Faculty Resources for Incorporating Sustainable Practices

Sustainability is a critical topic for 21st-century citizens to understand, regardless of field or profession.

To assist our faculty in incorporating the topic of sustainability into their courses and their everyday life, we create and share development opportunities and resources.

Big Ideas of Sustainability

8 Ways to Integrate Sustainability Into Your Course

Adapted from The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

Aside from participating in energy-conservation measures and proper waste reduction on campus, we hope faculty will consider helping to foster a true culture of sustainability by infusing it throughout the curriculum. Here are eight ways to include sustainable concepts across disciplines:

  1. Use sustainability examples to illustrate key concepts. See "The Big Ideas of Sustainability"
  2. Develop assignments based on aspects of sustainability.
  3. Assign readings focused on sustainability that correspond with course content.
  4. Assign new projects to illustrate sustainability concepts covered in class
  5. Devote one section of the course to sustainability-related concepts.
  6. Develop a new course that includes sustainability concepts.
  7. Use a guest speaker or attend a campus event. See our calendar for suggestions.
  8. Go on a field trip. See this map for suggestions within walking or short driving distance of campus.

Student/Class Projects With Sustain Champlain 

A small staff and a long list of projects = plenty of opportunities for students to get involved with campus-based projects. These projects could be class research projects, service-learning projects, independent studies, internships, etc. See the current project list.

Need funding? Consider utilizing the Green Revolving Fund to move your class projects from theoretical to fully implemented. 

Day-to-Day Classroom Greening Tips

  • Encourage proper disposal of items in the classroom. See what goes where on our Sort-It-Out page.
  • Utilize online submission option for assignments and post readings in Canvas.
  • Encourage re-use of poster boards, etc. when possible.

Further Resources