Abstract
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) presented its 13th annual Sustainability Awards at the 2019 AASHE Conference & Expo held in Spokane, Washington. The winners were recognized for their progress in sustainability science, campus achievements, and student leadership. AASHE presents its annual awards to the institutions and individuals that are advancing sustainability both pedagogically and in practice within the field of higher education. SJoR is a proud media partner to the AASHE Conference & Expo.
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Judy Walton, PhD, the founding director of AASHE, was recognized as the AASHE Lifetime Achievement Award Winner of 2019. She served the organization in multiple capacities from 2006 through 2013. She held leadership roles in the development of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment and the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Walton also helped found and coordinate the Disciplinary Associations Network for Sustainability and the Higher Education Associations Consortium for Sustainability. (For more, see Interview with Judy Walton, this issue.)
Campus Sustainability Student Leadership Award Winner
This award honors students and/or student teams from higher education who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting sustainability on campus.
Representatives of the Students of Color Environmental Collective from the University of California, Berkeley
Zahira Chaudhry from the University of California, Berkeley, was recognized for organizing the Students of Color Environmental Conference, a free conference for students of color from across California to connect and grow with local environmental justice activists.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Duke at the University of Calgary received an Honorable Mention for founding Students on Sustainability. Students on Sustainability is a student society that educates grade school students on sustainability topics linked to climate change and supports student action projects.
Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Winners
This award honors higher education institutions for successful implementation of projects that advance sustainability.
Chandler-Gilbert Community College was recognized for its Food Waste Recycling Project, a collaboration between campus facilities and students that collects food waste and turns it into fertilizer used on campus.
The University of California, Merced, received the award for their program, Fill Plates, Not Landfills: Implementing the Bobcat Eats Food Waste Awareness and Prevention Program. The program has reduced food waste and food insecurity in Merced County in partnership with the local food bank.
McGill University was recognized for its Staff Engagement Ladder, a program comprised of four separate engagement initiatives that empower staff, students, and faculty to take sustainability action.
Honorable Mention: The University of California, Office of the President, received an honorable mention for its Sustainable Procurement Program and Policy Overhaul. In the summer of 2018, the UC system implemented a new version of their Sustainable Practices Policy that sets sustainability goals for major areas of spending and lays the groundwork for innovative sustainable sourcing standards.
Campus Sustainability Research Award Winners
This award recognizes research that contributes to the advancement of higher education sustainability.
Sean Vormwald from The State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) was recognized for “Demystifying Sustainability Behaviors on College and University Campuses: A Mixed Methods Analysis.” 1 This dissertation shares the results of three studies: a content analysis focusing on behavioral interventions in campus climate plans; an examination of the relationship between the organizational climate for sustainability and sustainable behavior; and an evaluation of the relationship between the organizational climate for sustainability and operational sustainability performance.
Sara Sherburne from Pomona College received the award for “Let's Get Sorted: The Path to Zero Waste.” 2 This senior thesis assessed the status of waste production and diversion at Pomona and identified opportunities to move the college toward its 2030 zero waste goal.
Nathan Elser and Judd Michael of Pennsylvania State University were recognized for “Personal Waste Management in Higher Education: A Case Study Illustrating the Importance of a Fourth Bottom Line.” 3 According to Elser and Michael, the case study demonstrates a unique accounting method for evaluating sustainability initiatives. The methodology incorporates the educational value of sustainability initiatives for higher education leaders who must decide whether or not to accept sustainability initiatives that are not directly related to business.
Ted Thornhill from Florida Gulf Coast University was recognized for “We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students.” 4 This research shows that white admissions counselors from historically and predominantly white institutions are more responsive to black students who present as deracialized and racially apolitical than they are to those who present a commitment to anti-racism and racial justice.
Rashad Brugmann et al. from the University of Toronto were recognized for “Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum.” 5 This paper describes how the University of Toronto increased student engagement in sustainability through: an inventory of academic courses that contribute to one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; an inventory of sustainability-focused, community-engaged learning opportunities; and an inventory of sustainability cocurricular and extracurricular opportunities.
The author team of Steven Wiryadinata, Josh Morejohn, and Kurt Kornbluth from the University of California, Davis, were recognized for “Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Energy Systems.” 6 The study analyzes the costs associated with three different options for UC Davis to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.
Award winners receive recognition in a variety of formats including a plaque made of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood from Rivanna, a woman-owned B Corp with a strong commitment to sustainability.
For more on AASHE's awards programs, visit https://www.aashe.org/get-involved/awards/.
Submissions for the 2020 AASHE Sustainability Awards are being accepted through May 15, 2020.