Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainability Domains in Higher Education

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education

  • 62 Accesses

Synonyms

Areas of sustainability; Sustainability dimensions; Sustainability elements

Definition

Sustainability domains in higher education refer to individual but interrelated areas within which sustainability is integrated. Key sustainability domains in higher education include overall governance, curriculum, research, operations, and community engagement. Together, these domains constitute a holistic approach for integrating sustainability into the higher education system.

Introduction

In the wake of catastrophes such as the recent tsunami in Indonesia and ravaging hurricanes Michael and Florence in the USA, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a report calling for urgent and wide-spread action to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2018). This report adds a renewed sense of urgency to previous calls to ensure survival of ecosystems and global communities. Following these initial calls,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 849.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alkaher I, Avissar I (2018) Assessing the impact of a program designed to develop sustainability leadership amongst staff members in higher education institutes: a case study from a community of practice perspective. Environ Educ Res 24:492–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1291799

  • Ávila LV, Leal Filho W, Brandli L et al (2017) Barriers to innovation and sustainability at universities around the world. J Clean Prod 164:1268–1278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bekessy SA, Samson K, Clarkson RE (2007) The failure of non-binding declarations to achieve university sustainability: a need for accountability. Int J Sustain High Educ 8:301–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beringer A, Adomßent M (2008) Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in higher education research. Environ Educ Res 14:607–623

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beveridge D, McKenzie M, Vaughter P, Wright T (2015) Sustainability in Canadian post-secondary institutions: the interrelationships among sustainability initiatives and geographic and institutional characteristics. Int J Sustain High Educ 16:611–638

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bieler A, McKenzie M (2017) Strategic planning for sustainability in Canadian higher education. Sustainability 9:161. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9020161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blake J, Sterling S (2011) Tensions and transitions: effecting change towards sustainability at a mainstream university through staff living and learning at an alternative, civil society college. Environ Educ Res 17:125–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2010.486477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodorkós B, Pataki G (2009) Linking academic and local knowledge: community-based research and service learning for sustainable rural development in Hungary. J Clean Prod 17:1123–1131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bothun GD (2016) Data networks and sustainability education in African universities: a case study for Sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Sustain High Educ 17:246–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brundtland GH (1987) Our common future (Report for the World commission on Environment and Development, United Nations). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Caeiro S, Filho WL, Jabbour C, Azeiteiro UM (eds) (2013) Sustainability assessment tools in higher education institutions. Springer International Publishing, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceulemans K, Molderez I, Van Liedekerke L (2014) Sustainability reporting in higher education: a comprehensive review of the recent literature and paths for further research. J Clean Prod 106:127–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chalker-Scott L, Tinnemore R (2009) Is community-based sustainability education sustainable? A general overview of organizational sustainability in outreach education. J Clean Prod 17:1132–1137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christie BA, Miller KK, Cooke R, White JG (2013) Environmental sustainability in higher education: how do academics teach? Environ Educ Res 19:385–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortese AD (2003) The critical role of higher education in creating a sustainable future. Plan High Educ 31:15–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Cotton DRE, Warren MF, Maiboroda O, Bailey I (2007) Sustainable development, higher education and pedagogy: a study of lecturers’ beliefs and attitudes. Environ Educ Res 13:579–597

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dentoni D, Bitzer V (2015) The role (s) of universities in dealing with global wicked problems through multi-stakeholder initiatives. J Clean Prod 106:68–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer G, Dyer M (2017) Strategic leadership for sustainability by higher education: the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. J Clean Prod 140:111–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott H, Wright T (2013) Barriers to sustainable universities and ways forward: a Canadian students’ perspective. In: The 3rd world sustainability forum

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaziulusoy AI, Boyle C (2013) Proposing a heuristic reflective tool for reviewing literature in transdisciplinary research for sustainability. J Clean Prod 48:139–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grindsted TS (2015) The matter of geography in education for sustainable development: the case of danish university geography. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Transformative approaches to sustainable development at universities. Springer, Switzerland, pp 13–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Holdsworth S, Wyborn C, Bekessy S, Thomas I (2008) Professional development for education for sustainability: how advanced are Australian universities? Int J Sustain High Educ 9:131–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmberg J, Svanström M, Peet D-J et al (2008) Embedding sustainability in higher education through interaction with lecturers: case studies from three European technical universities. Eur J Eng Educ 33:271–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PCC) (2018) Global warming of 1.5 °C. http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/. Accessed 12 Oct 2018

  • Jorge ML, Madueño JH, Peña FJA (2015) Factors influencing the presence of sustainability initiatives in the strategic planning of Spanish universities. Environ Educ Res 21:1155–1187. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.977231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanyimba A, Hamunyela M, Kasanda CD (2014) Barriers to the implementation of education for sustainable development in Namibia’s higher education institutions. Creat Educ 5:242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karatzoglou B (2011) Critical perspectives from the literature review on the contribution of universities to regional sustainable development. In: Barton A, Dlouhá J (eds) Multi-actor learning for sustainable development in Europe: A handbook of best practice. Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd, Surrey, UK, pp 19–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W, Manolas E, Pace P (2015) The future we want: key issues on sustainable development in higher education after Rio and the UN decade of education for sustainable development. Int J Sustain High Educ 16:112–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee K-H, Barker M, Mouasher A (2013) Is it even espoused? An exploratory study of commitment to sustainability as evidenced in vision, mission, and graduate attribute statements in Australian universities. J Clean Prod 48:20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.01.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lidstone L, Wright T, Sherren K (2015) An analysis of Canadian STARS-rated higher education sustainability policies. Environ Dev Sustain 17:259–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R (2006) Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change. J Clean Prod 14:787–796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2005.12.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R (2011) The state of sustainability reporting in universities. Int J Sustain High Educ 12:67–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111098311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Lukman R, Lozano FJ et al (2011) Declarations for sustainability in higher education: becoming better leaders, through addressing the university system. J Clean Prod 48:10–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Lozano FJ, Mulder K et al (2013) Advancing higher education for sustainable development: international insights and critical reflections. J Clean Prod 48:3–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.03.034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Ceulemans K, Alonso-Almeida M et al (2014) A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education: results from a worldwide survey. J Clean Prod 108:1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macgregor CJ (2015) James Cook university’s holistic response to the sustainable development challenge. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Transformative approches to sustainable development at universities. Springer, Switzerland, pp 25–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Mickwitz P, Melanen M (2009) The role of co-operation between academia and policymakers for the development and use of sustainability indicators – a case from the Finnish Kymenlaakso Region. J Clean Prod 17:1086–1100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore J (2005) Policy, priorities and action: a case study of the University of British Columbia’s engagement with sustainability. High Educ Policy 18:179–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulder KF, Ferrer D, Segalas Coral J et al (2015) Motivating students and lecturers for education in sustainable development. Int J Sustain High Educ 16:385–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray J (2018) Student-led action for sustainability in higher education: a literature review. Int J Sustain High Educ 19:1095–1110. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-09-2017-0164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portman ME, Teff-Seker Y (2017) Community-level environmental projects as learning tools for planners: a case study of graduate planning students. Environ Educ Res 23:415–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Remington-Doucette S, Musgrove S (2015) Variation in sustainability competency development according to age, gender, and disciplinary affiliation: implications for teaching practice and overall program structure. Int J Sustain High Educ 16:537–575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roorda N, Martens P (2008) Assessment and certification of higher education for sustainable development. Sustain J Rec 1:41–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose G, Ryan K, Desha C (2015) Implementing a holistic process for embedding sustainability: a case study in first year engineering, Monash University, Australia. J Clean Prod 106:229–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan A, Tilbury D, Blaze Corcoran P et al (2010) Sustainability in higher education in the Asia-Pacific: developments, challenges, and prospects. Int J Sustain High Educ 11:106–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherren K (2006) Core issues: reflections on sustainability in Australian university coursework programs. Int J Sustain High Educ 7:400–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sidiropoulos E (2018) The personal context of student learning for sustainability: results of a multi-university research study. J Clean Prod 181:537–554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.01.083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens JC, Hernandez ME, Román M et al (2008) Higher education as a change agent for sustainability in different cultures and contexts. Int J Sustain High Educ 9:317–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sterling S (2004) Higher education, sustainability, and the role of systemic learning. In: Corcoran PB, Wals AEJ (eds) Higher education and the challenge of sustainability: problematics, promise, and practice. Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp 49–70

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvestre P, Wright T, Sherren K (2013) Exploring faculty conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education: cultural barriers to organizational change and potential resolutions. J Educ Sustain Dev 7:223–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvestre P, Wright T, Sherren K (2014) A tale of two (or more) sustainabilities: AQ methodology study of university professors’ perspectives on sustainable universities. Sustainability 6:1521–1543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilbury D (2011) Higher education for sustainability: a global overview of commitment and progress. High Educ World 4:18–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Togo M, Lotz-Sisitka H (2013) The unit-based sustainability assessment tool and its use in the UNEP mainstreaming environment and sustainability in African universities partnership. In: Caeiro S, Filho WL, Jabbour C, Azeiteiro UM (eds) Sustainability assessment tools in higher education institutions: mapping trends and good practices around the world. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 259–288

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughter P, Wright T, McKenzie M, Lidstone L (2013) Greening the ivory tower: a review of educational research on sustainability in post-secondary education. Sustainability 5:2252–2271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughter P, McKenzie M, Lidstone L, Wright T (2016) Campus sustainability governance in Canada: a content analysis of post-secondary institutions’ sustainability policies. Int J Sustain High Educ 17:16–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velasco A, Valencia M, Morrow S, Ochoa-Herrera V (2018) Understanding the limits of assessing sustainability at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Ecuador, while reporting for a North American system. Int J Sustain High Educ 19:721–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velazquez L, Munguia N, Sanchez M (2005) Deterring sustainability in higher education institutions: an appraisal of the factors which influence sustainability in higher education institutions. Int J Sustain High Educ 6:383–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velazquez L, Munguia N, Platt A, Taddei J (2006) Sustainable university: what can be the matter? J Clean Prod 14:810–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent S, Danielson A, Santos BSR (2015) Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research: institutes and centers at U.S. research universities. In: Leal Filho W, Brandli L, Kuznetsova O, do Paço AMF (eds) Integrative approaches to sustainable development at university level: making the links. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp 275–292

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Waas T, Verbruggen A, Wright T (2010) University research for sustainable development: definition and characteristics explored. J Clean Prod 18:629–636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wals AEJ (2009) A mid-DESD review: key findings and ways forward. J Educ Sustain Dev 3:195–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/097340820900300216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wals AE (2014) Sustainability in higher education in the context of the UN DESD: a review of learning and institutionalization processes. J Clean Prod 62:8–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells P, Bristow G, Nieuwenhuis P, Christensen TB (2009) The role of academia in regional sustainability initiatives: Wales. J Clean Prod 17:1116–1122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White SS (2014) Campus sustainability plans in the United States: where, what, and how to evaluate? Int J Sustain High Educ 15:228–241. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-08-2012-0075

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White R, Harder MK (2013) The journey towards sustainability via community: lessons from two UK universities. In: The sustainable university: progress and prospects. Routledge, New York, p 132

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood BE, Cornforth S, Beals F et al (2016) Sustainability champions? Academic identities and sustainability curricula in higher education. Int J Sustain High Educ 17:342–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright TS (2002) Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education. Int J Sustain High Educ 3:203–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright T, Wilton H (2012) Facilities management directors’ conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education. J Clean Prod 31:118–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yarime M, Trencher G, Mino T et al (2012) Establishing sustainability science in higher education institutions: towards an integration of academic development, institutionalization, and stakeholder collaborations. Sustain Sci 7:101–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-012-0157-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeegers Y, Francis Clark I (2014) Students’ perceptions of education for sustainable development. Int J Sustain High Educ 15:242–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zilahy G, Huisingh D, Melanen M et al (2009) Roles of academia in regional sustainability initiatives: outreach for a more sustainable future. J Clean Prod 17:1053–1056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman KS, Halfacre-Hitchcock A (2006) Barriers to student mobilization and service at institutions of higher education: a green building initiative case study on a historic, urban campus in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Int J Sustain High Educ 7:6–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Naomi M. Maina-Okori

Authors
  1. Naomi M. Maina-Okori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naomi M. Maina-Okori .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Rudi Pretorius

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Maina-Okori, N.M. (2019). Sustainability Domains in Higher Education. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11352-0_489

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation