Definition

A higher education institution that engages with sustainability by way of a whole-of-institution approach integrates sustainability in many areas (or domains) of the organizational fabric of the institution, most often bucketed into five main categories: governance (e.g., mission statements, strategic planning), campus operations (e.g., food procurement, greenhouse gas emissions), research (e.g., research centers’ foci, sustainability innovations), community outreach (e.g., partnerships with local communities), and education (e.g., curriculum, pedagogy)

Introduction

Given the increasingly alarming climate crises facing our world, and their implications for human survival, many political leaders throughout the globe have taken up the cause. Cities are planning to implement municipal-wide single stream recycling, divert waste from landfills, and create fossil-fuel targets for existing buildings, while specifying low-energy design targets in all new construction (Bloomberg and Pope 2017; Jepson and Edwards 2010; Saha and Paterson 2008). Businesses are strategizing to increase internal carbon pricing, improve energy efficiency, and engage in innovative funding such as on-bill financing, green pricing programs, and sustainability bonds (Business Strategies to Address Climate Change 2017; Crane and Matten 2016; Epstein 2018). Hospitals are pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, become mercury-free, and provide locally sourced food to patients and staff (Climate Action Playbook for Hospitals n.d.; Health Care Worldwide Calls for Action on Climate Change n.d.; Johnson 2010). However, given our continued complex sustainability challenges, it is higher education that remains the single most promising mechanism for addressing these critical environmental- and sustainability-related issues.

Sustainability in Higher Education

In response to the imminent danger of climate change, citizens have been urged to adjust their actions to reverse the deteriorating trajectory of environmental and sustainability problems (Adelsman and Ekrem 2012; Smith and Pangsapa 2008). Growing fears about human impact on our natural environment, along with the survival of our current (and future) social and economic systems, has led policymakers to cite the key role that higher education institutions (HEIs) have to play. Indeed, these HEIs can help our society fulfill the needs of the present without destroying future generations’ right to life and prosperity (Chase et al. 2012). Considering that sustainable citizenship is defined as “pro-sustainability behaviour, in public and in private, driven by a belief in fairness of the distribution of environmental goods, in participation, and in the co-creation of sustainability policy” (Dobson 2011, p. 2), it follows that higher education, long recognized as an incubator for preparing students for the democratic participation necessary to improve society, is the most effective site for cultivating sustainably engaged citizens (Gamson 1984; Stevens et al. 2008; Thomas and Hartley 2010; Veysey 1973). Formal classroom learning, combined with co-curricular activities, enables HEIs to effectively drive society toward change (Crossley 2008; Gaston-Gayles et al. 2005; Rhoads 2009). As higher education students advance into citizens of society, their every decision will have profound implications for the present and future (Baker-Shelley 2016; Fadeeva and Mochizuki 2010; Wals and Jickling 2002; Wright 2002).

In the wake of international meetings and declarations surrounding the incorporation of sustainability into higher education (beginning with the Talloires Declaration in 1990), institutions are now, a fortiori, preparing students for responsible citizenship by weaving sustainability throughout the fabric of HEIs worldwide (Clugston and Calder 1999; Cortese and Hattan 2010; Meyer et al. 1997; Kolenick 2016; Noyola-Cherpitel et al. 2016; Orr 2004; Rowe 2002). In a variety of ways, HEIs contribute to the sustainability forefront. They experiment with innovative approaches toward environmental management and sustainable practices that serve as a model for the broader society (Ferrer-Balas et al. 2008; Stephens et al. 2008). They serve as laboratories for conducting and disseminating innovative sustainability research and test sites for sustainable practices (Chase et al. 2012; Stephens et al. 2008). However, HEIs’ most unique contribution to the sustainability movement, and their strongest impact, is in educating students about sustainability, thereby arming them with the information, skills, and tools to advance the overall knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that define a more sustainable society (Chalkley 2006; Chase et al. 2012; Colucci-Gray et al. 2006; Stephens et al. 2008), where citizens are equipped with the knowledge and skills to combat unprecedented sustainability challenges (Cortese 2003; Orr 2004; Rowe 2002). Higher education, therefore, reserves a critical role in graduating students who will become influential decision-makers, professionals, and citizens (Sterling 2013).

Nevertheless, a wide body of research shows that most HEIs fail to deeply infuse sustainability throughout their entire institutional culture. Instead, they address it haphazardly – in isolated, insular, and compartmentalized ways (Tilbury 2011; Van Weenen 2000). This compartmentalized approach to integrating sustainability in higher education occurs when individual departments merely integrate sustainability into their already-existing practices; for instance, when sustainability subject matter is limited to specifically classified sustainability courses, or when (outside the classroom) campus operations originates a recycling initiative on their own. But time is of the essence, and limited to these isolated areas, HEIs cannot maximize their contributions towards a more sustainable future. As such, scholars (as will be further discussed in the following section) have identified different models for effectively infusing sustainability into institutions, stressing that a comprehensive implementation of sustainability is the optimal approach to infusing it into HEIs worldwide (McMillin and Dyball 2009; Sterling 2013). As well, an overwhelming consensus agrees that the most effective method to achieve this is for HEIs to infuse sustainability throughout the whole institution.

Whole-of-Institution Approach to Sustainability

Before defining the whole-of-institution approach to sustainability, it is important to first granularly understand each of the components of the full concept. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the term whole is defined as comprising the full extent; entire, full, or total; undivided. Universities, referred to here as higher education institutions, signify institutions of degree-awarding postsecondary learning. The term approach can be understood as a method or steps taken in setting about a task. While a hotly contested topic, for the purpose of this entry, sustainability can be understood using the most widely accepted definition of the word in the higher education field (Agyeman et al. 2003; Clugston and Calder 1999; Merkel and Litten 2007). The Brundtland Commission’s (1987) report entitled Our Common Future defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (p. 1). Taken together, then whole-of-institution approach to sustainability, according to McMillin and Dyball 2009, can be understood as an “integrative approach in modelling sustainability in the core functions and systems of the university” (p. 56). McMillin and Dyball (2009) refer to this concept as “whole-of-university approach to sustainability.” For the purpose of this entry, which ought to be applicable to all institution types (research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, etc.), the more inclusive term whole-of-institution approach to sustainability is used.

Core Domains of a Whole-of-Institution Approach to Sustainability

As defined by Sterling (2013), an institution that engages in a whole-of-institution approach to sustainability (Sterling (2013) refers to an institution that engages in a whole-of-institution approach to sustainability as a “sustainable institution”) is “one that through its guiding ethos, outlook and aspirations, governance, research, curriculum, community links, campus management, monitoring and modus operandi seeks explicitly to explore, develop, contribute to, embody and manifest—critically and reflexively—the kinds of values, concepts and ideas, challenges and approaches, that are emerging from the growing global sustainability discourse” (Sterling 2013, p. 23). To accomplish this, though, HEIs must integrate sustainability in many areas (or domains), most often bucketed into five main categories: governance (e.g., mission statements, strategic planning, administration processes), campus operations (e.g., food procurement, greenhouse gas emissions), research (e.g., research centers’ foci, strategic research priorities, sustainability innovations), community outreach (e.g., partnerships with local communities), and education (e.g., curriculum, pedagogy) (Bieler and McKenzie 2017; Vaughter et al. 2016). As such, incorporation of sustainability into all five domains, or engaging in whole-of-institution approach to sustainability, is the ideal.

A whole-of-institution approach to sustainability aims to cultivate an institutional culture for the emerging sustainable society (Gough 2005; Sterling 2013). Thus, an HEI must intentionally engage with sustainability within the aforementioned five main domains of sustainability practice (governance, campus operations, research, community outreach, and education), while explicitly engaging students with sustainability practices within each one. As faculty, staff, administrators, and students reflect and collaborate on the HEI’s sustainability performance, it is the whole-of-institution approach to sustainability that succeeds. And, as sustainability cannot be accomplished in a silo, individuals from across the HEI must work together. In other words, this approach confirms that all core functions of an HEI – such as those traditionally understood to solely provide logistical support – become an intentional part of the curriculum, eclipsing an HEI’s self-analysis of its own ecological footprint. Rather, it would merge this operations-specific task with students’ learning such that they can connect it with what they are formally learning in the classroom, e.g., learning how energy, land, and water are used (or perhaps misused) within their own HEI community (McMillin and Dyball 2009). Collectively, the presence of sustainability in all corners of an HEI can reorient its very fabric, resulting in a more holistic learning environment (Tilbury and Wortman 2005).

Benefits of Whole-of-Institution Approach to Sustainability

The benefits to engaging in a whole-of-institution approach to sustainability are legion. Most prominently, through deliberate connection of the core functions of the HEI (like governance and operations) to the curriculum (and in turn, students’ learning experiences), a whole-of-institution approach to sustainability provides students with a real-world application of a sometimes vague concept (McMillin and Dyball 2009). Consequently, benefitting from exposure to innovative and interactive pedagogies (which in turn enhances their learning), they acquire a deeper understanding of how it can be applied to their lives as citizens. This approach also inspires interdisciplinarity, encouraging, and recognizing students’ voices (Sterling 2013).

In addition, the HEI’s sustainability profile is increased, offering innovative solutions to sustainability problems, and building trust among students, staff, administrators, and faculty (McMillin and Dyball 2009), as it can help to ensure that “curriculum, programs, practices, and policies of an educational institution are engaged to contribute to building a more sustainable future. In this approach, sustainability is lived as well as taught” (MCKeown and Hopkins 2007, p. 22). With curriculum linked to campus and community, the HEI then engages with the community and important external stakeholders. Ultimately, the HEI itself benefits, as well, via financial savings, improved risk management, and demonstration of its commitment to environmental and social responsibility (Sterling 2013). In fact, many scholars (e.g., Gough 2005; McMillin and Dyball 2009; Orr 2004; Sterling 2013) go so far as to declare that – due to its integrated mix of social, institutional, and curricular actions and involvement – it is the only approach to truly achieve sustainability.

Importance of Whole-of-Institution Approach to Sustainability

Borne of a series of international meetings and declarations regarding sustainability in higher education, HEIs are to some extent integrating sustainability across the aforementioned five main domains (governance, community outreach, operations, and research education; (Bieler and McKenzie 2017; Vaughter et al. 2016). But this alone is insufficient. As noted, they must also intentionally connect each of their sustainability initiatives across all five domains in order to engage in a whole-of-institution approach to sustainability. And while this has many purposes and benefits, one stands out above all. Given the increasingly daunting climate crises threatening us, many entities (as noted) such as cities, businesses, and hospitals, have risen to the occasion with direct action, implementing pro-sustainability practices to effect change (Bloomberg and Pope 2017; Crane and Matten 2016; Epstein 2018; Johnson 2010).

However, given the complex sustainability challenges facing our world, many, including policymakers and scholars, have emphasized higher education as the most promising site for addressing sustainability and transforming today’s students into a sustainably engaged population. As such, integrating the whole-of-institution approach is crucial for this purpose. HEIs have the greatest force and most unique impact on the sustainability forefront within the education domain, by way of their ability to instill sustainability behaviors in their students (Chase et al. 2012). HEIs educate students about sustainability through curricula that challenge them to connect classroom-learned knowledge to their lives and to the world, and cocurricular activities that provide experiences in community projects to stimulate social change (Anderson 1993; Checkoway 2001; Kennedy 1997). Therefore, the connection of sustainability initiatives throughout the whole institution is imperative. Our survival depends on it.

Lack of Whole-of-Institution Approach to Sustainability in Education

It is worth noting here that while the whole-of-institution approach to sustainability is ideal, especially for the sake of students’ learning, it does not happen frequently enough. Perhaps, as stated by Cortese (2003):

Designing a sustainable human future requires a paradigm shift toward a systemic perspective emphasizing collaboration and cooperation. Much of higher education stresses individual learning and competition, resulting in professionals who are ill prepared for cooperative efforts. Learning is fragmented, and faculty, responding to long-established incentives (e.g., tenure, research) and professional practices, are often discouraged from extending their work into other disciplines or inviting interdisciplinary collaboration. (p. 16)

Additionally, another reason why whole-of-institution approach may not be happening with the frequency it needs to in order to cultivate a more sustainable future is that within the contemporary higher education landscape, faculty are mainly rewarded on research productivity, not just teaching well (Boyer 1990; Tien and Blackburn 1996; Toutkoushian and Bellas 1999), especially regarding subject matter outside of their discipline, like sustainability (Rowe 2002; Svanström et al. 2008). Without this financial incentive, they may not feel inspired to devote their time (when, say, they could be engaging in research that would earn them a salary raise) to better learn how to teach about sustainability. Therefore, not only lack of resources but also specific incentives for good teaching of sustainability throughout coursework should be addressed.

Conclusion

This entry portrays the ideal approach to integrating sustainability into all corners of higher education institutions worldwide, namely the whole-of-institution approach to sustainability. While some institutions are exemplars and doing this well, to date, most HEIs still fall short. Given that higher education is the most promising mechanism for making the future of our world more sustainable, this ought to be the model to strive towards.

Cross-References