Courses on "Campus Sustainability"
This resource lists courses that focus on "campus sustainability." Students in these courses conduct research on and implement projects that advance sustainability on campus. Examples include performing a campus sustainability assessment, researching green building options, and designing a campus bike share program. Online syllabi are linked where available; otherwise please contact the instructor for a copy of the syllabus. The courses are listed alphabetically by institution.
To suggest your course be added to this list or to update your entry, contact resources@aashe.org. Please only send courses that include a direct focus on campus sustainability as we are unable to post general sustainability courses here.
Aquinas College
Sustainable Business 200 - Sustainable Energy Systems
Sustainable Business 315 - Building Social Capital
Deb Steketee, Faculty, Sustainable Business Department
Both courses require student teams to make campus assessments, formulate innovative improvements, and be invovled in the implementation of the project (if the project is accepted in the campus sustainability initiative process).
Sustainable Business 100 - Industrial Ecology
Sustainable Business 201 - Sustainable Business Management
Matthew Tueth, Chair, Sustainable Business Department
Both courses require student teams to make campus assessments, formulate innovative improvements, and be invovled in the implementation of the project (if the project is accepted in the campus sustainability initiative process)
Brown University
Environmental Studies 0410 - Environmental Stewardship and Sustainable Design
Kurt Teichert, Environmental Stewardship Initiatives Manager
Students address the economics and logistics of implementing strategies to conserve resources and reduce the negative impacts of the built environment. Students collaborate in interdisciplinary teams on projects to investigate opportunities to reduce the negative environmental impacts of the Brown campus and community and increase the positive impacts.
Bucknell University
Environmental Studies 230 - Introduction to Ecological Design
Dina El-Mogazi, Adjunct Professor and Sustainability Coordinator
Over half the course material focuses specifically on campus sustainability, including final projects that are design proposals for the campus.
Carleton College
Environmental and Technology Studies 298 - Ethics and Values Colloquium
Suzanne Savanick, Former Visiting Assistant Professor, Environmental and Technology Studies
Students develop sustainability indicators for the college and complete research on the indicators. Dr. Savanick also authored a Science Education Resource website that is designed to help geoscience faculty use the campus in the teaching of courses. A campus based learning approach is utilized
College of William and Mary
Environmental Science and Policy 250 - Campus Sustainability
Maria Ivanova, Assisstant Professor of Government and Environmental Policy and Director, Global Environmental Governance Project at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy
J. Timmons Roberts, Professor of Soiology and Environmental Policy
Seminar focuses on aspects of campus sustainability. Explores why sustainability matters on college campuses, what policies and changes advance campus sustainability, what challenges arise in this process, and ways to overcome these challenges.
Cornell University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 477 - Environmental Stewardship in the Cornell Community
Joe Regenstein, Professor of Food Science
Each student undertakes an original project to improve the environment at Cornell while working with a faculty advisor and the Cornell infrastructure (generally campus life and/or facilities). Through class discussions, students learn how to be more effective at developing environmental programs in the future, both during and after college. Students present the final written project report orally at a public forum.
Dalhousie University
Environmental Science 3502 - Campus as a Living Laboratory
Tarah Wright, Faculty of Science and Director of Environmental Programs
Students learn to apply the skills and tools of interdisciplinary research and problem solving to current real-life problems involved in running Dalhousie University. The campus serves as a living laboratory for indentifying, evaluating and assessing indicators of progress toward greater sustainability.
DePauw University
Philosophy 209 - Environmental Ethics
Jennifer Everett, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
The course material is primarily theoretical philosophy, but students have the option to choose service learning projects on campus sustainability in lieu of standard academic papers. Students conduct campus-based service projects to assist DePauw's efforts to become a more sustainable institution.
Emory University
Environmental Studies 442 - Ecology of Emory (w/Laboratory)
John Wegner, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Chief Environmental Officer, Environmental Studies
Ecological concepts are used to investigate environmental questions on the Emory campus. The focus of the course is divided between the natural and the built environment. Students develop a forest management plan for the University and evaluate how LEED is used in campus construction projects. They produce reports that the University uses to set environmental policy.
Hartwick College
Introduction 150 - The Idea and Practice of Sustainability
Brian E. Hagenbuch, Director of Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies
This First Year Seminar integrates the ideas, theories, and practices of sustainability in real world applications to the student’s living environment. Through an intentional living/learning community, students will reside in Robertson Lodge at the Pine Lake Environmental Campus and study the prospects for sustainability on both campus and global scales.
Harvard University
Environmental Studies E-117 - Sustainability: The Challenge of Changing Our Institutions
John D. Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor Of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health
Leith Sharp, Director of Harvard Green Campus Initiative
This course begins by exploring the wide range of institutionally related environmental impacts and the associated roles of individuals within these settings. Harvard University is used as a primary case study to illustrate institutional practices including procurement, utility supply and consumption, building design and operations, transportation, and waste production and recycling.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chemistry 5.92 - Energy, Environment, and Society: Learn Globally and Work Locally
Amanda C. Graham, Education Program Manager, Laboratory for Energy and the Environment
Jefferson Tester, Professor of Chemical Engineering
Fully interdisciplinary, project-based class. Two projects focus on energy management on the MIT campus.
Merritt College
Environmental Management 501 - Special Projects is Sustainable Systems
Robin Freeman,Department Chair, Environmental Management and Technology Department
Course includes audits of campus facilities and operations to develop practices for energy, waste, toxins, water, and landscape management. Ongoing ecological restoration projects on campus and in adjacent wildlands parks. Ongoing design of water capture, conservation, and urban agroecology systems.
Michigan State University
Honors Research Seminar PRO200H - Resource Conservation at MSU
Terry Link, Director, Office of Sustainability
Honors seminar introduces students to sustainability perspectives and tools like life cycle analysis. Final semester of year-long course has students create teams to research projects such as noise pollution on campus, growing local salad greens for residence halls cafeterias, energy efficiency on the dairy farm, and copy paper choices.
Resource Development 491 - Campus Sustainability - Principles and Practice
Terry Link, Director, Office of Sustainability
Focuses on university as a system. Research projects look at some component of the university system and assess its sustainability strengths and weaknesses.
Michigan Technological University
Efficiency Through Engineering and Construction
David Bach, Faculty, School of Technology
This multi-disciplinary enterprise course works with the local and campus communities to implement efficient and sustainable design in new and existing construction projects. Two present campus projects are designing covered bike racks for installation at various campus locations, and designing a storage building for the rowing shells of the Michigan Tech Crew Club. Both projects use innovative efficient design and sustainable product selection and assembly.
Green Building Design
Chris Wojick, Civil and Environmental Engineering
David Bach, Faculty, School of Technology
Green Building Design addresses a wide variety of built environment issues, including environmental considerations, economic benefits such as reduced operating costs, enhanced occupant productivity, and increased building marketability. Students will acquire the basic tools and insights needed to incorporate sustainable building practices into their work. The class includes an evaluation of campus buildings and community sustainable buildings. Students will develop designs for MTU buildings utilizing LEED guidelines.
Northern Arizona University
Political Science 301W - Topics in Political Science "Greening the Campus"
Jacqueline Vaughn, Professor of Political Science
Analyzes the efforts that college and university campuses are making to make their operations and programs more sustainable and “green.” It incorporates extensive writing skill instruction and a series of structured papers.
Oberlin College
Environmental Studies 312 - Campus Sustainability: A Practicum
Nathan Engstrom, Coordinator, Office of Environmental Sustainability
David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies
and Politics
John Petersen, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology.
Chair, Environmental Studies Program
Engages students in various aspects of solving sustainability problems on campus. Themes change from year to year but include issues pertaining to energy consumption, water use, materials, food, transportation, and waste handling as well as technical matters of measurement standards and metrics to analyze data. Students conduct analysis of technical options to improve efficiency, and strategies to promote organizational learning relative to climate and environment.
Paul Smith's College
Environmental Studies 399 - Campus Sustainability: Students as Change Agents
Kate Glenn, Area Coordinator and Activities Assistant for Student Affairs
Tom Huber, Director TRIO and Student Support Services
Jill Susice, Student Activities Coordinator
Provides students with a real-time exploration of methods, policies, procedures and interaction with stakeholders related to furthering sustainability practices within organizations. Paul Smith's College is used as the primary case study to investigate its institutional practices related to sustainability and the associated roles of members of the campus community.
Rice University
Environmental Studies 302 - Sustainability: Rice into the Future
Paul Harcombe, Retired Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; and Co-director, Center for the Study of Environment and Society
Richard Johnson, Lecturer and Sustainability Planner, Facilities Engineering and Planning
Students use the Rice campus and local community as a laboratory in which to do projects to reduce environmental impacts, enhance sustainability, or resolve environmental problems.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 281/ Environmental Studies 281 - Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Communities
Kyriacos Zygourakis, Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Richard Johnson, Lecturer and Sustainability Planner, Facilities Engineering and Planning
Students work in teams to analyze and solve specific problems affecting the campus and city. Emphasis placed on the integration of engineering fundamentals with societal issues, environmental and safety considerations, sustainability and professional communications.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Honors Science and Mathematics 1055-300 - The Greening of RIT
Karl Korfmacher, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Environmental Science Program
This course seeks to teach students about the concept of sustainability by using the campus of RIT as their laboratory. During the quarter, students will investigate methods and strategies used by other colleges and universities to minimize environmental impacts in areas such as energy use, solid and hazardous waste management, transportation, landscaping and construction, food production and consumption, and purchasing. They will assess their personal and RIT's environmental impacts, develop strategies for minimizing the impacts, implement changes where possible, and prepare reports designed to guide RIT to becoming a greener campus. (Honors student status) Class 3, Lab 3, Credit 4 (S)
San Francisco State University
Environmental Studies 570 - Campus Sustainability
Carlos Davidson, Director and Associate Professor, Environmental Studies Program
Students learn about current sustainability issues and efforts at universities across the country and at San Francisco State. Students get hands-on opportunity to develop technical skills as well as organizational, political, and social skills involved in carrying out a sustainability project. A major component of the course is completion of a hands-on sustainability project on campus.
Shoals Marine Laboratory(operated by University of New Hampshire and Cornell University)
Civil and Environmental Engineering 113 - Sustainable Design for Appledore Island
James J. Bisogni, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, College of Engineering at Cornell
Course utilizes a unique environment, Appledore Island (which is essentially the Shoals Marine Lab campus), as an example of how sustainability is addressed in the design of basic components of the built environment; energy, water supply and waste treatment.
Summer Internships - Integrated Island Engineering Systems for Sustainability
Ross Hansen, Island Operations Manager
The class looks at how power, water and sanitation systems on a small island (Shoals Marine lab campus) can help us understand larger issues in sustainability. Students get real world experience in the design, analysis, operation and maintenance of self-contained community systems (electric, fresh water, waste water, and sea water), and buildings and structures with a focus toward improving environmental sustainability.
Texas Christian University
Sociology 30213 - Applied Sociology
Keith Whitworth, Professor, Department of Sociology
Students focus on how to apply sociological theory and concepts to a project in the area of sustainability. Recent projects included the creation of the TCU Purple Bike Program (a campus wide bike program offering free rental of bikes) and a carbon offset web site titled EnviroFootprint.org.
University of California - Berkeley
Energy and Resources 299 - UC Berkeley Climate Action Course
Dan Kammen, Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory and Professor in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG)
This Climate Action Course brings together interested students to study projects being considered for implementation under CalCAP, to identify new projects the campus might undertake, and to move forward through action-oriented research. Provides motivated students an opportunity to contribute to significant reductions in campus greenhouse gas emissions and the realization of longer term sustainability goals.
University of New Mexico
SUST 434 -001 - Synthesis of Sustainability Perspectives and Innovations
Bruce Milne, Biology Professor and Director of the Sustainability Studies Program
Presents frameworks for complex and creative analysis, including systems thinking and synergistic integration of the three pillars of sustainability: environment, equity, economy. Examines innovative local and international case studies in environment, business, policy, and community development.
University of Pennsylvania
Environmental Studies 494 - Toward Environmental Sustainability on Penn's Campus
Robert Giegengack, Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Science
Stan Laskowski, Advisor & Lecturer, Master of Environmental Studies Program
ENVS 494 is a course designed in response to University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. It examines the environmental footprint of the campus and engages students in developing solutions to the challenges of climate neutrality.
University of Portland
Environmental Studies 400 - Integrating Seminar in Environmental Studies
Russ Butkus, Associate Professor, Theology
Steve Kolmes, Professor, Biology, Molter Chair in Science
This is a problem oriented seminar in which student teams with varying backgrounds in environmental studies (and other disciplines) conduct research and analysis of regional environmental issues. Students will conduct greenhouse gas emission audits, research avenues for campus greenhouse gas mitigation, and combine the concept and practice of sustainability throughout this course.
University of Redlands, California
Design Studio 250 & 350 - Interdisciplimary, Qualatative, and Quantative
Peter Sherman, Associate Professor of Environmental Science
Past course projects have focused on diverse issues related to campus sustainability in both operations and curriculum. Each semester the course focuses on a new topic. The professor invite key decision makers into the class to 'charge' the class with conducting the work. Students conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses resulting in a formal proposal authored by the class and submitted to these key decision makers on campus. In 2007 the project addressed composting food and paper waste on campus. In 2008 it is incorporating concepts of sustainability throughout the curriculum.
University of South Carolina
Geography 343 - Human Impact on the Environment
Kirstin Dow, Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Students do survey research on environment related activities on campus. It is an opportunity to test hypotheses about behavior, think about institutional strategies to address environmental issues, and look at the role of ideology and policy strategies.
University of Washington
Public Affairs 595A - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Anne C. Steineman, Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Director, The Water Center, Evans School of Public Affairs
Students develop sustainability projects in areas such as green buildings, climate change and energy, dining services, and toxics reduction. The UW Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee (ESAC) works with students and helps guide the projects. Campus sustainability projects are a main product of this course.
University of Wyoming
Environment and Natural Resources 4600/5600 - Campus Sustainability
Deborah D. Paulson, Associate Professor, Geography
After introduction to social change and sustainability models, students develop sustainability projects, often working in teams. Past student projects have led to creation of a campus bike library, a wind energy purchase option, a student farm, a campus sustainability committee at the administration level, a student organization focused on sustainability, and more recycling containers on campus.
Ursinus College
Environmental Studies 100 - Issues in Environmental Studies
Richard Wallace, Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Environmental Studies
Leah Joseph, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
Students choose a campus sustainability project on which to work, individually or in small groups, usually with more senior students who have been working on the projects for some time. Projects include working with the college’s Facilities Services Dept on energy conservation or materials processing and waste stream (recycling, reducing consumption), working on the college’s constructed wetland, or in the college’s organic farming project.
Environmental Studies 391 - Independent Research or Environmental Studies 491 - Honors Research
Richard Wallace, Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Environmental Studies
Leah Joseph, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
Students undertake one or two semesters of independent work on a large-scale project. Projects include design of a green building for the campus environmental center, the creation of the plan for an Ursinus organic garden project, the design and planning (ecological, economic, and business) for a constructed wetland as part of the college’s stormwater management system, a retrofit of the environmental residence hall into a zero-impact house, and the creation of a prototype and test plot for a green roof.
Environmental Studies 470 - Environmental Studies Senior Seminar
Richard Wallace, Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Environmental Studies
Leah Joseph, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies
Students in the senior seminar work on a group project for the duration of the semester. This project has sometimes been an off-campus partnership with a local conservation group, and sometimes an on-campus sustainability project. Recent projects of the latter variety have included the writing of a sustainability master plan for the college and writing implementation plans for the college’s organic garden project and constructed wetland.
Westchester University
Honors 314 - Science, Technology, and Environmental Systems
Paul Morgan, Associate Professor, Professional and Secondary Education
Joan Welch, Professor and Chair, Geography and Planning
Among other projects, this course studies ecological footprints and has students analyze resource use on campus. In 2006-07 students developed 12-15 minute presentations that they presented to various constituencies on campus (food service, purchasing, etc.)
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