Sustainability

A definition of a sustainable community:

“Sustainable communities foster commitment to place, promote vitality, build resilience to stress, act as stewards, and forge connections beyond the community.” Northwest Policy Institute, Seattle, WA 

A definition of a sustainable campus:

"Sustainability implies that the critical activities of a higher education institution are (at a minimum) ecologically sound, socially just and economically viable, and that they will continue to be so for future generations. A truly sustainable college or university would emphasize these concepts in its curriculum and research, preparing students to contribute as working citizens to an environmentally sound and socially just society. The institution would function as a sustainable community, embodying responsible consumption of food and energy, treating its diverse members with respect, and supporting these values in the surrounding community.” University Leadership for a Sustainable Future, Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire

Some organizations working on sustainability in higher education:

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. The mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. The organization does this by providing resources, professional development, and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research. AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. AASHE is a member-driven, independent 501(c)(3). Membership in AASHE covers every individual at an institution.

Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future. The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) is the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration (1990), which has been signed by over 400 college and university presidents and chancellors worldwide. ULSF supports sustainability as a critical focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach in higher education through publications, research, and assessment.

Campus Sustainability Assessment Project. The Campus Sustainability Assessment project (CSAP) was founded in 1999 to address the limited availability of high-quality resources for supporting colleges and universities in evaluating their social and environmental performance. Through extensive surveys of the literature and the campus sustainability assessment (CSA) corpus, and through correspondence with leaders in the field, the CSAP identified "gaps" among available resources. Using this information, the CSAP research team has created materials to help close these "gaps."

Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership. Four international organizations with a strong commitment to making sustainability a major focus of higher education have formed the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP). The four founding partners of the initiative – the International Association of Universities, the University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, Copernicus Campus and UNESCO – combine forces in a unique effort to mobilize universities and higher education institutions to support sustainable development in response to Chapter 36 of Agenda 21. UNESCO has declared 2005-2014 as Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium. HEASC is an informal network of higher education associations (HEAs) with a commitment to advancing sustainability within their constituencies and within the system of higher education itself. The current member associations that make up HEASC see the need for developing in-depth capability to address sustainability issues through their associations and have decided to work together in this effort. HEASC hopes to involve all higher education associations to get the broadest perspectives and produce the greatest effectiveness and synergy in our efforts.

Second Nature: Education for Sustainability. Second Nature's mission is to accelerate movement toward a sustainable future by serving and supporting senior college and university leaders in making healthy, just, and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education.

Society for College and University Planning. SCUP is committed to supporting sustainability in higher education. The online sustainability statement has examples of the many things that the organization has done and is doing in this critical area. SCUP's publications and events programming routinely include sustainability-related knowledge, including enough workshops and concurrent sessions at its annual, international conference and idea marketplace to constitute a complete sustainability track.

A Special Initiative:

American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. With partners AASHE and Second Nature, ecoAmerica launched the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in March, 2007.  Since then over 675 schools in all 50 states with nearly 40% of America's higher education students have signed on to measure and report their emissions, take immediate steps to reduce them, and develop and implement a plan to go climate neutral. The strength of the effort also led to a partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative, giving signatories access to a $5 billion pool of financing for emissions reductions. The aggressive actions these institutions are taking powerfully demonstrate that we can address global warming in ways that are good for students, schools and communities.

Journals:

Digest of Sustainability in Higher Education. The new and freely-available annual digest of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE, documents growth in campus sustainability efforts across the US and Canada. The 230-page report features more than 800 examples of higher education institutions working towards greater sustainability, and covers education, research, campus operations, administration and finance. According to an AASHE statement: "The Digest offers ample evidence of a broadening and deepening of campus sustainability efforts, with more institutions of all types getting involved and campuses undertaking more significant measures than ever before to improve their sustainability performance."

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. The International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education is a fully-refereed academic journal. Published in conjunction with the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), the journal aims at addressing environmental management systems (EMS), sustainable development and Agenda 21 issues at higher education institutions, worldwide. It intends to act as an outlet for papers dealing with curriculum greening and methodological approaches to sustainability. In addition, the journal will report on initiatives aimed at environmental improvements in universities, and the increased competitiveness of self-regulatory mechanisms such as environmental auditing and maintaining EMS. IJSHE disseminates case studies, projects and programmes whilst still considering the market opportunities available.

Legislation:

Higher Education Sustainability Act (go to Part U). President George W. Bush signed into law on August 14, 2008 the Higher Education Sustainability Act (HESA), as part of the new Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Among other measures, the law creates a “University Sustainability Grants Program” at the Department of Education to promote the development and implementation of sustainability curricula, best practices and academic programs.