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 dgrowe@oaklandcc.edu