Helpful Reference Resources

Looking to learn more about sustainability? You've come to the right place. Here we have compiled our favorite external resources for you to learn a little more about climate change, sustainability, and what you can do to make a difference. We are action oriented here at USU Sustainability!

Learn

Act

Exploring Sustainability and Climate Change

open book icon Intro to the Climate Crisis

Everyone has their own talents, and we need all of them to address climate change. If you're specialty isn't climate science, these are the resources you need. We picked a few trustworthy sources with information even non-scientists can understand.

Climate Change: How do we know? by NASA
Skeptical Science provides scientific citations for an extensive list of questions.
Yale Climate Change Communication has some useful visuals and news articles.

magnifying glass icon General Reference Resources

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE): AASHE has resources from member institutions on how they've implemented sustainability measures in physical operations and the curriculum. USU faculty, staff, and students with a usu email address can access the members-only resources, including Sustainability-related course materials.
Drawdown: This website and book describe, analyze, and order the 100 most substantive, existing solutions for climate change.
EUSTEPS Sustainability Module: These lessons intend to engage students, regardless of science background, in discussion about human-environmental relationships.
Evergreen State: Evergreen hosts list of resources compiled by faculty who have participated in their Curriculum for the bioregion program.
Handbook of Sustainability Literacy: University of Brighton provides chapters on sustainability topics ranging from advertising awareness to permaculture to systems thinking.
Skeptical Science: Top climate myths are listed with responses at the basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, including citations.
Sustainability Improves Student Learning (SISL): hosted by Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
The SISL website provides a beginner's toolkit and resources for integrating sustainability into the classroom.
University of Louisville: The university's website features a compilation of links and resources in different areas of sustainability, including food, economy, social justice, transportation, and waste and recycling.
Vanderbilt Teaching Sustainability: Vanderbilt provides background, tips, and resources for including sustainability in the classroom.

calculator icon Impact Calculators

Online calculators can be a fun way to look at the parts of our lives that can be difficult to measure. How much carbon does your lifestyle emit? How many gallons of water does your pet use? How many slaves do you have? How many planets would your lifestyle require if everyone lived it? We have a calculator for you.

globe icon Insightful Visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words (maybe more). Here are some resources to show concepts that are too big to imagine. The Great Pacific Gyre may be the size of Texas or as big as Russia. What does that look like? We have resources.

Planet or Plastic? by NatGeo answers where the plastic comes from, where it goes, why it matters, and what we can do.
Feeding 9 Billion by NatGeo looks at how to feed people as the population grows.
Population Clock by Census.gov counts people on Earth in real time.
Can you guess what America will look like in 10,000 years? The New York Times produces this quiz focusing on sea level rise.
The New York Times also has a interactive visual comparing air quality in your city with others and another tracking traffic emissions.
NPR summarizes which plastics you can recycle and why.
U.S. Energy Mapping from EIA is a bit overwhelming. If you use the filters, it can show the resources and generation facilities for America's power.
The Washington Post has a simpler electricity generation map of the US.
Save the Food has tips and planning features, so we can eat without waste.
City Lab has fun and insightful articles on transportation and solutions.
Climate Central offers interactive infographics about climate effects.
Still looking? Try these.

Taking Action

For Educators

Not just for educators, but these resources are about how Faculty can impact the narrative on teaching and setting expectations on sustainability.

Interdisciplinary Faculty Efforts at Other Universities

Emory University: The Piedmont Project is a faculty effort to strengthen sustainability efforts at the university, specifically in the curriculum. This site also includes syllabi from participants in many fields over a decade.
Penn State's Field Guide to Teaching Sustainability has numerous helpful resources, including sample assignments and links to journals and advocacy organizations.
University of Georgia: Sustainability Across Curriculum aims to help faculty prepare students to address sustainability in their professional, civic, and personal lives.
University of Utah: The Wasatch Experience helps faculty include the big ideas of sustainability in their courses.

Greening The College Curriculum

Publications on Campus Sustainability: AASHE maintains a compilation of articles and books published on sustainability.
How to Integrate Sustainability Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Institutions? From Context to Action for Transformation Towards SDGs Implementation- a literature review edited by Sara Moreno Pires, George Malandrakis, and Alessandro Galli
Greening the College Curriculum: A Guide To Environmental Teaching In The Liberal Arts edited by Jonathan Collett and Stephen Karakashian
Teaching Environmental Literacy Across Campus and Across the Curriculum edited by Heather L. Reynolds, Eduardo S. Brondizio, and Jennifer Meta Robinson with Doug Karpa and Briana L. Gross
147 Practical Tips for Teaching Sustainability: Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society by William M. Timpson, Brian Dunbar, Gailmarie Kimmel, Brett Bruyere, Peter Newman, and Hillary Mizia
Higher Education and Sustainable Development: by Cheryl Desha and Karlson 'Charlie' Hargroves
Northwest Institute Discussion Course Books

For Residence Life

Program Ideas

So many ideas have already been put together for sustainability programs that most the work is done! We've linked some great resources for designing sustainability programs and events for topics ranging from food to energy.

USU Energy & Recycling Programs in the ResLife format are perfect for Energy Wars or any time! These programs are fun whatever your residents' interests.
Knock & Talk, Programs, and Bulletin Boards—Auburn's RA resources have it all! This page even has a list of suggested documentaries to discuss. If you want to know which ones are available at USU, check with USU library's streaming services: Kanopy, Film Platform, and AVON.
Bulletin Boards—Several Housing areas have bulletin boards to check-out. For more ideas, Southern Illinois University has several. Some are even interactive!
ACPA Toolkit has several ideas for programs and partnerships.
DIYs reuse items and save money.
- USU Extension has recipes for cleaning supplies that are less toxic.
- Turn a T-shirt into virtually anything. The True Blue Reuse Store, USU's own thrift store, is one place to find resources.
- Can't sell back text books? Turn them into something new.
- Turn everyday items into phone speakers.
Let's be real. Utah has inversion problems. Explore how they work and what we can do with demonstrations and a lesson.
Keep it local with guests and tours right here at USU!
USU hosts Race to Zero Waste, which are perfect program themes.
Volunteer at the USU Recycling Center, SNAC, or Students for Sustainability tailgate recycling.

Useful USU Contacts:

If these resources have been helpful, or if you would like to contribute something new, let us know! Send success stories and photos.