Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (2006; Philadelphia; 18 staff; www.aashe.org)
A professional higher education association working towards more sustainability in the campus community. Seeks to “empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation” by enabling institutions “to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research.” Sustainability is defined as “encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations.” Conducts an annual Higher Education Sustainability Review highlighting achievements of >60 institutions worldwide, sponsors STARS (Sustainable Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) to measure sustainable performance, organizes the annual Sustainability Awards, and holds annual conferences with ~2000 participants to empower higher education sustainability professionals.
Projects:
- Campus Sustainability Hub – Gives members to access toolkits and resource collections about all aspects of sustainability in higher education, from academics to operations to governance.
- Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) – A transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. Offers its own report and data library.
Education and Events:
- Conference & Expo – An annual event that with about ~2,000 participants to exchange effective models, policies, research, collaborations and transformative actions that advance sustainability in higher education and surrounding communities.
- Workshops – Provide hands-on training and skill-building for sustainability leaders in higher education.
- Webinars – Allows AASHE members to learn about and share approaches for advancing sustainability in higher education covering everything from academics to campus operations.
Publications:
- Annual reports
- Blog and news
- The Bulletin – A weekly news and information source for the higher education sustainability community.
- A library of publications on higher education sustainability issues including focused reports, how-to guides and benchmarking tools
- HIGHLIGHTS:
- Aggregating Higher Education Demand for Renewables: A Primer (2018, 15p.) – This publication highlights the benefits of aggregating energy demands to source renewable energies by describing best practices for pursuing group.
- The Sustainable Campus Index – An annual report that highlights the most sustainable colleges and universities in 17 impact areas and overall by institution type, as measured by STARS. See the 2018 edition (80p.)
Leadership: Meghan Fay Zahniser (Executive Director)
Budget: ~$2.3m (2017)