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Higher Education and Actions for
a Sustainable Future:
U.S. Trends, Resources and
Opportunities
Debra Rowe, Ph.D
President
U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
Professor
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Behavioral Sciences
Oakland Community College
Sustainability is…
“meeting the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”~ “Our Common Future,” United Nations Brundtland
Report, 1987
Another way to think about Sustainability is:
the shared responsibility for improving the quality of life
for all—economically, socially, and environmentally—
now and for future generations.
Strong
Economy
Social
Well-being
Flourishing
Environment
Sustainable
Society
Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability
Education for a
Sustainable Society:
“enables people to develop the knowledge,
values and skills to participate in decisions
…, that will improve the quality of life now
without damaging the planet for the future.”
Applied
Knowledge/
Technological
Skills
Private Choices and
Behaviors-Habits
Public Choices and
Behaviors-Laws
Sustainable Communities
Sustainable Economies
Ecosystem Ecosystem
Ecosystem Ecosystem
Key Government Initiatives
•Sustainability Summit
•Green Ribbon Schools!!!
•Including Green/Sustainability into Career
Pathways for State Directors of Career and Tech Ed
•Funds from multiple federal agencies in
energy/environment/climate change – NOAA, EPA,
NSF, FIPSE…
•Sustainability and STEM
•Executive Order
U.S. Partnership for Education for
Sustainable Development:
•Convening mainstream national leaders •Catalyse their national initiatives in sustainability •Communicate their efforts •Build collaborative partnerships •Work with governmental agencies
What we do:
Vision: Sustainable development integrated into education and learning in the United States
• Non‐partisan, multi‐sector partnership of over 360 registered
organizations
• The Partnership’s current Sector Teams are:
– Communities
– Business
– Faith Based Organizations
– Higher Education
– K-12 and Teacher Education
– Youth
Higher education is taking a leadership
role to prepare students and provide the
information, skills and knowledge to
achieve a sustainable society.
What does it look like?
(The following slide can also be a
guideline for who is on your
sustainability committee.)
For higher education,
sustainability and green is being integrated
into:
Curricula
Research
Operations
Community Outreach and
Partnerships Student Life
Professional
Development
Mission and
Planning Purchasing
public awareness legislation
Thanks to Wynn Calder for this diagram
KEY THRUST – KEY OUTCOME
21st century learning outcomes require
sustainability perspectives and skills
Students, staff and community members
know how to and choose to be more
environmentally, socially and
economically responsible.
Where? In the personal, career,
community and governmental spheres.
Why is it such a high priority?
1. Much of the public doesn’t know that we are
exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet.
(www.myfootprint.org)
2. Public doesn’t know we can reduce human
suffering and environmental degradation now
while building stronger economies
3. Core pedagogy. Education to action is the key.
Catalyzing sustainable communities as
academic assignments.
life supporting
resources
declining
consumption of
life supporting
resources
rising
In higher education, we focus on the problems and
engage students and the community in building
solutions
Committed to the advancement of
sustainability throughout higher education
AACC American Association of Community Colleges
AASCU American Association of State Colleges & Universities
AASHE Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
ACCED-I Association of Collegiate Conference & Events Directors - International
ACE American Council on Education
ACPA College Student Educators International
ACUHO-I Association of College & University Housing Officers International
AGB Association of Governing Boards of Universities & Colleges
APPA Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
CCCU Council of Christian Colleges & Universities
NACA National Association for Campus Activities
NACUBO National Association of College & University Business Officers
NAEP National Association of Educational Procurement
NAICU National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities
NIRSA National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association
SCUP Society for College & University Planning
Higher Education Associations Sustainability
Consortium www.aashe.org/heasc Professional
Associations for:
1. Presidents
2. Academic Officers
3. Student Affairs
4. Trustees
5. Campus Activities
6. Facilities
7. Business Officers
8. Planners
9. Events Directors
10. Recreation Directors
11. Purchasers
12. More….. All Working on Sustainability
• HEASC Resource Center - Socially, economically and
environmentally responsible procurement, operations,
planning, leadership, learning outcomes and more!!
Resources
DANS – the Disciplinary Associations
Network for Sustainability
www.aashe.org/dans -
click on Resources
Including sustainability in many
disciplines and degrees
DANS – the Disciplinary Associations Network for
Sustainability – Participating Associations
• American Psychological Association
• Sociology • Religion • Philosophy • Math • Broadcasting • Architecture • Engineering (civil,
mechanical, eng. ed.) • Business
• Ecological Economics • Chemistry • Biology • American Association
for the Advancement of Science
• Computer Research • Humanities • STEM disciplines • Political Science • Anthropology • More…
Academic Disciplines and
U. S. Partnership created DANS
Infusing sustainability into:
1. Curricula, including textbooks
2. Promotion and tenure and accreditation
3. Informing legislation and policy
4. Informing the public
5. Professional identity as an academic
6. Grant received from U.S. Dept of Ed
Click on “Resources” at www.aashe.org/dans - scroll down the page!!!
Student Learning Outcomes ACPA President’s Sustainability Taskforce, 2006 –
College Student Educators International
1. Each student will be able to define sustainability.
2. Each student will be able to explain how sustainability
relates to their lives and their values, and how their
actions impact issues of sustainability.
3. Each student will be able to utilize their knowledge of
sustainability to change their daily habits and consumer
mentality.
4. Each student will be able to explain how systems are
interrelated.
Student Learning Outcomes
(cont.) ACPA President’s Sustainability Taskforce, 2006
5. Each student will learn change agent skills.
6. Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
sustainability to their campus and community by
engaging in the challenges and solutions of sustainability
on their campus.
7. Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
sustainability globally by engaging in the challenges and
the solutions of sustainability in a world context.
These outcomes match international declarations
and other countries’ learning outcomes … Svanström,
Lozano-G, Rowe (2008) “Learning outcomes for sustainable development in higher education”,
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education; Volume: 9 Issue: 3; 2008
Essential instructional approach –
real world problem solving for sustainability
Opportunity!
1. All of us engaged as effective change agents* to create
a sustainable future –include as professional/personal development focus
1. Campus/school as a living lab and open to the public – use the media
1. Catalyze movement from apathy/fearful/obedient caring, effective involvement (healthy self-concepts & emotional/interpersonal intelligence)
2. Sustainability literacy and engagement for all students – a 21st century core competency – in all jobs
* Change agent skills list - http://www2.aashe.org/heasc/resources.php#ACPA
Students are powerful!
Empower them! • Shopping for sustainability in their college
choices
• Creating initiatives on campus and in the
community
• Involved in policy, nationally and locally
• Changing curricula
• Reducing waste and pollution and
supporting family wage jobs
• Changing faculty, staff, community leaders
and the media and more!
We Offer Professional
Development
Opportunity – Faculty Development that creates
interdisciplinary collaborations. You have five minutes:
• Faculty - Take a big idea you have to teach in your
course and a big sustainability idea. Create a learning
activity that includes both.
• Everyone else - Take your job activities and/or your daily
activities and think about how you can make them more
sustainability oriented in your behaviors, the normal
practices or the policies in the institution. Describe the
actions you can choose to help build a culture of
sustainability.
• Now share in the large group!
• Thanks to Jean MacGregor at Evergreen for this idea.
The American College & University
Presidents’ Climate Commitment
Climate Leadership in Higher Education
Over 650 presidents in all 50 states
Resources from the ACUPCC to make us literate
about our challenges and engaged in solutions
• Education for Climate Neutrality and Sustainability – very good - Opportunity!!
• Energy Performance Contracting Toolkit
• ACUPCC Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol
• ACUPCC Climate Action Planning Wiki
• ACUPCC Reporting Tool
• ACUPCC Implementation Guide
• ACUPCC GHG Inventory Brief
• ACUPCC Webinar Series
• ACUPCC Solutions Page (includes links to further resources)
Two more Key Sites about activities
1. U.S. - Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education – www.aashe.org
Sign up for the free bulletin and search the extensive
resources and share what you are doing
2. American Association of Community Colleges and its
members colleges – a leader in greening the curricula
and the community – visit their Sustainability
Education and Economic Development
Resource Center at www.TheSeedCenter.org
– now have a Community of Action around
Policy for students, staff, presidents, the
public - Opportunity
So many examples at so many
colleges!
Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education
AASHE (AY-shee)
www.aashe.org
Opportunities:
•Sign up for the free bulletin
•Search the extensive resources and the digest
•Use STARS – Sustainability Tracking and
Rating System
K-12 & Teacher Education Sector 2011 Priorities
K-12 educational trends –
links for your site
• Sustainability Standards – national, from
www.uspartnership.org under K-12 and
integrated into global ed CCSSO standards
• Environmental literacy curricular plans in 40
states
• K-12 National Associations Network for
Sustainability, including NSTA, NCSS, ACTE,
AASA (teachers of science, social studies,
technical ed, superintendents)
Key Actions:
1. Colleges and schools are the neutral high credibility source for the
public – working with your government offices, non-profits and
businesses, motivate the public to take action.
2. Convene sustainability partnerships, community forums, community
education, etc. to catalyze entrepreneurship, and organizational and
government policies that will build a sustainable economy! Include
pathways out of poverty, discussions on quality of life and happiness
research
Economics as if people mattered!!!!
Help to create systemic change! Thousands of schools and colleges are:
1. Teaching green specific courses, certificates and
degrees: renewable energies, energy efficiency,
sustainable agriculture, green in transportation,
water, manufacturing, etc. and into all technical
programs
2. Teaching sustainability specific courses in
hundreds of schools, colleges and universities and
integrating sustainability into thousands of existing
courses,
3. Integrating sustainability into educational core for
students in all degrees
4. Educating and catalyzing the employers and the
public to be more sustainable
The Power of What You Do • We can choose a
sustainable future.
• Take bigger steps.
Congratulations for all you
have done.
Congratulations for all you will do in the future.
Let your enthusiasm show!
For more information,
contact Debra Rowe at [email protected]