Introduction
Definition of Key Terms
This section explains three key terminologies as they relate to sustainability assessment in HEIs for better understanding of the various tools and processes used in the assessment;
- (a)
Sustainability: Sustainability is defined in this paper to mean the processes of managing, within the limits of available physical, natural and social campus resources, in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity (Dunkley 2013). According to Geir (1994), it is paramount for our generation to manage the resource base such that the average quality of life we aspire to attain can potentially be shared by the generation unborn. Safeguarded within the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Millennium Improvement Goals (MIGs), sustainability precepts has transcended through Global initiatives down the European Union’s (EU) Sustainable Development Strategy (EU-SDS) and other National laws (Glavic and Lukman 2007...
References
AASHE (2010) STARS-version 1.0 technical manual, 283 pp. Available at www.Aashe.org/files/docume-nts/STARS. Accessed 2 Mar 2018
Alshuwaikhat HM, Adenle YA, Saghir B (2016) Sustainability assessment of higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia. Sustainability 31(1):99–110
Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (AULSF) (2009) Sustainability assessment questionnaire (SAQ) for colleges and universities. University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, Wayland
Bardaglio P, Putman A (2009) Boldly sustainable. National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Washington, DC
Beringer A, Adomßent M (2008) Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in higher education research. Environ Educ Res 14(1):607–623
Brand U (2012) Green economy—the next oxymoron? GAIA 21(1):28–32
Bond A, Morrison-Saunders A, Howitt R (2013) Sustainability assessment—pluralism, practice and progress. Routledge, New York
Bowser G, Gretzel U, Davis E, Brown M (2014) Educating the future of sustainability. Sustainability 6(1):692–701
Cole L, Wright T (2003) Assessing sustainability on Canadian University Campuses: development of a campus sustainability assessment framework. Master’s thesis. Royal Roads University, Victoria. Unpublished work, 2003
Comm C, Mathaisel D (2005) A case study in applying lean sustainability concepts to universities. Int J Sustain High Educ 6(2):134–146
Dow J (2010) “Corporate sustainability”. Sustainability Indexes. Available at www.Sustainability index.com/07_htmle/sustainability. Accessed 20 Mar 2018
Dunkley, RA (2013) Building bridges for education for sustainability: 2013 Report for the development of education for sustainability through the Monash-Warwick Alliance. [Project Report]. United Kingdom: University of Warwick
Gasparatos A (2010) Embedded value systems in sustainability assessment tools and their implications. J Environ Manag 91(1):1613–1622
Geir B Asheim (1994) Net National Product as an Indicator of Sustainability. The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 96(2):257–265
Glavic P, Lukman R (2007) Review of sustainability terms and their definitions. Journal of Cleaner Production, (15)1875–1885
Good Company (GC) (2002) Sustainable pathways toolkit for universities and colleges: social and environmental indicators for campuses, Part II: Toolkit Technical Manual. Good Company, Eugene. Available at www.syc-cjs.org/sites. Accessed 2 Feb 2018
Hameed A, Waheed A (2011) Employee Development and Its Effect on Employee Performance: A Conceptual Framework. International Journal of Business and Social Science 2(13):1–6
Krizek JK, Newport D, White J, Townsend AR (2011) Higher education’s sustainability imperative: how to practically respond? Sustainability imperative. Available at www.emeraldinsight.com. Accessed 20 Feb 2018
Lozano R (2006) “Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities”. Breaking through barriers to change. J Clean Prod 14:787–796
Lozano R (2010) Diffusion of sustainable development in universities’ curricula: an empirical example from Cardiff University. J Clean Prod 18(1):637–644
Lubin D, Esty D (2010) The sustainability imperative. Harv Bus Rev 88(5):42–50
Lukman R, Glaviˇc P (2007) What are the key elements of a sustainable university? Clean Techn Environ Policy 9(1):103–114
McMillan J, Dyball R (2009) Developing a Whole-of-University approach to educating for sustainability: linking curriculum, research and sustainable campus operations. J Educ Sustain Dev 3(1):55–64
Nixon A, Glasser H (2002) Campus sustainability assessment review project. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Pipjelink P (2011) AISHE – auditing instrument for sustainability in higher education. Econ Transdiscipl Cogn 14(1):461–467
Roorda, N. (2001). AISHE-assessment instrument for sustainability in higher education. Stichting Duurzaam Hoger Onderwijs (DHO): Amsterdam
Shriberg, M. (2004). Assessing sustainability: criteria, tools and implications in higher education and the challenge of sustainability. Springer: Dordrecht: 3(1): 71–86
Velazquez L, Munguia N, Platt A, Taddei J (2006) Sustainable University: what can be the matter? J Clean Prod 14(1):810–819
Volkswagen Group (2008) Corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Available at: http://annualreport2008.volkswagenag.com. Accessed 27 Dec 2017
Walton S, Galea C (2005) Some considerations for applying business sustainability practices to campus environmental challenges. Int J Sustain High Educ 6(2):147–160
Wright TS (2002) Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education. High Educ Policy 15(1):105–120
Wright T (2010) “University presidents” conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education. Int J Sustain High Educ 11(1):61–73
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Nunoo, E.K. (2019). Sustainability Assessment in Ghana’s Higher Educational Institutions Using the Assessment Questionnaire as a Tool. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_509-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_509-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education