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Contribution to Book
Becoming Sustainable in Our Own Way: Sustainability at the Flagship Massachusetts Public University
Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education (2016)
  • Ludmilla D. Pavlova-Gillham
  • Dennis Swinford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Planning for sustainable development at higher education institutions occurs throughout the US and the world, aided by environmental and climate change public policy and comprehensive sustainability assessment systems, such as the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).  However, campuses often struggle to integrate policy goals into their strategic and physical plans, as well as into research, education, student life, operations and outreach efforts.  This paper presents a case study of the comprehensive sustainability efforts undertaken by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and evaluates its progress by applying Kotter’s 8-step approach to change management to multiple phases of the campus development efforts.  Emphasis is placed on efforts to integrate sustainability goals with campus master planning, facility plans, green building policies, governance, teaching, research, and operations initiatives.  The paper outlines concrete steps for comprehensive physical planning that universities may consider as they integrate change management practices for sustainable development into their campus’ vision of sustainability. 
Keywords
  • Master plan,
  • Sustainable development,
  • STARS,
  • LEED,
  • ACUPCC,
  • Higher education,
  • Case studies
Publication Date
December 23, 2016
Editor
W. Leal Filho et al.
Publisher
Springer International Publishing AG
Series
World Sustainability Series
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-47895-1_7
Citation Information
Pavlova-Gillham, Ludmilla and Swinford, Dennis (2017) Becoming Sustainable in Our Own Way: Sustainability at the Flagship Massachusetts Public University. In Leal Filho, W., Mifsud, M., Shiel, C., Pretorius, R. (Eds.) Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education. Volume 3. Springer, Berlin.