Campus Colleagues:

Our institution is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASHE is an organization of colleges and universities that are working to advance sustainability in higher education.  You can see our school’s name on AASHE’s list of campus members.

I’m writing to let you know about some of the benefits of AASHE membership.  First, AASHE membership covers everyone on campus.  As members, we all have access to AASHE’s online resources and opportunities for networking, information sharing, collaboration, and professional development.

Here are more details about AASHE’s member benefits, services and programs:

Individual Member Accounts
Anyone at our institution can create their own account to access member-only pages on AASHE’s website and receive member discounts.  To create an individual account, go to create member account and complete the user profile using your campus email address.  After you receive your password by email, go to the login page, enter your email address (username) and new password, and you will have access to all locked resources. Email webmaster@aashe.org if you have any difficulty with this process.

AASHE Newsletters
We can subscribe to any AASHE newsletters.  AASHE Bulletin is a weekly e-newsletter with the latest campus sustainability news, resources, opportunities, and events.  AASHE Events notifies you about AASHE’s annual conference, workshop, webinars and other AASHE-hosted events.  AASHE Announcements contains updates on important organizational news. STARS Update keeps you current on activities related to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System program.

Online Resources
AASHE’s online Resource Center includes assessment tools, policy and program databases, best practices, campus profiles, how-to guides, reports, discussion forums, and other resources. Many of these are member-only so you’ll need an individual member account to access them (see above).

Professional Development
AASHE holds or co-sponsors workshops and webinars throughout the year, plus an annual conference that brings together every sector of higher education as well as business, government, and non-profit participants.  These events offer opportunities to connect with our colleagues at regional, national, and international levels to share resources. As members we receive discounts on all AASHE events.  Check the AASHE calendar for upcoming events.  (Also see AASHE Conference Papers & Presentations Database and STARS Webinars Archives.)

Product and Service Discounts
AASHE business and non-profit members offer occasional product and service discounts for AASHE members. To access the list of discount offers, you must have an individual member account (see above).

STARS Registration Discount
As a member, our institution receives a reduced fee for participating in AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a standardized, self-administered assessment tool for campuses to benchmark their sustainability progress and compare with others.

Publicity and Recognition
We can submit campus sustainability news and job postings to the AASHE Bulletin (be sure to read the submission guidelines first).  The Bulletin informs over 11,000 subscribers about campus sustainability news, resources, and opportunities.  We can also submit a photo and text for the member spotlight, which highlights efforts at individual campuses and is featured on AASHE’s website.

Professional Awards
Our campus can submit applications for any of AASHE’s awards, including the Campus Sustainability Case Study Award, Student Sustainability Leadership Award, and Student Sustainability Research Award.

Sustainability Officers Directory
AASHE maintains an online directory of campus sustainability/environmental officers to enable us to find and reach out to colleagues doing similar work at other institutions.  It’s a member-only resource, so you’ll need an individual account to access it (see above).

Discussion Forums
Anyone with an individual website account can participate in AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums (read the FAQs and Instructions first). The aim of the forums is to provide a central place for sharing ideas and best practices and for finding answers to questions on topics related to sustainability and higher education.  It’s a great way to gain knowledge from our peers that will help advance our sustainability work.

AASHE Blog
AASHE’s “Campus Sustainability Perspectives” blog features opinions and reports by staff and guests related to campus sustainability. You can read the blog, comment on posts, and request to submit your own items as a guest blogger.  There is also a chronological archive page and a comprehensive list of blogs that are related to campus sustainability.

AASHE Member Logo
We can post the “AASHE Member” logo on our website to emphasize our commitment to sustainability. The logo may also be used on any signage, reports, brochures, and publicity or display materials.  Be sure to read the usage guidelines first.

Governance, Councils, Committees
Anyone from our campus can participate on AASHE’s committees, councils, working groups, and board.

If you have any questions about AASHE or our benefits as a member, email info@aashe.org. Again, every individual on our campus can take advantage of these membership benefits from AASHE, so be sure to set up an account!

Best,
Christina