Communities of Practice

AASHE’s Communities of Practice are largely self-organizing networks of higher education sustainability advocates formed around specific topics of interest. Some Communities of Practice work on specific projects or organize periodic educational programs. All of them serve as forums for information exchange and discussion.

Communities of Practice can take advantage of a range of benefits offered by AASHE, including: 

• A community to support information sharing and networking through AASHE Connect, AASHE’s online community platform. These communities are open to anyone with a free AASHE Account. 
• Promotion of programs (e.g., conferences, workshops and webinars) via upcoming events emails, AASHE newsletters and/or in AASHE’s calendar 
• A dedicated Google Drive folder and/or AASHE Connect library to share resources
• Space to post recordings of meetings/presentations on AASHE’s YouTube account
• Space to host a networking meeting at AASHE’s annual conference

AASHE also supports networks organized around geographic boundaries (Affiliates) and identities (Affinity Groups). 

Current AASHE Communities of Practice

• Community & Technical Colleges Sustainability Network – This community fosters connection and support among people working to advance sustainability in community & technical college settings.
• Ecological Landscapes – This community facilitates conversations and resource sharing related to transitioning to organic, ecological campus landscapes. It is hosted in partnership with Re:wild Your Campus.
• Inner Development Goals – This community facilitates discussion around how to cultivate Inner Development Goals skills and qualities (e.g. self awareness, sense-making, humility, communication, courage) within ourselves and others.
• IRA and Resources Discussion Group – This community explores how U.S. higher education institutions can access funding available under the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Liberating Structures & Facilitation – This community is focused on exploring and applying Liberating Structures and other facilitation methods to empower practitioners in creating and leading transformative, inclusive, and effective group work within higher education contexts.
• Scope 3 Emissions – This community discusses opportunities to reduce Scope 3 emissions in higher education.
• Senior Leaders Community – This community offers a space for experienced and advanced sustainability practitioners to engage in peer-to-peer learning, exchange strategic insights, and collaborate on solutions. Participants are either directors with 6+ years of sustainability in higher education experience or have an executive sustainability role (CSO, VP or AVP of Sustainability, VC of Sustainability, Executive Director, etc). Fill-out this form to be added. An editable list of these roles is available for review and modification.
• Sustainability and Sustainability-Related Degree Program Directors – This community is a collaborative network dedicated to fostering knowledge exchange, best practices, and innovation among leaders of academic programs focused on sustainability.
• Sustainability in Collegiate Athletics – This community facilitates conversations and resource-sharing related to sustainability in collegiate athletics. It is hosted in partnership with Green Sports Alliance.
• Scaling Up Sustainability Across the Curriculum Community – This community facilitates communication and collaboration among educators leading sustainability across the curriculum programs and related efforts.