Sustainability Across the Curriculum
AU offers resources for faculty interested in adding sustainability to a course. Sustainability is inherently interdisciplinary and any class can be a sustainability class. Visit the link below to learn more.
Contact Us
Spring Valley, Room 3rd Floor on a map
Office of Sustainability 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8163 United StatesAcademic Programs
Environmental Science
The environmental science program trains students to become effective advocates for the environment.
Global Environmental Policy
The GEP MA empowers students to apply their passions for ecological justice and humane governance into a lifetime of meaningful work.
Global Environmental Policy Certificate
The certificate allows students to complete the SIS Environment and Politics class and other coursework.
Sustainability Minor
The Sustainability Minor provides students with an understanding of sustainability as it relates to management.
Sustainability Management
This MS teaches sustainable business through cutting edge clases and experiential learning opportunities.
Environmental Sustainability and Global Health
Students learn socio-political dynamics of health and environmental affairs.
Environment, Peace, and Conflict Resolution
The Certificate equips students with the knowledge and skills to address environmental conflicts.
Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
The program highlights inequalities resource access and other drivers of environmental changes.
Research Centers
Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal
The institute examines the socio-environmental impacts, co-benefits, and governance related to carbon removal.
Center for Environmental Filmmaking
The Center uses media to raise environmental awareness and promote their solutions.
Center for Environmental Policy
The Center improves environmental governance by promoting technology and policies that protect natural resources.
Center for Environment, Community, and Equity
CECE works to solve global environmental challenges by catalyzing scholarship across disciplines to drive impact.
Resources
To learn more about how AU incorporates sustainability across the curriculum, please click here.
U.S. Green Building Council
All instructors, staff, and students have access to American University’s institutional subscription to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This subscription provides many resources, lesson plans, presentations, and case studies related to green buildings and sustainability.
To access USGBC Reources:
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Create an account through the USGBC website using your american.edu email address.
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Within your account settings, you will see an option to connect your account with an institutional account. Connect to American University.
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
All faculty members, staff, and students have access to resources from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) through AU’s campus membership.
To access AASHE materials:
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Create an account using your American email address.
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Explore curriculum ideas, case studies, mentorship programs, and more.
AU Sustainability Fund
American University's Sustainability Fund advances the university's active pursuit of sustainability by providing financial and administrative support for campus sustainability projects developed and proposed by members of the university community and must help advance the achievement of the sustainability plan.
This program is open to any member of the university community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighborhood residents to propose sustainability projects. Projects must have a research or implementation component on the American University campus or in the community.
Sustainability in the Classroom
The Office of Sustainability asked faculty to self-identify sustainability courses or courses that included sustainability and share sustainability related research. In the 2022/2023 academic year, more than 400 courses were identified. If you would like to add an additional course or your research to the lists please email sustainability@american.edu.
American University has sustainability-supportive learning outcomes in the AU Learning Outcomes from the Provost.
Sustainability Research
A list of sustainability-related research can be found here.