Sustainability curriculum in higher education: a call to action

Growing concerns about the impact humans are having on the planet, and the implications of those impacts for future generations have led many to argue that higher education has a key role to play in helping move to a future characterized by an ability to meet the needs of the present without impeding the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Over the last 20 years, scholars, activists, and others have noted that through the research they conduct, the engagement they experience with the broader community, and the operations they oversee, colleges and universities can serve as test sites and models for sustainable practices and societies. Where colleges and universities may have the largest impact, however, is with the students they educate. As David Orr has argued, the real challenge faced in embracing a more sustainable future rests with the ability to educate students differently. This report is a culmination of the ideas presented during [the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's] AASHE's Summit on Sustainability in the Curriculum to address how higher education institutions can further infuse sustainability topics into college and university curricula. Recognizing the scale of the challenges faced by higher education and the urgency with which changes must be addressed, this report includes opportunities for building on further strategies and gives recommendations for broad national strategies for meeting these challenges.

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