Campuses as living labs for sustainability problem-solving: trends, triumphs, and traps

Colleges and universities around the world are increasingly using their campuses as living laboratories for sustainability problem-solving and engagement. “Campus-as-lab” (CAL) projects emphasize experiential learning and campus sustainability through the integration of research and campus operations. By engaging students in CAL work, campuses make themselves more sustainable while contributing to knowledge and research needed to make an impact beyond their borders. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) is an important tool to track work in this rapidly evolving CAL arena. Here, we use data from STARS 2.0 to assess the self-reporting and concentration of CAL efforts in 14 operational and administrative areas across institutions of higher education in North America. We analyzed self-reported STARS reports in 2016 and 2018 and found that there was a 203% increase in institutions self-reporting CAL efforts (2016: n = 171; 2018: n = 347). Most efforts tend to be concentrated in the operational categories linked to the built environment. Socially explicit categories such as Diversity and Affordability, however, show increases in self-reporting. We identify nascent CAL priority areas, including the arts and biodiversity and conservation, as well as significant mis- or over-reporting of CAL efforts. To optimize the utility of STARS as a metric for capturing sustainability problem-solving efforts through CAL activities, process revisions are needed to ensure that institutions of higher education are accurately interpreting and self-reporting CAL work and that the STARS tool adequately captures the changing role that sustainability plays on university campuses in North America and beyond.