Dr. Alessandro Galli and Dr. Serena Mancini were instrumental in Global Footprint Network’s contributions to the EUSTEPs project and are authors of the award-winning research.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, DECEMBER 7, 2023 – The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently announced article “Teaching sustainability within the context of everyday life: Steps toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the EUSTEPs (Enhancing Universities’ Sustainability Teaching and Practices through Ecological Footprint) Module” as the recipient of the 2023 AASHE Sustainability Award for outstanding research in higher education sustainability. The research – conducted within the context of the EUSTEPs project, funded by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Union – won in the Campus Sustainability Research Award category.
AASHE bestows its prestigious awards on the institutions and individuals that help lead higher education to a sustainable future. This year, AASHE received 300+ entries resulting in 10 winners announced across five categories. Entries were judged on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity, and other criteria specific to each category.
Georgios Malandrakis, Associate Professor in Environmental Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and EUSTEPs project coordinator, acknowledges the privilege of working with the dedicated and inspiring project team. “It is a great pleasure to receive the AASHE award. This EU funded project brought together 16 researchers from 4 countries whom were initially almost unknown to each other. Through our research collaboration, we became friends, developed this successful educational module, and managed to engage and educate more than 7,000 university students from nearly 60 countries,” explains Malandrakis.
The EUSTEPs project’s successes are a culmination of three years’ work from passionate project partners. “What impresses me most is the wealth of information captured in the various documents and interactive tools we created to empower students, educators, and HEI administrative staff. It’s rewarding that, in our research findings on the EUSTEPs Module, students found Global Footprint Network’s personal Footprint Calculator to be the most useful educational material to better understand how their daily activities fit into the bigger picture of sustainability,” reflects Director of Mediterranean and MENA Regions at Global Footprint Network, and EUSTEPs research awardee Dr. Alessandro Galli.
“The 2023 AASHE Sustainability Award winners exemplify an unwavering commitment to advancing sustainability within their academic institutions. They are setting new standards and reshaping the landscape of sustainability in higher education,” said AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser.
AASHE held a virtual awards ceremony on Dec. 7 to recognize and celebrate the 10 award recipients. Award recipients receive recognition in various formats, including a plaque from Rivanna Natural Designs, a woman-owned B Corp with a strong commitment to sustainability. To date, 135 higher education institutions and people have been recognized through this prestigious award program since its inception in 2006.
To read more about AASHE’s awards programs, please visit http://www.aashe.org/get-involved/awards/.
Media Contacts
Amanda Diep, Director of Communications
Global Footprint Network
media@footprintnetwork.org
Candi Reddick, Director of Marketing & Communications
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
(888) 347-9997
creddick@aashe.org
About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff, and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org. Follow AASHE on Facebook, Instagram, and X, formerly known as Twitter.
About EUSTEPs
EUSTEPs (Enhancing Universities’ Sustainability Teaching and Practices through Ecological Footprint) is a project carried out, under the leadership of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, by the strategic partnership between four European universities and non-governmental organisation Global Footprint Network, the official home of the Ecological Footprint methodology and applications. https://www.eusteps.eu/