The University of Hawaiʻi Office of Sustainability has been designated by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education ( AASHE ) as one of only 13 Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum. The center will serve Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region, as well as offer select workshops to faculty from the continental United States to learn from the unique context and perspective of Hawaiʻi.

“ AASHE is excited to partner with the University of Hawaiʻi to advance sustainability across curriculum,” said Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE executive director. “The unique context and culture of the Hawaiian islands have much to offer to the global dialogue of education for sustainability.”

The program aims to accelerate the infusion of sustainability content across the curriculum by partnering with colleges and universities to offer workshops and other professional development opportunities related to sustainability.

“The UH System Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum will coordinate and integrate new and existing professional development initiatives related to sustainability curriculum,” said Krista Hiser, UH sustainability curriculum coordinator. “It’s an opportunity to share what we are doing and bring resources and recognition to catalyze the transformative teaching and learning going on at every campus in the UH System.”

This builds upon the work of the UH Systemwide Sustainability Curriculum Coordination Council, which was established in 2015 with the formal adoption of the university’s Executive Sustainability Policy EP 4.202 to “encourage, facilitate and support curriculum development that advances the principles of sustainability and enables cross-campus collaborations that integrate teaching and research with solutions at the campus and community levels.”

The next professional development opportunity available to faculty interested to integrate sustainability into curriculum is in May: