AASHE Webinar: STARS 2.2 Data Quality: Tips for Navigating Submission Review
This webinar, happening today, Jan. 19 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, is first in a series on data quality using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), this webinar aims to help institutions submit a high-quality report and ease within the submission review process. It will provide an overview of the collaborative review and revision process, share the latest data quality resources and best practices, and discuss common issues in credits and highlight ones most commonly misinterpreted. There will be a Q&A session and opportunities for peer networking.
AASHE 2022 Professional Learning Opportunities
AASHE is offering seven virtual, professional learning opportunities between February and June. These educational events aim to stimulate professional and personal growth for higher education sustainability leaders who drive change within their institutions. Workshop and course topics cover curriculum development, sustainability literacy, managing climate anxiety, and getting started with STARS. The lineup also includes a six-month, cohort-based, collaborative Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program and a Sustainability Leaders Impact Accelerator. Additional opportunities will be announced later in the year.
Student Corporate Engagement Competition
The Intentional Endowment Network’s Student Corporate Engagement Competition invites students to pitch an investment in a publicly-traded company, and include in that recommendation a shareholder engagement strategy focused on addressing inequality and the climate crisis. The deadline to sign up is Jan. 14.
Survey on Updating Curricula for Climate Solutions & Green Careers
The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) is collecting information on the decision-making process that occurs for curricula upgrades within higher education related to climate solutions and careers in sustainability. The survey will aid UNEP in organizing an event to help higher education connect with employers and organisations implementing climate solutions.
TheDream.US National Scholarship
The National Scholarship is for high school or community college graduates that have DACA or TPS, or meet TheDream.US immigration eligibility criteria and qualify for in-state tuition at one of TheDream.US partner colleges. An online college option is available. The scholarship is for up to $16,500 for an associate’s degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree.
AASHE 2022 Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program
The AASHE Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program is a six-month, virtual, hands-on, cohort-based collaborative program that trains participants in a diverse set of frameworks, tools and models for leading organizational change. One-on-one and collaborative coaching from faculty and peers will provide participants with ongoing support and feedback to design and implement a change management project at their institution. Applications are due by February 25, 2022.
ASLE Book Awards in Ecocriticism & Environmental Creative Writing
The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) will present book awards in two categories: the best book-length work of scholarly ecocriticism and the best book-length work of creative writing with an environmental theme. The awards include a prize of $500. Deadline for receipt of all submissions is March 21, 2022.
The MacJannet Prize
Established by the Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation, the MacJannet Prize recognizes and encourages exceptional student community engagement and community service, financially supports the ongoing work of university-based civic initiatives, elevates and disseminates innovative civic engagement program models and strengthens public support for the global civic engagement movement in higher education. Nominations are due March 30, 2022.
2022 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 New England. 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.
University Climate Ambassadors
The U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce encourages student changemakers to join the University Climate Ambassador program by signing the Global Climate Pledge. Student ambassadors will work to identify, support, broadcast and implement key sustainable initiatives via engagement of other students, student groups, campus administration and key stakeholders.
Global Sustainability Scholars Program
The Global Sustainability Scholars program brings together talented undergraduates for a paid summer immersive experience, where students travel abroad, conduct research, and build their professional network in real-world sustainability issues. The deadline to apply is Jan. 9, 2022.
2022 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge
Taking place from Jan. 1 2022 through July 1, 2022, the 2021 Freezer Challenge is a cold storage competition for laboratories offered by My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). Over this six month period, the challenge uses friendly competition to optimize sustainability of freezer management in laboratories. Any type of laboratory is eligible to participate.
The Newman Civic Fellowship
The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes and supports community-committed students who are changemakers and public problem-solvers at Campus Compact member institutions. Through the year-long fellowship, Campus Compact provides students with training and resources that nurture their assets and passions and help them develop strategies for social change. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 1, 2022.
2022 Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities
The Colby Summer Institute in Environmental Humanities gathers scholars to collectively explore how the environmental humanities contribute to the theorization, imagination and practice of socially just and ecologically hopeful futures for humans and nonhumans. The deadline to apply for the 2022 summer institute, happening in Maine, Aug. 1 - 7, 2022, is Feb. 1, 2022.
AASHE Workshop: From Climate Anxiety to Action: Cultivating a Radical Imagination for the Future
This three-hour workshop, happening on Feb. 10, 2022, presents a framework for teaching and tackling wicked problems through understanding the root causes of climate anxiety and grounding climate solutions through a lens of participatory design. In this workshop, participants will gain tools to name and work through feelings of climate anxiety, identify tangible solutions, and practice imagining a future worth fighting for through a hands-on design exercise that they can replicate at home and in their classroom or community.
AASHE 2022 Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program
The AASHE Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program is a six-month, virtual, hands-on, cohort-based collaborative program that trains participants in a diverse set of frameworks, tools and models for leading organizational change. One-on-one and collaborative coaching from faculty and peers will provide participants with ongoing support and feedback to design and implement a change management project at their institution.
SDG Action & Awareness Week
The University Global Coalition encourages universities and colleges to host a virtual event during the SDG Action and Awareness Week, happening Feb. 28 - March 4. Events must be free of charge and focus on a SDG-related topic. The University Global Coalition will help promote events.
AASHE Member Discount: 20% Off Preserve Products
AASHE members can receive a 20 percent discount on Preserve products through the online store. Preserve products range from food storage to tableware and personal care, all made from 100 percent recycled plastic or plant-based compostable materials. This discount expires Dec. 31.
AASHE 2022 Workshops
There are currently seven professional learning opportunities scheduled in 2022. Starting as early as February, these educational events are aimed at driving change for sustainability at higher education institutions. Workshop topics cover curriculum development, sustainability literacy, managing climate anxiety, and getting started with STARS. The lineup also includes a six-month, cohort-based, collaborative Sustainability Change Leadership Development Program and a Sustainability Leaders Impact Accelerator.
Campus Race to Zero Waste Mentorship Program
The Mentor MatchUp Program gives colleges and universities the opportunity to be matched up with a mentor campus to help them prepare and compete in the Campus Race to Zero Waste spring competition.
Crushing Pollution Video Challenge
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites students to submit videos showcasing innovation in pollution prevention at industrial and federal facilities. All videos must be submitted by March 1, 2022.
Call for Proposals: Farm to Institution Summit
Organizers for the Farm to Institution Midwest Summit, taking place Feb. 28 - March 4, 2022, invite proposals for online presentations focusing on one of the following key themes: local food procurement, strengthening community food systems, educating the next generation of food consumers, and U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Proposals are due by Dec. 13.
Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its partners have launched the Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students, which aims to enhance communities’ capacity to address environmental and public health inequities. The goals of the challenge are to: Inspire students at colleges and universities to work directly with communities in the identification and characterization of environmental justice challenges, and to help communities address environmental justice challenges and/or vulnerabilities to environmental and public health hazards. Submissions are due April 1, 2022.
Call for Case Studies: Climate Change Communication and Education
The Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project is seeking to fund case studies of innovative climate change communication and education. The case studies will assist the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project in better understanding quality change communication and education policy and/or practice. The proposal deadline is Jan. 4. 2022.
Second Nature Pro Bono Consulting
Climate Leadership Network signatories and University Climate Change Coalition members are eligible for pro bono consulting through Second Nature, in partnership with Customer First Renewable and Brailsford & Dunlavey, to support their campus climate work. This initiative provides pro bono support to campuses in two areas: 1) climate action planning or 2) shifting to renewable power. The deadline to apply is Jan. 5, 2022.
Request for Comment: AASHE STARS 3.0: Buildings & Grounds Credits
As part of the development process for the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) 3.0, AASHE is seeking public comment on the Buildings & Grounds credits slated for inclusion in the new version. AASHE encourages feedback from stakeholders who may have relevant expertise or interest in participating. Public comment is open through Dec. 31.
AASHE Member Discount: 30% Discount off Registration to WOHESC
AASHE members are eligible to receive 30 percent off registration to the Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC), happening March 2 - 4, 2022, both virtually and at South Seattle College in Seattle, Washington. The discount expires Feb. 28, 2022.
EPA 2021 Environmental Education Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education grants is now available under the 2021 Environmental Education Local Grant Program. EPA will award grants in each of EPA’s 10 Regions, for no less than $50,000 and no more than $100,000 each, for a total of 30-40 grants nationwide. Applications are due Dec. 6.
2021 AASHE Sustainability Awards Ceremony
This year’s virtual awards ceremony, happening Dec. 9, will celebrate 12 winners across five categories. During the live event, the fourth Lifetime Achievement Award winner will be announced, as well as the inaugural institutional winner of the Racial Equity and Sustainability Collaborations Award. Join the ceremony early for a chance to win a free AASHE workshop registration.
AASHE Member Discount: Half Off Subscription to Green Building & Design (gb&d) Magazine
AASHE members are eligible to receive half off ($30 value) of Green Building & Design's bimonthly publication, gb&d Magazine. Green Building & Design is a trade magazine that connects and inspires green building professionals by partnering with those at the forefront of sustainable design, development, planning and policy. This offer expires on Dec. 31.
Postdoctoral Diversity & Innovation Scholars Program
The Postdoctoral Diversity and Innovation Scholars program at the University of New Hampshire gathers a cohort of three to five underrepresented postdoctoral scholars who have a passion for teaching, research and public engagement within the context of a research university that values its commitment to the public good. The application period is open through Nov. 16.
Call for Papers: Justice & Equity Approaches to College and University Student Food (In)Security
The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development is seeking contributions for a special issue exploring topics including but not limited to: underlying factors contributing to student food insecurity; what groups within student populations tend to have higher rates of food insecurity; equity-based approaches to supporting food security for and with historically marginalized and underrepresented student populations; student-led approaches to addressing food insecurity; novel, radical, and systemic approaches for addressing student food insecurity that seek to move beyond emergency support strategies, such as pantries, dignity-based, sharing, and stigma-reducing strategies for student food security; and community-university/town-gown partnerships for addressing student food insecurity. The deadline is Feb. 28, 2022.
AASHE Member Discount: 20% Off Preserve Products
AASHE members can receive a 20 percent discount on Preserve products through the online store. Preserve products range from food storage to tableware and personal care, all made from 100 percent recycled plastic or plant-based compostable materials. This discount expires Dec. 31.
Request for Comment: STARS 3.0: Transportation
The public comment period for the Transportation section of STARS 3.0 is open through Oct. 31. STARS staff particularly welcome feedback from transportation managers, STARS liaisons and other stakeholders with an interest in sustainable transportation in higher education.
Wege Prize 2022
Wege Prize is an annual competition challenging students to collaborate across institutional, disciplinary and cultural boundaries to redesign the way economies work. Participants contend for over $65,000 in total cash prizes. The Wege Prize is organized by Kendall College of Art and Design’s Wege Center for Sustainable Design with support from the Wege Foundation. The deadline to submit a team application is Nov. 1.
Call for Video Messages From Higher Education Students
Students Organizing for Sustainability International invites students at higher education institutions to submit video messages that provide a critical and solution-focused perspective on how climate education is and should be integrated into the curriculum. The five best videos will be compiled into a 4-5 minute video that will be played for ministers and delegates at U.N. Environment Program and the Times Higher Education Climate Impact Forum on Oct. 28, ahead of COP26.
Complimentary SIMAP Tier 1 Subscription
New or renewing GRITS Unlimited subscribers will get a complimentary subscription to the SIMAP carbon and nitrogen accounting platform through Nov. 1. Current SIMAP users are also welcome to take advantage of this opportunity to expand their access.
