Sulitest and AASHE extend partnership to drive sustainability in higher education

In a significant move to promote sustainability in higher education, the partnership between us at Sulitest and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has been extended beyond its initial December 2023 deadline. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to embedding sustainability across higher education curriculums worldwide, ensuring that future generations are equipped with the critical knowledge and skills to tackle environmental challenges.

In the realm of higher education, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) stands as a beacon for sustainability. With a mission to inspire and catalyze higher education and lead the global sustainability transformation, the association has been empowering higher education stakeholders since 2006, with invaluable resources, professional development, and a network for sharing knowledge.

Its flagship program, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), is a comprehensive framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance, making AASHE pivotal in shaping the future of sustainability in education.

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A Milestone for Sustainability in Education

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) by AASHE is a tool targeted at driving the commitment of colleges and universities worldwide to establish and reach their long-term sustainability goals. This transparent, self-reporting framework not only allows institutions to measure their achievements but also creates incentive to drive further improvement.

Within this framework, TASK™ (The Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge) emerges as a key tool, particularly in addressing the criteria outlined in section AC 6 regarding sustainability literacy assessment in higher education.  

TASK™'s integration into the STARS framework demonstrates a practical step for AASHE’s partner institutions towards evaluating and enhancing students' understanding of sustainability, an area of growing importance in today’s global landscape.

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A Vision for Global Sustainability Literacy

The partnership between Sulitest and AASHE is more than just a collaboration; it's a vision for the future. Meghan Fay Zahniser - Executive Director at AASHE, encapsulates this vision eloquently:

“At AASHE, we believe that sustainability should be incorporated throughout the curriculum so that all graduating students, no matter what career path they chose, are equipped with the knowledge and solutions they need to address sustainability challenges. TASK™, through its evaluation of students and their knowledge, will help realize this goal throughout the world.”

This statement reflects a profound understanding of the role education plays in equipping individuals with the tools necessary to navigate and mitigate the challenges facing our world, a stance we hold at Sulitest.

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Join us in Advancing Sustainability Literacy

As we celebrate the extension of this partnership, we also look forward to the upcoming event dedicated to sustainability literacy and the role TASK™ plays in promoting it.  

This event represents an opportunity for educators, students, and sustainability professionals alike to better understand the best tools and strategies for sustainability in higher education.

The webinar will touch on TASK™ – The Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge, the first robust, international tool to measure sustainability knowledge.  

Aurélien DECAMPS, our co-founder, and Jean-Michel Champagne, Sustainability Officer at HEC Montreal, one of our Change Leader schools, will be presenting the key features of TASK™ and sharing how HEC Montreal measures pedagogical impact, thanks to it.

As he cited in an earlier event at the UN HLPF, ‍

“60% of my alumni consider CSR and sustainable development to be an integral part of their workload, one year after they graduated. [...] Before graduation, 95% of them thought they needed this knowledge to pursue a career, but only 40% estimated they had gotten enough of this knowledge”

HEC Montréal, being a Change Leader, shares our vision of mainstreaming sustainability knowledge in higher education, regardless of the field of study. This vision is translated by a commitment to offer TASK™ to the majority of their students in the next 3 years.

To attend this event and to learn how you can also benefit from implementing TASK™, register here.

To explore more about STARS and how your institution can participate in this transformative journey as an AASHE member institution, visit the STARS’ official website.

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