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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AASHE Finds its Voice with New Brand Strategy

DENVER, Colo. (May 23, 2012) – Drumroll please...the new and improved AASHE brand is here!

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has launched a new simple, easy-to-understand brand strategy built on what it is, what it does, and how it does it. Part of this strategy is a new visual identity including logos that better reflect AASHE's position as an acknowledged thought leader in higher education sustainability.

AASHE staffers are often asked, "I see you work for AASHE; what’s that?" Previously, there were many different ways of answering this. Now, AASHE talks clearly and boldly about its role in “advancing sustainability” by serving as an “acknowledged thought leader” that provides “invaluable resources” to an “engaged, diverse community.”

These phrases affirm AASHE's role in advancing sustainability but also challenge it to make sure that its resources are indeed “invaluable” and that it is providing opportunities that promote community engagement. The new brand messaging speaks to an AASHE that leads while it serves it members, and ensures value in the resources and professional development that it provides and supports.

AASHE's new visual identity is a way of showcasing its holistic definition of and commitment to sustainability. By transitioning away from the leaf in the original logo and the color green as the main focus, the organization is moving away from its image as an environmental-only organization.

The blue in the new logo symbolizes sky and water; the purple evokes the inspiration and imagination needed to lead the sustainability transformation; and the green is a nod to AASHE's past and all that it has learned from it. The AASHE logo image represents a bridge or path to the advancement of sustainability in higher education.

The implementation of the new visual identity also illustrates a stronger connection between AASHE and its STARS program. The new STARS logo is built from the front section of the AASHE logo to further reinforce that STARS is a program of AASHE. Making the STARS and AASHE connection even stronger, “a program of aashe” appears as part of the STARS logo.

AASHE worked with Tipping Gardner (TG) to launch this new brand, a New York-based company that has worked with nonprofits including Rainforest Alliance and Amnesty International, and for-profit companies including GORE-TEX, Pfizer and Avaya. TG conducted thorough research on AASHE; how it represents itself, how it communicates, how the staff and board understand AASHE, and how it is externally perceived.

"When we began working with AASHE we found an organization that was unclear about how to represent itself. We've worked closely with the AASHE team over the past year to create greater clarity and build a more assertive, forward looking brand that's consistent with AASHE's role as a leader in advancing higher education sustainability," says Tipping Gardner President Martyn Tipping.

"The new AASHE brand and visual identity helps us build upon the organization's past successes and move forward with a clear and concise message that is supported by our logo," says AASHE Executive Director Paul Rowland. "The fresh look of the new logo captures the energy and expertise that AASHE has developed with its membership over the past six years. I applaud the AASHE Board of Directors for directing us to re-brand and I applaud the staff, members, and Tipping Gardner who helped focus our identity. Ultimately, this will help us be a better, stronger, more focused organization that provides leadership in advancing higher education sustainability."

About AASHE

AASHE is helping to create a brighter future of opportunity for all by advancing sustainability in higher education. By creating a diverse community engaged in sharing ideas and promising practices, AASHE provides administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the business that serve them, with: thought leadership and essential knowledge resources; outstanding opportunities for professional development; and a unique framework for demonstrating the value and competitive edge created by sustainability initiatives. For more information about AASHE, visit www.aashe.org.