Every two to three years since 2008, AASHE has conducted a survey of sustainability professionals employed in higher education. These surveys collect information from sustainability staff as well as more specialized positions such as recycling & waste staff and energy management staff. This report presents the results of the 2023 Higher Education Sustainability Staffing Survey and serves as an update to our 2020 report. It examines the nature of sustainability positions at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and other countries, providing insights into salaries, funding, supervision, job satisfaction, challenges and more.
The results of this survey may not fully represent the current circumstances of higher education sustainability staff given recent events. Nevertheless, the results are useful in understanding how the field has evolved over time and in providing a baseline for determining how a global pandemic and widespread calls for racial equity impact the profession moving forward.
