alike, and encourage lawmakers to act boldly to solve one of the greatest challenges of our time. Selected ambassadors will receive a stipend, support with organizing and communication, and afforded an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., to meet lawmakers.
2020 Artists & Climate Change Incubator
The Artists & Climate Change Incubator, happening May 5 - 9, is open to artists, activists, scientists and educators who want to engage or further their engagement with climate change through artistic practices. During this five-day intensive think-tank workshop, participants will interact with guest speakers from the natural and social sciences who have in-depth knowledge of the Florida climate context, with a special focus on the built environment.
Second Nature Climate Solutions Acceleration Fund
Colleges and universities who are Second Nature Climate Leadership Network signatories and/or members of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) are eligible to apply for small-grant funding ($5,000-$10,000) through the Climate Solutions Acceleration Fund. The fund is dedicated to supporting the scaling of climate action acceleration activities of colleges and universities. This round will fund between 5-10 proposals. The deadline to apply is April 3.
Net Impact Food Solutions Challenge
The 2020 Food Solutions Challenge is an event series and case competition using target 2.3 of goal 2 of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, which states, "by 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women". Students anywhere are invited to host a campus or community event to find solutions to this challenge. Net Impact will provide training, resources and support to successfully develop solutions that impact female smallholder farmers worldwide. There is a $10,000 grand prize, and $2,500 and $1,000 prize to runners-up.
2020 Ford College Community Challenge
The 2020 Ford College Community Challenge encourages college students to develop creative community-building projects that address local needs, around the theme Making Lives Better by Building Sustainable Communities. Up to 10 winning proposals will be selected to receive $25,000 each. Winning student proposals must consider, in a unique way, a tangible, unmet community need, tied to one or more of the following categories: mobility, water, social enterprise, safety, workforce development and community need. Proposals are due April 1.
2020 ALPINE Summer Institute
The ALPINE (Academics for Land Protection in New England) Summer Institute program is designed for undergraduates, graduate students and young professionals to learn more about the theory and practice of large land conservation in the early twenty-first century. Staffed by experts in the field of land conservation, the institute is also designed to encourage the students to consider how land conservation might become a significant focus of their professional careers and volunteer commitments over the course of their lives.
Call for Submissions: 'Sustainability' Journal
Submissions are encouraged for a special issue in the journal Sustainability called “The Role of Universities in Regional Transitions towards Sustainability”. The special issue aims to bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of the role of universities in regional transitions towards sustainability. The manuscript deadline is Dec. 31.
