Annual Impact Report Fiscal Year 2021

In 2021, the United States saw a new President take office and rejoin the Paris climate accords, an insurrection on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the continued unprecedented weather tragedies around the world that affirmed an undeniable link between climate change and extreme weather, and a continued fight to combat COVID-19. While 2021 felt as though it was merely a continuation of 2020, we also saw many great things happen right in our very own community such as:

• International participation in STARS continued to grow, with De La Salle Lipa (Philippines) and National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) each earning their first rating this year.
• The AASHE Sustainability Awards saw one of the highest numbers of submissions in a single year with 360+ submissions capturing monumental sustainability achievements.
• Nearly 7,000 sustainability leaders participated in AASHE'S GCSHE and/or at least one professional development opportunity to advance their personal and professional knowledge.

With all the great things happening and dedicated AASHE members working to advance sustainability, we continue to find ways to be optimistic.

Supporting sustainability success!

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) was designed to incentivize institutions to deepen their sustainability efforts, and its continued use during the pandemic proves that despite all the challenges campuses face, sustainability remains of vital importance to higher education leaders.

Measuring Sustainability Performance

A study published this year found that STARS scores are positively correlated with institutional reputation, endowment size and environmental performance. While in its twelfth year, STARS saw several “firsts” and the start of a period for new growth for this vital tool:

• By the end of 2021, there were 333 rated institutions from the U.S., Canada and many other countries.
• The first STARS ratings were earned by institutions in the Philippines (De La Salle Lipa) and Taiwan (National Tsing Hua University).
• SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the University of California, Berkeley joined nine other STARS Platinum institutions in 2021.
• Six institutions submitted their first STARS report AND earned Top Performer recognition in AASHE’s Sustainable Campus Index.
• AASHE and the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) completed the third year of a partnership that resulted in three ACTS institutions earning STARS ratings by the close of 2021.
• AASHE opened the first round of public comment on STARS 3.0, the next iteration of the rating system, currently slated to launch in 2023.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, AASHE's Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE) remained virtual for the second year in a row. This commitment to staying virtual demonstrates the organization's commitment to not only slowing the spread of the coronavirus but also to reducing the carbon footprint of the event and remaining a more inclusive space by enabling professionals around the globe to participate in the virtual event.

#GCSHE's theme, “The future is…”, reflected the uncertainty about the future that many felt and invited participants to recommit themselves to the urgent work of building a future that is sustainable, equitable, and resilient.

During this virtual event, Zamzam Ibrahim, Chloe Maxmin and Daphne Frias presented a keynote address that shared inspiring examples of how young people lead the way to a sustainable future on campus and beyond. An illustration of this address was presented to attendees to help absorb the important messages presented by these emerging leaders. The illustration is pictured in the background.

Bringing People Together. Keeping the Community Safe.

We were proud to provide 6 keynote sessions, 20+ live networking & discussion groups, more than 70 live sessions, and over 130 on-demand learning videos all available for nearly 3-months to attendees.

AASHE Sustainability Awards

360+ submissions. 5 categories. 12 winners.

1 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The AASHE Sustainability Awards recognize sustainability achievements and collaborations, research advancements, and individual leadership. By raising the visibility of high-impact sustainability projects, collaborations and pioneering research, the awards program helps to disseminate innovations and inspire continued progress toward sustainability.

In 2021, we were excited to introduce the Racial Equity and Sustainability Collaborations Award, to honor higher education institutions for successfully integrating racial equity and social justice with sustainability, won by Catawba College for its Equity, Diversity, Justice, Inclusion Task Force. This task force aims to build a campus community where all members thrive by cultivating critical conversations and practices that close opportunity gaps and promote equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion on campus and in the larger community.

Professional Learning

Our professional education and development programs enable higher education sustainability champions - including sustainability staff, faculty, students and administrators - to connect with one another while gaining the knowledge and skills to effectively advance sustainability at their institutions.

Workshops & Courses

For the first time, AASHE held 7 virtual workshops and courses. These programs provided participants the opportunity for a deeper dive into knowledge, competencies, and skills while networking and exchanging ideas.

We also hosted a virtual book club that received the highest satisfaction rating amongst all virtual workshops offered in 2021.

Webinars

In 2021, we held 24 webinars on topics ranging from organic land-care management and intersectional sustainability which reached nearly 2,000 participants from 30 countries.

Mentorship Program

In the Mentorship Program’s fourth year, we expanded the program to include peer collaborators. This new addition allowed for like-minded individuals to have more of a networking relationship where they could exchange ideas with one another on a regular basis.

Resources & Publications

Each year we work to provide new resources and publications to our community to ensure higher education sustainability practitioners are equipped with the latest information, details and trends to continuously advance sustainability. In 2021, we published three new publications and added more than 500 new resources in the Campus Sustainability Hub. Publications include:

• Ditching Desktop Printers explores the benefits of replacing individual desktop printers with a shared office or department ‘multi-function’ printer to reduce paper use, save money and decrease the demand on IT staff time.
• No Sustainability Without Justice: An Anthology on Racial Equity and Social Justice, Volume II consists of eight essays from more than 50 submissions clearly demonstrating the strong interest in racial equity, social justice and its interconnectedness with sustainability.
• 2021 Sustainable Campus Index highlights the most sustainable colleges and universities in 17 impact areas and overall by institution type, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

We also pulled together a cookbook of GCSHE attendee submitted recipes to create a fun, community feel to a virtual event.

​​AASHE empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges.

AASHE membership is intended for the full spectrum of higher education institutions and organizations – from community colleges to research universities and from institutions just starting their sustainability programs to long-time campus sustainability leaders. Higher education institutions, businesses and nonprofit organizations comprise AASHE’s membership base reaching more than 2 million people.

Collective Voices | Collective Action

Despite the continued uncertainty the world faces, AASHE remains focused on our mission, vision and commitments. We believe in putting our collective voices together to advocate for the global sustainability transformation that benefits all. Advocacy is a collective duty and, as such, we continue to explore ways to collaborate with others to influence policies and actions that transform our world into a thriving, equitable and ecologically healthy world for everyone.

AASHE joined with numerous organizations and coalitions in supporting the following advocacy initiatives:

• AASHE Signs the COP26 Literacy Letter
• AASHE Becomes Signatory for the US Action for Climate Empowerment National Strategic Framework
• AASHE Urges Presidential Envoy John Kerry to include ACE Framework when Rejoining the Accord
• AASHE Signs “From Single-Use to Systems Change: A Call to Action”
• Now is the Time for A New Deal for Higher Education
• Double Funding for Energy STAR
• AASHE Sends Letter to Biden Administration Calling for a Fair Share NDC
• AASHE Joins the Coalition for Climate Education Policy
• AASHE Signs the 100% Renewable Electricity Standard
• AASHE Supports Rebuild America’s Schools Act
• Sign-on Letter: Principles for a Nationwide System of Climate Services
• Stop Approving Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Projects
• AASHE Urges Senators to Fund K-12 Facilities in Budget Reconciliation
• AASHE Signs Letter Related to Landmark Climate Case Juliana v. United States
• AASHE Joins the US ACE Coalition
• AASHE Asks Community to Support ENERGY STAR Program

Remaining hopeful!

The AASHE community is comprised of thousands of passionate and dedicated sustainability leaders committed to moving the needle and advancing sustainability wherever they are. This is evident through the numerous achievements cataloged through Bulletin submissions, discussions at GCSHE and submissions through the AASHE Sustainability Awards.

With all the great things happening and dedicated AASHE members working to advance sustainability, we continue to find ways to be hopeful about the future.