Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education

This chapter explores the evolution of the concern for sustainability in higher education. It describes the origin of the Talloires Declaration as a guiding set of commitments for colleges and universities pursuing sustainability. Critical dimensions of sustainability in higher education are presented as a result of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future's (ULSF)2 Sustainability Indicators Project. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Two case studies of university efforts to "green" their institutions are described in light of these dimensions and conditions for success.