Embargoed until 12:01am EST Monday, June 30, 2008
Contact: Julian Dautremont-Smith, AASHE Associate Director - (610) 349-5994
AASHE Releases Annual Review of Sustainability in Higher Education
A new publication from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) documents the continued growth in campus sustainability efforts across the US and Canada.
AASHE Digest 2007 offers a comprehensive review of campus sustainability efforts from 2007. The 230-page report includes over 800 stories about higher education institutions leading the way to a sustainable future. It is organized into 24 chapters spanning education, research, campus operations, administration, and finance.
"By any yardstick, sustainability in higher education hit new milestones of success in 2007," said Judy Walton, AASHE's Executive Director. "We hope that the stories in the Digest inspire others and catalyze even greater accomplishments in 2008."
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 over the course of 2007, 452 presidents and chancellors committed to climate neutrality by signing the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment and at least 35 other colleges and universities announced their own climate commitments and energy conservation plans
Digest stories also document the emergence of ranking and rating systems that compare campuses on sustainability criteria. There were at least 6 separate attempts to evaluate campus sustainability performance in 2007, ranging from the Sustainable Endowments Institute's College Sustainability Report Card to Grist magazine's "15 Green Colleges and Universities." AASHE entered the field as well with the release of the first draft of its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
AASHE Digest is comprised of news stories and resources from AASHE's weekly newsletter, AASHE Bulletin. The AASHE Digest 2007 is made possible with the generous support of AASHE business partners Mithun and PortionPac.
About AASHE
AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, is an association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada working to create a sustainable future. It was founded in 2006 with a mission to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education - from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach - through education, communication, research and professional development.