Recent publications highlight a suite of key competencies in sustainability education, primarily applied in academic programs to build thinking and problem-solving skills. However, these competencies often lack integration with hands-on, experiential learning found in co-curricular activities, such as “campus as a living lab” initiatives. This interactive session will explore how to extend key sustainability competencies beyond the classroom and connect academic efforts with sustainability operations, providing students with meaningful, high-impact experiences. We will explore questions like:

• How do “systems,” “future,” “values,” or “strategic” thinking manifest in hands-on campus activities, and in the work of sustainability coordinators and staff?
• What are the different ways that we can connect the academic side of universities with sustainability operations to provide students with a unique and valuable experience?
• What are the opportunities for integrated problem solving afforded by co-curricular programs?
• How can all the sustainability research being done on university campuses be harnessed to benefit both the university and its students?
• How can we ensure that our activities are high impact?

Participants will share examples, discuss integration strategies, and collaborate to develop ideas for impactful campus programs.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the Key Competencies in Sustainability Framework and its current applications in academic settings.
• Explore the role of co-curricular and hands-on campus programs in developing sustainability competencies.
• Identify opportunities for integrating academic and operational sustainability efforts on campus.
• Exchange best practices, experiences, and ideas for enhancing sustainability education through co-curricular activities.
• Collaborate with peers to design a proposal for a high-impact campus program that embeds key sustainability competencies.

Key Details

Registration Fees* 

* To check if your organization is a current AASHE member, please search the AASHE Membership Directory.

A limited number of scholarships are available to individuals who need financial assistance to participate. Please apply two weeks before the program begins (e.g., 7/3/2025) to be considered for a scholarship for this workshop.

Registration Policies:

• Registration deadline is Thursday, July 17, 12:00 p.m. ET.
• Payment is accepted in the form of Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards.
  If you need to pay by check or ACH, please contact us at least 5 weeks prior to the event start date. Registration using these forms of payment must be received 4 weeks prior to the event start date and full payment must be received by AASHE within 2 weeks of event start date.
• Cancellation Policy: A 20% processing fee applies to any cancellation prior to July 7, 2025. No refunds will be given after July 7, 2025.
• No substitutions are allowed.
• Registered participants will receive access to the recording after the live event.
• Review all Terms & Conditions.

Register today

Facilitators

Teresa Balser, Professor, University of Calgary
Professor Teri Balser is a passionate scholar and senior university leader. Formerly provost and vice-president (Academic) at the University of Calgary, she has also been interim president and provost at Dalhousie University. An internationally known educator, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her work in soil and environmental science. Throughout her career she has sought to connect and empower people across public, academic, and private sectors in working together toward a sustainable future. She brings that lens, coupled with the perspective of university leadership, to bear on how we can contribute toward a response to the climate emergency and move into a new future.

Joseli Macedo, Professor, University of Calgary
Joseli Macedo is an educator, leader, architect, urbanist, and designer. She has a wide range of experience and accomplishment leading interdisciplinary programs in Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and the United States. Joseli has taught and conducted research in the areas of sustainable cities, urban design, and international development for 30 years, and has published on city design and urban form, land policy and land tenure, housing policy, urban planning history, and pedagogy.

Krista Hiser, Senior Lead and Advisor, Global Council for Science and the Environment
Krista Hiser currently serves as the Senior Lead and Advisor for Sustainability Education at the Global Council for Science and the Environment. Formerly the director of the University of Hawaiʻi System Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum, she teaches writing and literature at Kapi’olani Community College, with an emphasis on sustainability, climate education, and community resilience. She received her doctoral degree in Educational Administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Any questions about the workshop?
Please contact Daita Serghi, education@aashe.org