New Issue of Int'l Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
The latest issue of Emerald Group Publishing Limited's International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education features a research paper from Arizona State University titled, "Real-World Learning Opportunities in Sustainability: From Classroom into the Real World." The study analyzes the aim of academic sustainability programs to develop key competencies in sustainability including problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate successfully with experts and stakeholders. The new issue also includes a conceptual paper from the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, that highlights the importance of values and beliefs rooted in "non-Western" cultures in implementing global education initiatives like sustainable development at the regional and local levels.
Northwest Earth Institute's Human and Enviro Health Course Book
The Northwest Earth Institute has released a new discussion course book titled, "A World of Health: Connecting People, Place and Planet." The six-session resource explores the interaction between human and environmental health with readings by leading authors in the field, links to relevant educational video clips, short homework assignments with accompanying discussion questions and weekly What You Can Do lists.
SEED: American Association of Community Colleges Green Job Center
The American Association of Community Colleges, together with ecoAmerica, has launched a leadership initiative and resource center to provide guidance and resources for community colleges to reduce campus pollution and prepare students for careers in the emerging green economy. The SEED Center (Sustainability Education & Economic Development) is an online collection of free resources including curricula material and promising practices, as well as a place to for colleges to share information and interact with peers.
AASHE Debuts 'AASHE Bulletin' Database
AASHE has made available every published Bulletin story, event, opportunity and job listing in one searchable interface with the launch of the AASHE Bulletin database. The interface can be used to search for specific Bulletin items or to browse the database of published Bulletin items from 2008 to present. Users can search by issue date, story topic or date range. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
AASHE Interview Series: Ventex President Harrison Murphy
AASHE recently interviewed Ventex President Harrison Murphy, kicking off a new series of interviews with AASHE Business Leader Members and other selected businesses. Murphy talked about his company's commitment to sustainability and how he sees Ventex, which provides fire barrier and other highly engineered fabrics, contributing to campus sustainability efforts.
Food and Energy Systems Course Module
Creative Change Educational Solutions has developed a Food and Energy Systems course module for higher education institutions. Available through the organization's Curriculum and Resource Center, the unit provides enough instruction for six to nine weeks. Sample lessons include "Community Food Systems Map," "Energy Transfer in Food Chains" and "Life Before Ketchup," which explores the geographic origins of common foods to learn how trade has shaped food systems over time.
Second Nature Report: Teaching Concepts of Sustainable Building
Second Nature, with the U.S. Green Building Council, has released "Advancing Education for Sustainability: Teaching the Concepts of Sustainable Building to All Students." The strategy paper explores the role of the built environment in educating students about sustainability and provides guidance for higher education to integrate and practice strategies to teach students about sustainable building principles. Included in the paper is a set of core sustainable building concepts, examples of institutions that are successfully teaching their students about sustainability and an appendix of resources.
AASHE Campus Sustainability Case Studies
AASHE has released a campus sustainability case study database which features more than 60 case studies from across the U.S. and Canada. The case studies span all sectors of campus sustainability including campus operations, education and research, and planning, engagement and administration. The case study database was built in response to AASHE member demand and is intended to foster information sharing between campuses and serve as a useful resource for accelerating campus sustainability. The database also serves as a repository for case studies submitted as part of AASHE's campus sustainability case study awards program. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
AASHE List of Campus Supported Agriculture and Farms
AASHE has published a collection of campus farms and campus supported agriculture programs that are sources of sustainable food for the campus community. These CSA farms and programs supply locally grown food to campus eateries and members of the campus community. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
AASHE List of Campus Energy Dashboards
AASHE has published a new resource that lists building energy dashboards in use at colleges and universities. Energy dashboards monitor the energy consumption of a facility and can present the data to users in an interactive way. They may be physically available as touchscreens installed at kiosks in or near the facility being monitored, or made available online at a website. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
Second Nature, USGBC: Advancing Ed for Sustainability
Second Nature and the U.S. Green Building Council have released "Advancing Education for Sustainability: Teaching the Concepts of Sustainable Building to All Students." The paper explores the role of the built environment in educating students about sustainability. In addition to providing an appendix of action-oriented resources, the paper provides a core set of sustainable building concepts, examples of institutions that are successfully teaching their students about sustainability, and recommendations of steps that higher education institutions can take to provide students with the knowledge and skills to create a sustainable future.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has published Vol. 3, No. 4 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The August issue features an editorial about real-world sustainability education by Steven Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Also included in the new issue is a look at the rewards of eco-friendly measures for professional sports teams, and a paper from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University that seeks to lay out a strategy to achieve more widespread adoption of sustainability measurement.
AASHE Releases 'A Call to Action' for Higher Ed Sustainability
AASHE has released Sustainability Curriculum in Higher Education: A Call to Action, a culmination of the ideas presented during AASHE’s Summit on Sustainability in the Curriculum , held February 25-27, 2010 in San Diego, Calif. The meeting brought together faculty from public and private four-year colleges and universities, two-year community colleges, and representatives from higher education organizations to address how higher education institutions can further infuse sustainability topics into college and university curricula. The 13-page report is available free from the AASHE website.
AASHE List of Campus Stormwater Policies
AASHE has published a new resource that lists campus stormwater policies and procedures. This new resource exists independently of water conservation policies, which can be found within general Campus Water Conservation Policies. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
BioCycle Collects Composting Curriculum Stories
BioCycle's July issue features case studies of campuses that have tied composting into academic programs. Projects featured in the composting and organics recycling magazine include Allegheny College's (PA) in-vessel composting operation for food scraps; Appalachian State University's (NC) pilot aerated static pile project; Clark University's (MA) student-initiated composting lectures and labs opportunities; Guilford College's (NC) in-vessel composting program to manage food and other compostable waste from the dining hall; Murray State University's (KY) compost and gardening program; and the University of Georgia's composting research initiatives.
AASHE List of Campus Community Gardens
AASHE has published a new resource that lists institutions that have campus community gardens that use organic gardening techniques. Nearly 100 institutions in the U.S. and Canada are currently represented. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
New Issue of Int'l Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
The latest issue of Emerald Group Publishing Limited's International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education features a case study from Univeristi Sains Malaysia about the creation of an MBA program in sustainable development. The study includes examples and ideas for promoting sustainable development for the business community. The new issue also includes sustainability stories from Japan and New Delhi universities.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has published Vol. 3, No. 3 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. David B. Goldstein presents an energy-efficient alternative to a future of continued oil use in the editorial, "Save More, Spill Less," and the University of Maryland, College Park is profiled for its sustainability efforts. Also included in the new issue is an interview with Wildlife Conservation Society's J. Carter Ingram and a book review of Joan Fitzgerald's "Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development."
AASHE List of Sustainability Study Abroad Programs
AASHE has published a new resource that lists institutions with active sustainability study abroad programs (general and discipline-specific). Also included are sustainability-centered study abroad programs offered by study abroad organizations. The resource is available to AASHE members and non-members.
Pennsylvania State U Water Conservation Booklet
Water resource educators with Pennsylvania State University's Cooperative Extension outline how water is wasted, why it is important to stop the waste cycle, and what communities and individuals can do to save water in a new water conservation booklet titled “Water Conservation for Communities.” The publication targets officials and residents served by community water systems, and features a chart that outlines the correlation between saving water and lowering electricity costs.
AASHE Interview Series: UCSD Sustainability Coord Maggie Souder
AASHE recently interviewed University of California, San Diego's Sustainability Coordinator, who talked about her work promoting sustainability at the university, the different ways that she incorporates the social dimensions of sustainability into her work, and gave advice to others in her position who are just starting out.
AASHE Releases 2009 Annual Report
AASHE has released the AASHE 2009 Annual Report , an annual summary of highlights from the association's national efforts to make higher education institutions more sustainable. Of note in 2009 is AASHE's launch of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) and the Business Alliance Program. The 16-page report is available free from the AASHE website.
Sustainability a Major Theme in IBM College Student Survey
In a new multi-national study conducted by IBM's Institute for Business Value, globalization and sustainability were persistent themes among college students. The research compared the views of 3,600 college and graduate students in 40 countries with 1,541 CEOs in 60 countries. When asked for a ranking of factors that would impact organizations over the next five years, 55 percent of students chose globalization while only 23 percent of CEOs did. Students were also more than twice as likely as CEOs to expect major consequences from scarcity of resources such as energy and water. That divergence of opinion was most evident among North American students, who were three times as likely as CEOs to state that they expected a significant impact. That same geographic group was also 54 percent more likely to say that customer expectations for social responsibility would increase significantly.
Global Warming a Serious Problem, Says 71% of College Students
A 2010 survey of American college students initiated by the Panetta Institute for Public Policy found that 71 percent of students consider global warming a very to somewhat serious problem. Since 2001, the Panetta Institute has sponsored a yearly survey of U.S. college students that explores a range of issues, from sustainability to interest in public service.
NCAA Environmental Sustainability Practices Survey
Eighty percent of key decision makers in NCAA athletic departments have a positive perspective toward developing environmental initiatives, according to a survey conducted by Falmouth, Massachusetts-based ProGreenSports. The second annual survey of green practices within NCAA departments revealed that almost 40 percent of the departments have formed internal "green teams," almost twice the number in 2009. More than 35 percent have developed or are actively considering the development of short term and long term sustainability goals. Decision makers in more than 70 NCAA athletic departments participated in the May 2010 survey.
AASHE Releases Annual Review of Sustainability in Higher Ed
AASHE has released AASHE Digest 200 9, an annual review of sustainability in higher education. The 380-page report, available free from the AASHE website, includes over 1,250 stories that appeared in the weekly AASHE Bulletin last year. Initiatives from nearly 600 higher education institutions are organized into 24 chapters, spanning education and research, campus operations, and administration and finance. In addition, the publication contains over 110 new campus sustainability resources that were released in 2009.
New Report on Green Building Trends in Higher Education
American campuses now host more than 3,000 LEED-registered projects, according to a new white paper released by Yudelson Associates titled "Green Building Trends in Higher Education." These efforts represent 15 percent of the total of all LEED projects. The four campuses with the most LEED project registrations include the University of Florida; Harvard University (MA); the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of Washington.
Recording of Engaging Students in STARS
AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) has posted a recording of its most recent webinar, "Engaging Students in STARS: A Student and Staff Perspective." The recording gives a detailed overview of how to engage students in STARS, including first-hand experiences from a student perspective, lessons learned and best practices, connecting students with stakeholders, and having fun while getting valuable work done.
STARS How-To Videos for Reporting Tool
AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) has launched a series of how-to videos to help guide participants through using the STARS Reporting Tools. The videos are approximately three minutes in length and provide detailed information about specific features of the Tool. Current videos include: Logging into the STARS Reporting Tool and Adding Users to a STARS Report. Additional videos will be posted as they become available.
STARS Template PowerPoint
AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) has published a template PowerPoint presentation to help spread the word about STARS on campus and learn more about the program. The STARS Overview Presentation is available to STARS participants and non-participants.
U Montana Study on 4-Day Work Week
The University of Montana has released a study on the financial benefits, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings, and consequences of a 4-day work week. As part of the study, 17 higher education institutions that have studied or implemented a 4-day week responded to a set of common questions on the topic. Identified benefits included increase in staff morale and productivity, less use of sick leave, and monetary energy consumption savings. No academic issues or consequences were reported. Obstacles listed included accommodation of childcare issues, class scheduling, getting buy-in from Boards of Trustees and the state legislature, and clarification of holiday pay issues.
Report on College Env'l Management Systems
The Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2) has released its 2010 Survey of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) at Colleges and Universities . The report found that EMS implementation at U.S. colleges and universities has increased over 300 percent since 2006 when a similar survey was conducted. Other findings include: the overwhelming EMS priority continues to be compliant with applicable environmental regulations, such as hazardous waste requirements; accountability and management review – based on the establishment of formal objectives and targets – was seen as the single most important factor leading to positive changes; and more than 40 percent of respondents reported that sustainability is being addressed within the scope of their EMS. More than 150 individuals from 133 colleges and universities responded to the 2010 survey.
Webinar Recording: Enhancing Energy Conservation
Pulse Energy has posted a recording of its recent webinar, "Enhancing Energy Conservation and Efficiency with Occupant Engagement." The webinar gives an overview of approaches to enabling occupancy engagement on energy conservation in commercial and institutional buildings, discusses the role energy information systems can play to support your employee and student engagement, and offers tips and practical suggestions for supporting your constituents in changing their energy consumption.
AASHE Resource on Example Sustainability Officer Job Descriptions
AASHE has added and updated a significant number of example sustainability officer job descriptions to its Campus Sustainable Officers Example Job Descriptions resource. Positions listed in the resource have been broadened to include those related to communications, green building, and recycling. These updates were provided by the results of AASHE's 2010 Campus Sustainability Staffing Survey (official results of the Survey will be released soon).
College Planning & Management - Green Issue
The April issue of College Planning & Management is focused on sustainability this year and provides information and examples on green building and sustainable campus planning. Topics covered include education for sustainability at the University of California, San Diego (“Learning Green” by Rex Graham); repurposed materials for buildings at Johnson State College (VT) (“A New Use for Old Wood Bleachers” by Tonya West); and green IT at campuses across the country (“IT Is Easy Being Green” by Rhonda Morin). The issue also features an article on the importance of leadership from senior administrators in embedding a sustainability perspective into the culture of the institution ("The Commitment to Change" by Tony Cortese and Georges Dyer).
New Issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has published Volume 3, Number 2 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The new issue features a roundtable on sustainability in graduate schools, an article on campus sustainability through civic engagement at the University of Wyoming, and a book review of Boldly Sustainable: Hope and Opportunity for Higher Education in the Age of Climate Change .
New Journal of Sustainability Education
The Institute for Sustainable Social Change and the Prescott College (AZ) PhD Program in Sustainability Education has released its inaugural edition of the Journal of Sustainability Education ( JSE ) . JSE seeks to serve as a forum for academics and practitioners to share, critique, and promote research, practices, and initiatives that foster the integration of economic, ecological, and social-cultural dimensions of sustainability within formal and non-formal educational contexts. JSE is a peer-reviewed, open access trans- and interdisciplinary e-journal. Each issue will include research and practice feature articles, professional and news reports of projects and initiatives, opinion pieces, announcements of educational and research opportunities, and book and other media reviews.
Whitepaper on "Green" Paper Campus Initiatives
The Environmental Paper Network has released Paper Steps on Campus: Nine Steps to Protecting the Climate and Reducing Waste . The whitepaper, which was produced in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, Recycling Organizations of America, and the Repaper Project, includes nine steps to help green campus paper use and purchasing, campus case studies, tips on how to increase involvement, and resources where you can find more information about paper purchasing policies.
Whitepaper on the Importance of Sustainability to Colleges
Chapter 8 of Aramark Higher Education's Presidential Perspectives Series comprises a whitepaper entitled, "Sustainability, A Strategic Imperative for Colleges and Universities." The release, written by President Dr. Thomas J. Haas of Grand Valley State University (MI), discusses the application of sustainability principles on campus as it relates to education for sustainability, student involvement, and community engagement.
AASHE Webinar Recording on Higher Ed & COP15
AASHE has posted the recording of a recent webinar entitled, "Higher Education and COP15 - What Happened, and Now What?" The webinar focused on the implications for higher education from the 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference and 15th “Conference of the Parties” (COP 15). An interdisciplinary team of Dickinson College students and faculty who attended the climate negotiations as part of a 'Kyoto to Copenhagen' course presented. In the webinar, the students discuss how higher education and its community members can show climate leadership on campus as individuals and as an industry, and the importance of using our success in climate change reporting and emissions reductions plans to strengthen national and international progress on these issues.
AASHE Business Member Directory
A directory of AASHE's business members (nearly 150 companies) is now available to the public. Businesses are organized by product and service category so that users can easily browse the list to find what they need. Additionally, links are provided to pages that list a company’s higher education products or clients, for user reference. The directory also identifies companies whose sole focus is higher education. AASHE hopes this becomes a valuable tool in advancing campus sustainability efforts.
Princeton Review Releases Guide to Green Colleges
The Princeton Review, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has announced the release of "The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges" - a guidebook solely focused on institutions of higher education who have demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities, and initiatives. The publication, which is available for free download, looks at an institution's commitment to building certification using USGBC's LEED green building certification program, environmental literacy programs, formal sustainability committees, use of renewable energy resources, recycling, and conservation programs.
New Issue of Intl Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
The International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education has released a special issue on "Sustainability in Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Developments, Challenges and Prospects." The new issue includes stories on Japan, the South Pacific Island nations, India, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
List of Campus Green Cleaning Programs and Policies
AASHE has published a new resource that lists campus green cleaning policies and programs that exist independently of other campus sustainability plans. The new resource is only available to AASHE members.
Special Journal Edition: Educating for Ecological Sustainability
The Ometeca Journal, a scholarly publication devoted to the relations of the humanities and science, has published a special 400-page double issue on Educating for Ecological Sustainability. The goal of the special edition is to provide readers with a compendium of insights and strategies for transforming academic disciplines, pedagogical practices, and our larger educational vision. Articles include "Education for Sustainability: Scholarship at the Intersection of the Arts, Humanities, and Sciences," "Preparing Future Generations: Climate Change, Sustainability and the Moral Obligation of Higher Education," "Teaching Sustainability as a Living Practice: A Place-Based Course of Intellect, Heart, and Behavior," "Green Chemistry as a Central Area for Interfaces between the Humanities and Sciences," "Starting a Farm at Your School," "Educating for Ecological Sustainability in Political Science," and more.
Video of Panel Discussion on Sustainability
On March 2, 2010, Furman University (SC) hosted a panel discussion titled “Greening our World: Sustainable Colleges, Corporations and Communities.” The discussion, moderated by former New York Times environmental reporter Andrew Revkin and featuring former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Christine Todd Whitman as one of five panelists, is now available for viewing online.
AASHE Interview: Cynthia Klein-Banai, U Illinois Chicago
AASHE has posted a new installment of its interview series. This week’s interview is with Cynthia Klein-Banai, who works as the associate chancellor for sustainability at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the interview, Klein Banai discusses her work promoting sustainability, the many ways students are involved in the work of the sustainability office, and the different approaches UIC takes to raise money to support the sustainability efforts of the campus.
AASHE Interview: Sustainability Manager, U Washington
AASHE has posted a new iteration of its Interview Series. The new interview is with JR Fulton, who works as the Capital Planning and Sustainability Manager for Housing & Food Services (HFS) at the University of Washington. In the piece, Fulton offers advice to others in his position just getting started, discusses the areas he sees as the biggest room for growth in the campus sustainability field, and talks about how he is involved in efforts to advance sustainability in curricula at UW.
Green Campus Toolkit
Reverb has launched a new website that features its new Campus Consciousness Toolkit. The Toolkit lists organizations that offer funding resources, sustainability rating tools, how to guides, case studies, and student fellowships.
New Issue of Sustainability: Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has released Volume 3, Number 1 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The new issue includes a roundtable on campus environmental activism; an interview with the sustainability coordinator at Universiti Sains Malaysia; a piece on the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System; and a sustainability program profile of Ball State University (IN).
