Table of Contents
Introduction
Academic institutions around the world have acknowledged the importance of greening campuses. While the direct impacts of integrating sustainability into the operations of college campuses can be relatively nominal, creating a culture of sustainability demonstrates to students – tomorrow’s professionals, leaders, and constituents – the viability and value of a lifestyle that is attuned to social and environmental priorities. In addition, many HEI campuses function as microcosms of society – providing housing, transportation, food, and other necessities to student populations. These microcosms offer the possibility of testing new tactics and technologies that can be scaled or replicated in other contexts. Connecting campus sustainability efforts to the priorities provided by the SDGs can link local activities to the global context and offer shared objectives as students embark on professional careers.
Opportunities
In the session hosted on this topic during the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) conference in June 2018, only approximately 20% of the universities present felt that the SDGs were a priority for their university management, while more than 70% indicated that they saw the SDGs as an opportunity to leverage management focus and priority of campus sustainability. Campuses that are new to sustainability planning may find the SDGs a useful framework for connecting campus-level actions with global concerns, and for developing a comprehensive and balanced framework for sustainability activities. Importantly, campuses that had robust sustainability programs before the goals were launched in 2015 may struggle to overlay the SDG framework on existing campus planning efforts. However, the simpler exercise of mapping current campus initiatives to the goals may offer valuable insights on gaps and opportunities.
Connecting the dots
Because the SDGs are all-encompassing, no campus is starting from a place of total inaction. Standards for efficient buildings relate to Sustainable Cities (SDG 11), saving money by saving energy supports Climate Action (SDG 13), and supportive parental leave policies advance Gender Equality (SDG 5). Linking existing initiatives to the SDGs can help to demonstrate how institutions support the global priorities while illuminating fresh opportunities and previously unidentified collaborations.
Pioneering a whole institution approach
Sustainable food, energy, mobility, ecosystems, water, production, and consumption are not independent aspirations and may best be tackled with a whole-systems approach. This is not an easy feat and typically requires extensive stakeholder engagement and ongoing dialogue about priorities and shared vision development. HEIs can use the SDGs as a framework to test this approach: For those who are starting a new sustainability program or looking for savvy pathways to augment sustainability activities, the SDGs can be a valuable conversation-starter or checklist. The added value of using the SDGs means that campus-based initiatives will be more easily translated to other contexts such as cities or faith-based organizations.
From classroom to campus to community
The integration of a university’s teaching and research with its operations – sometimes called “campus as a living laboratory” – has tremendous potential to bring expertise to bear on campus practices and to ground theory in practice. The potential value proposition for faculty members is the possibility to continually break new ground as practice evolves and as the community dynamic shifts with each graduating class. In an era when the job market is increasingly unpredictable, hands-on learning offers students a competitive advantage. Finally, it also offers the potential to connect an HEI with its surroundings, as topics like transportation and biodiversity cannot be addressed out of context. Using the SDGs as a foundation for applied research and active learning enhances the replicability and scalability of the activities.
Hurdles & Solutions
The SDGs are an imperfect framework for direct action
Hurdle: While the SDGs are a strong convening platform and provide a framework for addressing the most pressing global challenges, they may be imperfect for direct action. The goals at their highest level are vast, the targets themselves are hard to operationalize, and the scope and scale of the SDGs can be challenging to apply at the HEI level.
Solution: Rather than restructuring operations around the SDGs, HEIs can conduct an inventory of existing efforts and highlight how current standards and leadership are helping to support the goals. This subtle shift in thinking can help better align UN and HEI priorities, which can have lasting implications.
Operational actors are motivated by different things
Hurdle: Universities have many competing priorities, and while operational actors may be interested in sustainable development, the structure of HEIs and reporting mechanisms may make it challenging to work on these global initiatives from an operational perspective, especially in the context of limited financial and human resources.
Solution: Change does not have to be driven entirely from within. There is a growing set of reporting platforms that use the SDGs as a foundation, including reporting platforms sponsored by The Times Higher Education (THE), the Environmental Alliance of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Leveraging these tools may be useful in garnering cooperation across university departments.
Below are a series of case studies demonstrating in-action and real-life examples.

University of Copenhagen: The Maersk Tower – Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Buildings & Promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Quick Tips
- Most HEIs have publicly stated priorities and commitments to excellence. To garner interest and engagement, showcase how these relate to the SDGs and pressing global challenges that are of interest to HEIs.
- To get more people involved and to see the connections, conduct information and working sessions about how campus operations can advance the SDGs.
- Use examples. By showing how peer institutions are promoting the SDGs through campus operations, it helps make opportunities more apparent.
- Do not force connections. If the SDGs do not fit with certain parts of your operational work, that is completely fine. There will be many natural fits, catalyze those.
- Helping to connect HEI academic and operational actors can forge new innovative collaboration and promote win-win opportunities.