Institutions of higher education (IHEs) may seem to be doing just fine in these uncertain times: enrollments continue to increase; students are graduating in record numbers; and funding appears to be relatively stable. Unfortunately there is a flip side to this assessment: tuition is increasing well beyond inflation and income growth; preparedness for the workplace continues to slip making the value of the degree drop; and state and federal funding (direct and indirect) are dropping and will likely drop even more in the future. As I look at the future of higher education I see three things institutions must do better to survive (not just succeed but survive). In thinking about this my list began with RELEVANCE and RESPONSIBILITY so I thought if I added another “R” word I could slip a “3R’s” into the framework. I admit I struggled with the third “R” and after rejecting “resilient, rigorous, realistic, and re-envisioned,” I chose RELATIONSHIPS. Below I argue that these elements are essential to the future of higher education – and three elements most likely for failure.

Higher education will only succeed if it is RELEVANT in its programs and in its research to the needs of society and the needs of students. IHE’s must provide their graduates with the skills and knowledge to solve the vexing problems we face as a society. These problems include addressing climate change, not only through mitigation but also through adaptation. These programs will include those that specifically address technological solutions (i.e. green jobs) as well as those that ensure that all students have a citizen’s knowledge and skills to create a sustainable society. IHEs must ensure that their graduates can solve problems through systems thinking, understanding consequences, and multi-generational considerations. Programs must also meet the needs of the individual for a personally fulfilling life that include entrepreneurial opportunities for economic success and personal needs for intellectual fulfillment that fit into a sustainable society. In addition, IHEs should direct the research they support towards the production of knowledge that solves those vexing problems and helps us understand how to live sustainably.

A relevant IHE is in part a RESPONSIBLE IHE but responsibility requires more. IHEs need to be responsible in their practices, their purchases, and their investments. IHEs play a special role in modeling professional behavior to the professionals-in-training (students) that they prepare. From the facilities they provide to the chemicals they use, IHEs provide examples of how to behave (or not behave) to create a sustainable future. Likewise, the purchasing choices of IHEs model decision-making as well as create (or fail to create) opportunities for sustainable supply chains. The choices made by IHEs in how they invest their billions of dollars of endowments can support (or fail to support) technologies and services that will create the sustainable future. As important the practices, purchases, and investments are in demonstrating responsibility, the key responsibility of institutions is to wisely use the funds they collect to educate their students. If IHEs are to meet their social (and fiscal) responsibilities, they must develop strategies that provide affordable, relevant, rigorous education to their students.

Finally, (although I would invite you to add additional “R’s”) it is important that IHEs recognize, cultivate and support RELATIONSHIPS with the outside world. Public relations and alumni relations are typically the relationships most valued by IHEs, but many IHEs have found that community relationships (be it the local community or the international community) are the most difficult (and often the most important) to establish and maintain. The hardest part about community relationships is that (unlike public relations) they require as much listening as they do speaking and IHEs are not typically the best listeners. Nonetheless, without community relationships, IHEs will lose the support and the context they need to succeed over the long run.

In most of the world, higher education is held in high regard and supported in a variety of ways. As both a public good (society benefits) and a private good (individuals benefit), higher education is scrutinized from both perspectives. Failure to provide social and individual benefits (i.e. to be relevant) will lead to institutional failure. Failure to meet social and individual responsibilities will also lead to institutional failure. Failure to develop the necessary relationships that ensure relevance will lead to failure. Attention to sustainability throughout an institution can resolve the failures of relevance, responsibility and relationships. Time is of the essence.

It’s that time of year again -- the time for delegates from all over the world to talk climate change and what we can do about it as a global citizenry. COP-17, the 17th annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)’s Conference of Parties (COP), kicked off yesterday in Durban, South Africa’s third largest city. From November 28 to December 9, 194 parties convene to discuss global solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adopt resolutions to strategically address climate change.

Over two decades after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was organized in 1988, COP-17 convenes this year to build upon the meetings from previous years, from the first meeting in Berlin in 1993 to last year’s COP-16 in Cancun. At the end of each conference, the parties come up with a set of decisions and resolutions which are archived here.

On the agenda this year is to continue talking about how to implement the much-belabored Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding emissions reduction targets among other goals for industrialized countries. Formally adopted 14 years ago, the Kyoto Protocol remains a touchy topic among developed countries including the US which remains the only signatory that refuses to ratify the treaty.

For those of us who couldn’t make it to the bustling sea port of Durban this year, we can get a taste of the proceedings virtually. The schedule is packed with speeches, workshops, and tours, ranging from a discussion on how social sciences are affected by a changing climate to a veganism gala with prominent (& vegan) political figures from around the globe. And, thanks to students and other individuals that are recording their impressions of the conference online, there are some outlets to look to for in depth coverage, anecdotes, and photos of the proceedings. Students from Dickinson College are reporting on their experiences thus far in their blog, Dickinson to Durban, as are the youth delegates through SustainUS, a highly selective global youth ambassadors program, which has a blog and series entitled “Postcards from Durban”.

While every higher education institution may not be able to have a program as comprehensive as Dickinson’s NASA-supported Global Climate Change Africa Mosaic program, which has sent students to conduct on-site research during COP-17, testament to the growing presence of higher education in the international climate change arena is the representation of over 115 colleges and universities from around the world at COP-17.

Of course, as with any convening on sustainability, whether attracting 20,000 people in a week-long convention or 20 in an hour-long debate on your campus -- how spoken and written words are translated into action is what ultimately demonstrates if and how these varied efforts are moving us closer towards a cooler climate and healthier humanity.

Stay tuned for more COP-17 coverage from AASHE! And, if you're in Durban or know of people from your university or college that are, please do let us know by commenting here or emailing us at resources@aashe.org.

Related resources and links:
* "Q&A: Durban COP17 climate talks"
* "What's going on during COP17
* Photos from SustainUS at COP-17
* COP15 webinar with AASHE and Dickinson College

Are you looking to learn more about AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS)? Do you find yourself seeking resources and educational opportunities related to the program? Look no further! Subscribe to the STARS Update for the most current information about STARS.

AASHE created the STARS Update to keep the higher education community up-to-date on the latest and greatest information about STARS. Not only is the STARS Update a great resource, but it is also a way to stay connected to the higher education community. Learn not only how AASHE is enhancing the STARS Program, but also how institutions are working through each step of the STARS process from registration to submission. Stay engaged with the decisions by the Technical Advisors to ensure the STARS credits stay current and reflect the feedback AASHE receives from the higher education community. The STARS Update isn’t just for STARS Participants, although it is an imperative source of information for STARS Liaisons. Any individual interested in learning more about the details of the STARS Program is welcome to subscribe.

The STARS Update is a free, monthly e-newsletter. Your subscription will keep you up to speed on the latest STARS news, resources, participant highlights, events, and more. Article topics often include:

• Announcements about new versions of the STARS Technical Manual
• Updates to the STARS website and Reporting Tool
• STARS webinars, blog entries, and forum posts
• News from the Steering Committee
• Tips and reminders about STARS
• Events related to STARS
• Calls for STARS Steering Committee Members and Technical Advisors
• Limited-time offers and discounts from AASHE

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay connected to the STARS Program. Subscribe to the STARS Update today! Questions? Contact stars@aashe.org

This November, the STARS team continues its monthly blog post on facts, trends, and best practices in campus sustainability, based on data submitted by over 125 STARS Participants as of September 2011. With a focus this month on curriculum and innovation, we hope to recognize a job well done and to share ideas and inspiration on advancing sustainability in higher education. In particular, this month’s blog will highlight ER Credit 9: Sustainability Learning Outcomes and the Innovation category as it relates to sustainability-related publications.

Sustainability Learning Outcomes
ER Credit 9 recognizes institutions with sustainability learning outcomes that are associated with program degrees or courses of study.

Did you know?
There is tremendous room for improvement to promote sustainability learning outcomes in higher education. Although three out of four STARS-rated institutions have programs or courses that include sustainability in required learning outcomes, only 26 percent of students are exposed to these courses or programs before they graduate.

• Green Mountain College (STARS Gold, July 2011) has a unique Environmental Liberal Arts program that engages all students in the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability. With 23 sustainability learning outcomes, students are challenged to make connections across disciplines to explore sustainability problems from multiple viewpoints.

• As part of its program review process, California State Polytechnic Institute, Pomona (STARS Silver, May 2011) reviewed departmental learning outcomes to identify courses with a sustainability requirement. At Cal Poly Pomona, 55 percent of graduates completed programs with sustainability learning outcomes.

Innovation Credits
Innovation credits recognize institutions that are seeking innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and demonstrating sustainability leadership in ways that are not otherwise captured by STARS. We turn our attention this month to sustainability-related publications that are highlighted in the Innovation category.

Did you know?
Out of all STARS-rated institutions, 76 percent submitted one or more Innovation credits. Establishing an innovative sustainability-related publication is one of many ways that institutions are claiming Innovation credits.

• Dalhousie University (STARS Silver, August 2011) publishes an online Campus Green Guide that provides sustainable lifestyle and green living resources to the Dalhousie Community. The concept has recently been adapted to suit university campuses in Kenya.

• Kankakee Community College (STARS Bronze, January 2011) created The GreenScene, an online quarterly publication in partnership with the Kankakee Daily-Journal. The publication highlights a particular sustainability challenge each quarter, with insights to help identify sustainable solutions.

December’s factoids and best practices will highlight resource conservation practices and campaigns. Please give us your feedback on future STARS data analysis updates by sending your ideas to stars@aashe.org.

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has published a much-anticipated toolkit for catholic universities and colleges that are pursuing sustainability initiatives. The toolkit Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration is organized around the five main principles of the Catholic Climate Covenant: pray, learn, assess, act, and advocate. AASHE contributed to this publication, alongside several other organizations and individuals. To delve deeper into the ideas and goals behind this project, we interviewed Dan DiLeo, Project Manager at the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change as well as Lindsey Cromwell Kalkbrenner, Director of Santa Clara University’s Office of Sustainability, and Rachel Novick, Education and Outreach Program Manager at the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Sustainability, who were integral to the tookit's development.

How did you get involved with the Toolkit project? Why did you see a need to create this Toolkit?

DiLeo: While many Catholic colleges and universities are making tremendous efforts in the area of sustainability, fewer schools are explicitly grounding this work in Catholic mission. The Catholic Church, and indeed all faith traditions, has unique contributions to make to the conversation about sustainability (e.g. linking it to the commitments of Catholic social teaching such as respect for human life and dignity). However, if sustainability work is not animated and inspired by Catholic mission–and clearly communicated as such–then these unique contributions can be lost. So, we saw the Toolkit as a way to advance what we are calling “mission-based sustainability.”

What makes "mission-based" sustainability different from the sustainability work at secular schools?

Cromwell Kalkbrenner: One of the biggest challenges for sustainability officers at any institution is helping the campus community fully understand the meaning of sustainability—taking the campus beyond “going green” by exploring the social and economic implications of everything we do. I believe “mission-based” sustainability offers an opportunity to do this, because the campus community inherently grasps and values the social elements of sustainability.

DiLeo: Additionally, mission-based sustainability and care for creation has the potential to link to other ethical concerns. For example, because we see how environmental degradation threatens human life and compromises human dignity, especially for the impoverished, at home and abroad, mission-based sustainability takes us beyond saving polar bears, and puts a primary focus on human beings. We care about all of creation, but too few organizations focus on climate impacts on human beings and even less so on the most vulnerable.

What is the relevance of faith-based mission integration for the future of sustainability?

Novick: Religion takes a long-term view of human history, a welcome contrast to short-term thinking driven by quarterly returns and election cycles. From a very practical perspective, we need communities to work together in order to achieve meaningful change, and the communities with which Americans are typically most affiliated are religious ones.

DiLeo: I have my doubts that the environmental movement alone can alter the course of climate change without the imagination and dedication of people of faith. For many in the faith community, caring for the gifts of creation is an ancient teaching and practice. We hope this toolkit will demonstrate that Catholic colleges can become green not just for the sake of it but because being green is part of who we are at our core.

How is the Toolkit organized?

DiLeo: This Toolkit is organized around the five components of the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor (the central project of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change:

• PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.
• LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of environmental degradation and climate change.
• ASSESS how we — as individuals and in our families, parishes and other affiliations —contribute to environmental degradation and climate change by our own energy use,consumption, waste, etc.
• ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to environmental degradation and climate change.
• ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in environmental and climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.

What are the metrics being used to determine the reach and effectiveness of the Toolkit?

DiLeo: The most effective metric will be how many school representatives contact the Coalition about becoming a Catholic Climate Covenant Partnership.

What does it entail to become a Catholic Climate Covenant Partner?

DiLeo: Becoming a Catholic Climate Covenant Partner is a way to publicly affirm an institution’s commitment to mission-based sustainability. Covenant Partners, they can join the growing list of Catholic organizations that are supporting sustainability and the Catholic approach to climate change, while raising awareness around activities of the Catholic community in this area. Each partner commits itself to incorporating the [as an integrated part of the organization’s ongoing work. Since the Pledge is designed for individuals, families, and institutions, the Partnership provides a framework that can be applied to their personal lives as well.

How do you envision the Toolkit being adopted and adapted by other universities and colleges? Is the Toolkit applicable outside of Catholic colleges and universities?

Novick: This Toolkit is about embodying the environmental values implicit in the Catholic faith. Because all faith traditions have something important to contribute to the sustainability movement, the concept of the Toolkit can be adapted for any faith-based institution. However, I don’t think it should just be used as a template. In order to be maximally meaningful and effective, the development of something like the Toolkit needs to be an authentic process that draws on people’s deeply-held beliefs. I do hope that other faith-based institutions, in higher education and beyond, will find inspiration in what we are doing and follow their own path toward sustainability.

What aspects of the Toolkit are you most excited about?

Novick: I am most excited about the section titled “Beyond the Campus” at the end of each component of the St. Francis Pledge. The purpose of this section is to offer concrete examples of how to channel the enthusiasm around sustainability on our campuses into the surrounding communities. The best thing about taking on a community leadership role is that it will encourage universities to strive for greater sustainability goals themselves because they are conscious of their positions as role models.

DiLeo: I am especially excited about the section titled “Defining Sustainability for a Catholic Audience.” In this section, we point out that while the traditional three pillars of sustainability (economy, society and environment) are a helpful way to understand sustainability, this model may be of limited use to Catholic individuals and institutions. This is because, for them, the three pillars of sustainability exist within the Catholic identity which ultimately guides and shapes their mission, practices and policies. We therefore offer a revised model in which Catholic identity imbues every aspect of sustainability and, conversely, the principles of sustainability are embedded within Catholic tradition.

What are some of the other sustainability projects and partnerships that have emerged or been strengthened since the launch of the Toolkit?

DiLeo: Based on the model of the Toolkit, the Coalition recently published the St. Francis Pledge Planning Guide for Parishes and Schools. As the name suggests, this resource is designed to help parishes, grade schools and high schools to effectively implement mission-based sustainability through the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor. We have also worked with the Center for Ministry Development to create six lesson plans for high school-aged students and youth titled “Friending Planet Earth: Helping Youth Understand Solidarity & Sustainability in Light of Climate Change.” These programs are being launched simultaneously this fall as schools and parishes begin programs for the year.

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has published a much-anticipated toolkit for catholic universities and colleges that are pursuing sustainability initiatives. The toolkit Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration is organized around the five main principles of the Catholic Climate Covenant: pray, learn, assess, act, and advocate. AASHE contributed to this publication, alongside several other organizations and individuals. To delve deeper into the ideas and goals behind this project, we interviewed Dan DiLeo, Project Manager at the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change as well as Lindsey Cromwell Kalkbrenner, Director of Santa Clara University’s Office of Sustainability, and Rachel Novick, Education and Outreach Program Manager at the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Sustainability, who were integral to the tookit's development.

How did you get involved with the Toolkit project? Why did you see a need to create this Toolkit?

DiLeo: While many Catholic colleges and universities are making tremendous efforts in the area of sustainability, fewer schools are explicitly grounding this work in Catholic mission. The Catholic Church, and indeed all faith traditions, has unique contributions to make to the conversation about sustainability (e.g. linking it to the commitments of Catholic social teaching such as respect for human life and dignity). However, if sustainability work is not animated and inspired by Catholic mission–and clearly communicated as such–then these unique contributions can be lost. So, we saw the Toolkit as a way to advance what we are calling “mission-based sustainability.”

What makes "mission-based" sustainability different from the sustainability work at secular schools?

Cromwell Kalkbrenner: One of the biggest challenges for sustainability officers at any institution is helping the campus community fully understand the meaning of sustainability—taking the campus beyond “going green” by exploring the social and economic implications of everything we do. I believe “mission-based” sustainability offers an opportunity to do this, because the campus community inherently grasps and values the social elements of sustainability.

DiLeo: Additionally, mission-based sustainability and care for creation has the potential to link to other ethical concerns. For example, because we see how environmental degradation threatens human life and compromises human dignity, especially for the impoverished, at home and abroad, mission-based sustainability takes us beyond saving polar bears, and puts a primary focus on human beings. We care about all of creation, but too few organizations focus on climate impacts on human beings and even less so on the most vulnerable.

What is the relevance of faith-based mission integration for the future of sustainability?

Novick: Religion takes a long-term view of human history, a welcome contrast to short-term thinking driven by quarterly returns and election cycles. From a very practical perspective, we need communities to work together in order to achieve meaningful change, and the communities with which Americans are typically most affiliated are religious ones.

DiLeo: I have my doubts that the environmental movement alone can alter the course of climate change without the imagination and dedication of people of faith. For many in the faith community, caring for the gifts of creation is an ancient teaching and practice. We hope this toolkit will demonstrate that Catholic colleges can become green not just for the sake of it but because being green is part of who we are at our core.

How is the Toolkit organized?

DiLeo: This Toolkit is organized around the five components of the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor (the central project of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change:

• PRAY and reflect on the duty to care for God’s Creation and protect the poor and vulnerable.
• LEARN about and educate others on the causes and moral dimensions of environmental degradation and climate change.
• ASSESS how we — as individuals and in our families, parishes and other affiliations —contribute to environmental degradation and climate change by our own energy use,consumption, waste, etc.
• ACT to change our choices and behaviors to reduce the ways we contribute to environmental degradation and climate change.
• ADVOCATE for Catholic principles and priorities in environmental and climate change discussions and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable.

What are the metrics being used to determine the reach and effectiveness of the Toolkit?

DiLeo: The most effective metric will be how many school representatives contact the Coalition about becoming a Catholic Climate Covenant Partnership.

What does it entail to become a Catholic Climate Covenant Partner?

DiLeo: Becoming a Catholic Climate Covenant Partner is a way to publicly affirm an institution’s commitment to mission-based sustainability. Covenant Partners, they can join the growing list of Catholic organizations that are supporting sustainability and the Catholic approach to climate change, while raising awareness around activities of the Catholic community in this area. Each partner commits itself to incorporating the [as an integrated part of the organization’s ongoing work. Since the Pledge is designed for individuals, families, and institutions, the Partnership provides a framework that can be applied to their personal lives as well.

How do you envision the Toolkit being adopted and adapted by other universities and colleges? Is the Toolkit applicable outside of Catholic colleges and universities?

Novick: This Toolkit is about embodying the environmental values implicit in the Catholic faith. Because all faith traditions have something important to contribute to the sustainability movement, the concept of the Toolkit can be adapted for any faith-based institution. However, I don’t think it should just be used as a template. In order to be maximally meaningful and effective, the development of something like the Toolkit needs to be an authentic process that draws on people’s deeply-held beliefs. I do hope that other faith-based institutions, in higher education and beyond, will find inspiration in what we are doing and follow their own path toward sustainability.

What aspects of the Toolkit are you most excited about?

Novick: I am most excited about the section titled “Beyond the Campus” at the end of each component of the St. Francis Pledge. The purpose of this section is to offer concrete examples of how to channel the enthusiasm around sustainability on our campuses into the surrounding communities. The best thing about taking on a community leadership role is that it will encourage universities to strive for greater sustainability goals themselves because they are conscious of their positions as role models.

DiLeo: I am especially excited about the section titled “Defining Sustainability for a Catholic Audience.” In this section, we point out that while the traditional three pillars of sustainability (economy, society and environment) are a helpful way to understand sustainability, this model may be of limited use to Catholic individuals and institutions. This is because, for them, the three pillars of sustainability exist within the Catholic identity which ultimately guides and shapes their mission, practices and policies. We therefore offer a revised model in which Catholic identity imbues every aspect of sustainability and, conversely, the principles of sustainability are embedded within Catholic tradition.

What are some of the other sustainability projects and partnerships that have emerged or been strengthened since the launch of the Toolkit?

DiLeo: Based on the model of the Toolkit, the Coalition recently published the St. Francis Pledge Planning Guide for Parishes and Schools. As the name suggests, this resource is designed to help parishes, grade schools and high schools to effectively implement mission-based sustainability through the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor. We have also worked with the Center for Ministry Development to create six lesson plans for high school-aged students and youth titled “Friending Planet Earth: Helping Youth Understand Solidarity & Sustainability in Light of Climate Change.” These programs are being launched simultaneously this fall as schools and parishes begin programs for the year.

America celebrated its first Food Day on October 24. Organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the grassroots mobilization encouraged the nation to not only eat healthy food grown in a sustainable and humane way, but to also advocate for smarter food policies. Food activists including nutritionist Marion Nestle, Food Network host Ellie Krieger and Morgan "Supersize Me" Spurlock staged an Eat Real "Eat In" in New York City's Times Square. More than 30 governors and mayors have proclaimed October 24 as Food Day. Slow Food USA, Unite Here, Change.org, Whole Foods Market, Dole Food Company and the Cooking Channel partnered in support of the event. In total, at least 2,000 events in 50 states marked the inaugural celebration.

Not surprisingly, with the current growth of sustainable agriculture curriculum and campus-supported farms and gardens, higher education advocacy played a big role in Food Day. The campus-based Real Food Challenge launched its GET REAL! Campaign on Food Day, an effort to get every school in the nation to sign its "Real Food Campus Commitment." The commitment will work to ensure healthy food, fair working conditions, transparency and a $1 billion dollar shift of existing campus food budgets to fair, local and sustainable farms and food businesses. Student groups at 216 campuses led the charge, asking their campuses for healthier and sustainable foods.

In addition to welcoming the Real Food Challenge to campus, institutions celebrated Food Day with a variety of educational and advocacy events. A look at the #FoodDay Twitter feed and other sources reveals the following highlights:

• Squash painting and zucchini races at Edmonds Community College

• Real Food Challenge Campus Everett Community College hosts movie screening

• California State University, Sacramento hosts California Board of Food and Agriculture president as a Food Day keynote speaker

• Slow Food Ithaca College petitions for local dining hall food

• The University of California, San Francisco and the Hastings School of Law host a conference on food deserts and the food served in prisons

• Arizona State University students petition for healthier campus food

• Unity College students prep seed garlic

• Washington State University students and volunteers cook a “real food” dinner at local transition house Sojourners’ Alliance

• Rhodes College issues students their own set of re-useable "to go" dining containers

• The University of California, Berkeley hosts “Eat Real, Eat Whole Grains” picnic

• Antioch University hosts "Food Justice and Our Local Food System" panel

Check out FoodDay.org's free recipe booklet for "real food" inspiration, featuring chefs including Mario Batali, Rick Bayless and Emeril Lagasse.

For great photos, visit Grist's Food Day Slideshow.

Today we celebrate the 9th annual Campus Sustainability Day (CSD). Since 2003, CSD has been a time to acknowledge the success of the sustainability movement in higher education. It is also an opportunity to bring different groups on campus together for a united purpose. CSD events and celebrations can be a catalyst for collaborations on campus and help create the combined energy needed to advance sustainability in higher education.

Campus Sustainability Day is a project of the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), a consortium of about a dozen higher education associations, listed below. Previously, CSD was hosted by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), a HEASC member. With HEASC as host, CSD can achieve a broad reach into all sectors of higher education.

Campus Sustainability Day is a great opportunity to highlight the accomplishments that staff, faculty and students have achieved on campus and with their communities. It is also a time to announce or start new initiatives and create cross campus partnerships.

This year a working group led by HEASC created a place online where everyone could go to announce the events their campus has planned as well as see which events other campuses have planned that celebrate CSD. See http://www.aashe.org/campus-sustainability-day. The working group included participation from Second Nature, U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools, and NWF’s Campus Ecology Program.

Currently, the CSD list of events shows over 70 events that celebrate Campus Sustainability Day! This is a great accomplishment for all the working group participants and all the campuses and organizations that have shared their planned events.

In addition, today many campuses are participating in Campus Conversations: A Useful Education: Sustainability in Admissions, Retention, and Educational Value, a webcast that will engage the audience in conversation, and inquiry into the concept of sustainability as a core facet of a useful education. Participants will have an opportunity to share opinions and insights, and see feedback from across the country through an interactive dialogue with video responses from students, faculty and staff, and admissions staff.

HEASC Members are:
• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
• American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU)
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
• ACPA-College Student Educators International (ACPA)
• Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (APPA)
• Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU)
• National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO)
• National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP)
• National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (NAICU)
• National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA)
• Society for College & University Planning (SCUP)

Kathleen Ng, Environmental Officer at McGill University, talks to AASHE about the 10-year anniversary of McGill's environmental policy, and her own experiences working on sustainability at McGill. Ng completed her BSc in Physiology with a minor in Management from McGill, and went on to pursue a Graduate Diploma in Management at McGill. Ng also completed an International Master's in Practicing Management, studying in the UK, India, China, and Brazil. In addition to serving as Environmental Officer for McGill, Ng is currently pursuing an MA in Practicing Management at Lancaster University.

If you are interested in participating in the AASHE Interview Series, email Niles Barnes at niles@aashe.org.

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of McGill’s environmental policy. How has this policy helped spur the passing of subsequent policies, including the sustainability policy and paper-use policy?

The environmental policy demonstrated the University’s commitment to the protection of the environment at the time, and my position was created to help with its implementation. As the portfolio evolved, we began to identify further opportunities for the University to mitigate its impact, which included the paper use policy (to reduce unnecessary paper consumption and encourage more enlightened paper purchasing practices), and the sustainability policy (which extends beyond the scope of the environmental policy).

What was the primary impetus for creating the environmental policy? Who was involved in the process of drafting and approving the policy?

From what I understand, the environmental policy served to fill a vacuum created when the University signed the Talloires and Halifax Declarations, but the perception at the time was that there was little action documented towards achievements of those goals. The Environmental Working Group, a multi-stakeholder working group of staff, students and faculty, helped draft the policy, which was submitted across campus for consultation before getting final approval by the McGill Senate.

Has the environmental policy been analyzed over the years to identify any areas or points that could be amended based on changes in the University (e.g. infrastructural, demographic)?

The Environmental Working Group became known as the Sub-Committee on Environment (a working group of the Senate Committee on Physical Development) after the approval of the policy. This group worked to identify areas and initiatives for potential action by the University. Fortunately, the environmental policy had been designed with a long-term focus, avoiding specifics in order to be as broad-reaching as possible. Instead of amendments, the paper-use policy and the sustainability policy were drafted separately since they were not already explicit in the original environmental policy.

How have the Sustainability Office and other departments at the university informed and educated the campus community over the years about the environmental policy?

By virtue of its composition, the multi-stakeholder Sub-Committee on Environment assisted in helping stakeholder groups stay connected over the years. For instance, the annual Rethink conference is a forum to which staff, students and faculty are invited to learn about ongoing campus initiatives and to bring forth additional ideas that could be implemented. These discussions allowed for the implementation of the Farmer’s Market, the Sustainability Office, and the Sustainability Policy. This is in addition to the usual media outreach (websites, promotional material, Facebook page, a listserve, working with Public Affairs, etc.) and activities (leadership workshops with the First Year Office, new student, faculty and staff orientations, and other events).

In general, what are the primary strategies you / your office use(s) to reach out to and engage students, faculty, and staff in sustainability initiatives?

While all the strategies mentioned earlier have been useful in helping us reach out to the community, I believe the real catalyst in engaging students, faculty and staff was the establishment of the Sustainability Projects Fund. The Fund was established to foster a culture of sustainability on campus, and is jointly funded by students and the administration dollar for dollar. With CA$800,000 a year for three years available already, this resource greatly empowers the community to act on their ideas to make our campus more sustainable.

How do you keep university leadership involved in and up-to-date on sustainability initiatives?

There are formal and informal channels. Examples of the former include the preparation of reports on request or on a proactive basis -- from briefing notes for the Principal, to reports for the Senate Committee on Physical Development, to a presentation to Senate about where we are with regards to policy implementation. We prepare responses to requests from ratings and rankings agencies such as Canada’s Greenest Employers, the Sustainable Endowments Institute, and the Conférence des Recteurs et des Principaux des Universités du Québec (the Association of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities). Information is also shared informally, through social events and communications networks.

How did you get started in campus sustainability, and what campus sustainability success are you most proud of?

I had been contemplating leaving my job in Human Resources for a change of scenery to teach English in Japan, when one of the managers working for my supervisor, the Executive Director of Human Resources, told me of a great opportunity. He had an opening in his office and thought I would be perfect for the job. After an interview with him, his staff, the Chair of the Sub-Committee on Environment as well as a couple of student representatives on the Committee, I was hired, and here I still am!

I am very proud of the leadership of this University with regards to supporting sustainability efforts, and the dedication of our students and staff who are contributing to campus sustainability. Over the years, we have strengthened the links between the “islands of sustainability” across different units and stakeholder groups, and it is especially rewarding when their combined efforts result in a visible success, such as the initiatives stated above. The development of this community is our strength: my goal is for the Sustainability Office to be obsolete, at which point sustainability would be ingrained in the culture on campus to the extent that an external catalyst is no longer necessary.

In what area(s) do you see the biggest room for growth in the campus sustainability field?

One of the areas I feel is least understood is the outcome of campus sustainability efforts, which can be highly contextualized. Most campuses begin with the low-hanging fruit usually in operations (utilities and energy management) before moving further into the aspects relating to education, research, and the social dimensions of sustainability.

How are you incorporating the social dimensions of sustainability into your work?

Previously, we had focused our attention on the social dimensions of sustainability in operations-related activities: for example, purchasing from a local NGO that provided job skills to immigrant and abused women, or sending IT equipment to an ISO14001-certified NGO that sought to re-integrate dropout and at-risk youths into society. Currently, we are also strengthening our relationships with units affiliated with the social dimensions of sustainability - such as the Social Equity and Diversity Education office, the First People’s House, and Student Services. We are looking for further opportunities for engagement and action. This included funding Aboriginal Awareness Week in September 2011 through the Sustainable Projects Fund.

How are you tracking progress toward sustainability?

In addition to the aforementioned reports, we participated in the development of and pilot of AASHE's STARS program, having become a charter participant in 2009. While there are aspects of STARS that could be improved, I recommended that McGill participate since, among other reasons, STARS was the most comprehensive, transparent and organic system available with widespread brand recognition.

Is there a particular insight (learning experience or “ah-ha” moment) you have had working on campus sustainability?

I think that there is a tendency for campus sustainability practitioners to take on too much, just because we are so passionate about what we do. This in itself is not sustainable (I speak from experience, having suffered a 3-month-long burnout), and I emphasize that the importance of delegation, working collaboratively rather than on our own islands of sustainability so that efforts could be better sustained in the long term. Refl’action – reflection and action!

Are you involved in efforts to advance sustainability in curriculum? How?

Due to the number of projects already on my plate, my colleague, Lilith Wyatt, has really taken charge of this dossier. Her efforts range from working with student interns for applied student research, to working to include campus sustainability efforts in the library database, to working with Teaching and Learning Services towards developing potential programs to advance sustainability in the curriculum.

How do you spend your free time?

When I’m not working, volunteering at the YMCA as a personal trainer, or working towards my latest degree, I try to be a bonne vivante and enjoy life as much as possible – hiking, biking, sampling local cuisine, scuba diving, travelling, seeing friends and family, walking the dog, la dolce vita!

Vanessa Arcara, a recent master’s graduate from Bard College’s Center on Environmental Protection, gave a well-received session on Tuesday titled “Moving Millennials: Engaging youth with food & agriculture policy.”

Arcara made it clear that her talk is intended for a gamut of sustainability change-makers on campuses, from students, to operational administrators, to faculty, and more: “We’re here to reach students and not just be another sound bite, and this information can be transferable to other environmental sectors as well.”

The presentation seamlessly segued from Plenary Speaker Leith Sharp’s talk on strategically communicating and effecting change on campuses, but looking specifically at one, influential audience: millennials. The essence of her presentation was concerned with analyzing how we communicate to college students or young Americans about food policy from a values perspective, and what types of projects encourage students to engage in civic action.

Holding a series of focus groups and interviews of various undergraduate students, Arcara found that millennials tend to hold core values that are in line with what sustainability professionals desire from change agents and change-makers. These values include community, equity, global consciousness, and personal growth. Thus, successful sustainability campaigns should be built around core values.

After discussing the findings from her research around values to which students associate, Arcara posed several recommendations to serve as tangible take-aways for the audience. One of these recommendations included the creation of a visual aid to depict engagement pathways, or opportunities that students can get involved in in varying degrees. However, the visual representation of these pathways help to increase the chance that students will want to commit for a few reasons.

For one, the options are laid out clearly and if put into a diagram or visual aid of sorts, could be distributed as an electronic or print hand-out that will also make the project more memorable and the chances of engaging more students higher. Another reason is that a visual aid helps take out the “scare” factor of signing up for another club, another project, another research project, which is often what sustainability professionals are up against when trying to engage students.

Arcara pointed out that there’s a remarkable opportunity to do a better job, mainly because the student demography has not yet reached a huge involvement.

To contact Vanessa Arcara and hear more about her research or above-mentioned recommendations to effect more meaningful change in sustainable food policy, you can email her at vanessa.arcara@gmail.com.