April 11, 2007—A new report from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) shows an “explosion” of sustainability-related activity on campuses across the US and Canada. AASHE Digest 2006, an annual compilation of news stories and resources from AASHE’s weekly newsletter (the AASHE Bulletin), offers a comprehensive review of campus sustainability efforts from the past year.
The report includes more than 600 stories about exemplary higher education institutions. It is organized into eight chapters covering: 1) institutional change, 2) education and outreach, 3) social responsibility, 4) green building, 5) energy management and renewable energy, 6) food and agriculture, 7) transportation, and 8) waste, water, landscaping, and procurement.
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. Of particular note is the fact that the combined green power purchases of the Top 10 higher education purchasers tripled in 2006.
In addition, AASHE says that several associations have formed a network called the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) to advance sustainability within their programming and operations.
AASHE’s own growth over the past year mirrors the trends highlighted in the report—its membership more than quintupled during 2006.
The full report is available for download from AASHE.
