Latest AASHE Report Reveals Significant Growth In Campus Sustainability Staff Positions

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Campus sustainability staff positions are growing fast on campuses, according to the highly anticipated Salaries & Status of Sustainability Staff in Higher Education report from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Sponsored by Aramark Higher Education, the publication outlines the 2012 results of AASHE’s biennial campus sustainability staffing survey.

Conducted since 2008, these reports shed light on the growing campus sustainability movement in the U.S. and Canada through the lens of personnel, providing information about the demographics, roles, salaries, and nature of positions of sustainability staff at colleges and universities.

Notable findings from the 2013 report include:

  • Nearly half of all 2012 respondents were in positions created or upgraded since 2010, indicating significant growth for sustainability positions in the last two years.
  • Sustainability offices are increasingly becoming the norm (rate of positions housed in such offices increased from 23% in 2010 to 67% in 2012).
  • Full-time positions focused on sustainability are increasingly common (74% in 2010 to 85% in 2012).

Responses to the 2012 57-question survey were collected from individuals with both broad sustainability responsibilities and focused responsibilities in areas including recycling or energy management. In total, 462 completed surveys were included for analysis in the publication.

The 2012 survey captured, for the first time, institution-wide data that were provided by self-identified “point persons” for each institution.