Around the world, major challenges of our time such as population growth and climate change are being addressed in cities. Here, citizens play an important role amidst governments, companies, NGOs and researchers in creating social, technological and political innovations for achieving sustainability.

Citizens can be co-creators of sustainable cities when they engage in city politics or in the design of the urban environment and its technologies and infrastructure. In addition, citizens influence and are influenced by the technologies and systems that they use every day. Sustainability is thus a result of the interplay between technology, policy and people’s daily lives. Understanding this interplay is essential for creating sustainable cities. In this MOOC, we zoom in on Amsterdam, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Nairobi, Kampala and Suzhou as living labs for exploring the dynamics of co-creation for sustainable cities worldwide. We will address topics such as participative democracy and legitimacy, ICTs and big data, infrastructure and technology, and SMART technologies in daily life.

Le regioni metropolitane e tutto il territorio antropizzato contribuiscono all'urbanizzazione globale e alle sfide della sostenibilità, ma sono anche fondamentali per risolvere queste stesse sfide. La risorsa propone attività da svolgere con classi della scuola secondaria di I grado.

Class slides for Sustainable Property Management (2023) are freely-available, screen-reader friendly, openly-licensed, and editable. The slides align with the freely-available open textbook, Sustainable Property Management, which is the required text for Virginia Tech's Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, PM 3674, Property Management Operations. The collection includes chapter-level .ppt slides with questions and activities for each of the eight chapters.

The open textbook, Sustainable Property Management, is freely available in PDF, ePub, Pressbooks, and other formats at https://doi.org/10.21061/sustainable_property_management.

Help us!
If you are an instructor reviewing, adopting, or adapting this textbook and/or slides, please help us understand your use by filling out this form https://bit.ly/interest_sustainable_property_management

How to adapt and share the slides
Instructors are encouraged to customize the slide deck by adding their own content and examples. According to the Creative Commons BY NC SA license, customized and shared versions of the slides must:
- Retain the original copyright statement
- Be released under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY NC SA) 4.0 license
- Include a link to the original slide deck source: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/11342
- Include brief statement regarding whether or not changes were made
- List the name of the adapter

With funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, The Washington State Department of Natural Resources' Aquatic Assessment and Monitoring Team (AAMT) developed three curricula (elementary, middle, and high school) that are designed to bridge the goals of bringing local climate science into Washington state classrooms and local internships by highlighting aspects of the Acidification Nearshore Monitoring Network (ANeMoNe)
More specifically, the curricula focus on local climate science issues and incorporate elements of scientific monitoring methods and community science to showcase how climate is being addressed in Washington State and how students can get involved in fighting climate change in their own “backyards”.​ Youth learn principles of aquatic ecology, environmental and social impacts driven by climate change, government and social response, and issues of environmental justice.
These climate resilience curricula are intended to inspire and engage youth throughout Washington to implement climate change adaptations in their local communities.

This course focuses on the complexities associated with security and sustainability of states in international relations. Covering aspects of theory, methods and empirical analysis, the course is in three parts, and each consists of seminar sessions focusing on specific topics.

The class of CIVE230: Engineering and Sustainable Development have been at it again, learning remotely in Spring 2021. This is the second COVID-19 edition of the course!The course introduces sustainability on two levels: qualitative concepts and background information is covered; and quantitative models which emphasize core engineering methods are applied to sustainability problems. Quantitative methods are derived and applied to air quality, water quality, energy and solid waste. Attention is given to sustainable urban systems, as they apply to both developed and developing countries. Sustainability concepts covering the triple bottom line are also presented, and their applicability to sustainable cities are demonstrated. Students in the course were tasked with making a contribution to an e-book. They were creative and innovative in applying course concepts to cities of their choice and exploring sustainability challenges and innovations. Their sustainability project encouraged them to explore sustainable infrastructure, solutions and technologies in Canada and globally to generate an enriched learning experience and to tie ideas to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges (CEGC).

The OER course "Conservation Across Borders: Case Studies in European Landscape Restoration and Biodiversity Connectivity" is an interactive online course designed using the H5P tool. The course aims to raise understanding and awareness of landscape conservation and biodiversity connectivity in Europe.Course descriptionThe course will present various case studies and initiatives focusing on landscape restoration and biodiversity promotion. Through interactive elements such as quizzes, videos and other H5P modules, participants will be actively involved in the learning process.Learning objectivesParticipants will acquire a sound knowledge of the importance of nature conservation, the challenges and solutions in landscape restoration and the role of transboundary projects in biodiversity conservation.MethodologyBy using H5P, the learning content is delivered in an engaging and interactive way, enabling effective and sustainable learning.This course provides a comprehensive and interactive learning experience that raises awareness of the importance of landscape conservation and biodiversity in Europe and identifies practical solutions to address current challenges.

Este guia prático ensina o passo-a-passo para a construção da Cortina Térmica Sustentável. Ela foi feita com material de descarte da merenda escolar, caixa de leite, e reutilizado para construir a cortina, que tem como função refletir a luz solar para fora da sala e amenizar o calor interno. Foi um resultado promissor e que resolveu um problema coletivo escolar e ambiental. Tem fácil replicação e com custo baixo. Ganhou premiação na MILSET BRASIL em Fortaleza e depois credencial internacional para se apresentar na Expo - Sciences International - ESI 2019, em Abu Dhabi, nos Emirados Árabes.Foi um produto Educacional resultante da pesquisa de mestrado da autora, Giselly Alencar, com Orientação da professora Valéria Sandra de Oliveira Costa e Patrícia Smith Cavalcante e com colaboração do professor Marcelo Cairrão Araujo Rodrigues - UFPE. 

Students will do background reading and research local energy production, historical patterns, and alternative energy possibilities for this area. Their task is to create a display board that can convey their research and promote education about local energy production to k-12 students. The message must also convey opportunities for youth in energy-related fields by staying in school.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Student teams design and then create small-size models of working filter systems to simulate multi-stage wastewater treatment plants. Drawing from assorted provided materials (gravel, pebbles, sand, activated charcoal, algae, coffee filters, cloth) and staying within a (hypothetical) budget, teams create filter systems within 2-liter plastic bottles to clean the teacher-made simulated wastewater (soap, oil, sand, fertilizer, coffee grounds, beads). They aim to remove the water contaminants while reclaiming the waste material as valuable resources. They design and build the filtering systems, redesigning for improvement, and then measuring and comparing results (across teams): reclaimed quantities, water quality tests, costs, experiences and best practices. They conduct common water quality tests (such as turbidity, pH, etc., as determined by the teacher) to check the water quality before and after treatment.

A cross-cultural perspective

Short Description:
This collection of student essays is the result of a collaborative online international learning (COIL) class by our students from the University of Guelph in Canada, the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and the IPMI International Business School in Jakarta, Indonesia. Students were formed into cross-cultural groups and interacted on a weekly basis via an online video communication platform to analyze business innovations in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The instructors provided guidance throughout the experiential activity and curated the content so that all 17 SDGs were discussed in this book.

Long Description:
This collection of student essays is the result of a collaborative online international learning (COIL) class by our students from the University of Guelph in Canada, the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and the IPMI International Business School in Jakarta, Indonesia. Students were formed into cross-cultural groups and interacted on a weekly basis via an online video communication platform to analyze business innovations in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The instructors provided guidance throughout the experiential activity and curated the content so that all 17 SDGs were discussed in this book.

Word Count: 69206

ISBN: 978-1-7782569-0-5

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

D-Lab: Water, Climate Change, and Health is a project-based, experiential, and transdisciplinary course. Together with peers and experts, we will explore the vitally important interface of water, climate change, and health. This course addresses mitigation and adaptation to climate change as it pertains to water and health. Water-borne illness, malnutrition, and vector-borne diseases represent the top three causes of morbidity and mortality in regions of our focus. Students submit a term project, setting the stage for a lifelong commitment to communicating climate science to a broad public.

This assignment addresses cultural sustainability by asking students to go beyond distinguishing between five subsistence strategies to examining the impact of globalization on diet and culture.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

The course considers the growing popularity of sustainability and its implications for the practice of engineering, particularly for the built environment. Two particular methodologies are featured: life cycle assessment (LCA) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The fundamentals of each approach will be presented. Specific topics covered include water and wastewater management, energy use, material selection, and construction.

Learn about types and sources of industrial emissions and tools to mitigate them. Learn what the options are for climate-neutral electricity and review the strategies for dealing with the variability of renewable energy.

This course is designed for the next generation of policy-makers, sustainability consultants or professionals and students from various fields who want an overview of climate change mitigation strategies in industry and electricity generation and apply them to their own projects.

This course covers a wide variety of topics in the industry and electricity generation domains, from the current situation to the challenging mission of becoming climate-neutral. Specifically:

Industry – You will learn about types and sources of industrial emissions. You will also learn about the existing technological options, methodologies and tools to mitigate emissions (mainly GHG) inside and outside the boundaries of the industrial plant.
Electricity generation – you will learn what the options are for climate-neutral electricity and review the strategies for dealing with the variability of renewable energy, as well as how energy system modeling is used to devise plans and policies for the energy transition.
The course includes videos, examples, interviews with experts, exercises and quizzes so that you can master and practice what you have learnt and explore mitigation strategies through real life examples. Enriched by relevant readings and discussion forums, this course will let you dive deeper into specific areas of interest you might have and further facilitate your learning experience.

Course material and exercises will be complemented by relevant content about policy, through which you will also discover current measures taken by governments world-wide.

Familiarize yourself with decarbonization measures in the building and transport sectors. Learn about trends in energy usage, carbon intensity, and potential of available alternatives to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

This course is designed for the next generation of policy makers, sustainability consultants or professionals and students from other fields who want to introduce themselves to climate change mitigation strategies in the building and transport sectors and apply them to their projects.

This course covers a wide variety of topics in the building and transportation domains, with the focus on the importance of designing climate friendly systems. Specifically:

Buildings – you will learn about trends in energy use and CO2 emissions that result from heating and cooling buildings, cooking and the use of electricity for appliances and lighting. You will be able to compare various alternatives to limit GHG emissions from buildings and quantify their impact.
Transportation – you will gain knowledge of decarbonization efforts carried out in various sub-sectors of transportation (including freight, aviation and passenger transport). You will learn about trends, fuel alternatives such as electrification and hydrogen applications, examine energy intensity and calculate GHG produced by transport. Additionally, you will have the chance to evaluate different transportation modes and their impact on climate.
In addition to the lectures, the course also includes interviews with experts and various exercises that will demonstrate how to practice what you have learnt and explore GHG emissions through real life examples. Enriched by relevant readings and discussion forums, this course will let you dive deeper into specific areas of interest you might have and further facilitate your learning experience.

Course material and exercises will be complemented by relevant content about policy, through which you will also discover current measures taken by governments world-wide.

What You'll Learn:
Understand the big picture of how buildings contribute to global GHG emissions and differences between climate zones.
Analyze the contribution of heating, cooling, cooking, and use of electrical appliances to greenhouse gas emissions and examine options to mitigate CO2 emissions from these activities.
Perform basic calculations on GHG emissions relating to different activities in buildings.
Consider how policies affect GHG emission in buildings.
Discuss the transport sector and its contribution to GHG emissions.
Calculate GHG emissions relating to different modes of transport and fuels.
Discover the efficiency and potential of alternate fuels and a variety of measures needed to decarbonize transport.

Mitigation of climate change is one of the most important challenges of our times. To prevent irreversible damage to human societies and the environment, it was agreed that world countries should limit the global average temperature rise. To avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change, it is needed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 °C or even to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

This requires cutting global greenhouse gas emissions to near-zero levels in the coming decades. Especially for the energy system, a drastic transformation is needed.

We know that such a transformation is possible, but it will require virtually every organization, whether it is a steel company, a hospital or a municipality, to tackle climate change challenges. The question that often arises is – where to start?

This course is designed for the professionals that might be the leaders of this transformation in their organization - policymakers, sustainability consultants or professionals from other fields -who want to familiarize themselves with climate change mitigation strategies so theycan apply it to their projects.

In the first part of the course, you will obtain basic knowledge including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the various types of GHG (CO2 and non-CO2), their emissions and about the Paris Agreement. You will also learn about current energy systems, electricity generation and the energy demand of various sectors.

Next, we will focus on courses of action and methods that will assist in selecting the best options in any type of project or organization. We will present methodologies for measurement of emissions reduction and calculation of costs. Here we will introduce you to the concepts of “marginal abatement cost curves” which will help you analyze alternatives by comparing emission reduction potential with the costs involved. Finally, various options such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification will be discussed as the emission reduction strategies.

We invite you to join this journey and to bring your own experiences and challenges to your organization.

Explore the role of national governments, municipalities, companies and the international community in climate change mitigation. Learn to set reduction targets yourself and translate them into action plans.

“Every action matters
Every bit of warming matters
Every year matters
Every choice matters.”

This was the brief summary of a 2018 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific advisory board of the United Nations.

But who should take action?

In earlier courses, we already set out what is needed to limit the impact of climate change. In this course, we will explore the role of national governments, the international community, companies, and sub-national governments, like cities, municipalities, provinces, and regions.

We start from the idea that climate governance is polycentric. None of these parties can mitigate the dangers of climate change all by themselves. Each of these types of organization has its particular strength. If you work – or plan to work – in or with any such organization, then through this course you will learn how to be successful and effective in playing your part in mitigating climate change.

Important elements that will be discussed for the various players in the field are:

What roles can the different organizations play?
How can emission reduction targets be set so that they are both ambitious and feasible?
How can meaningful emission reduction plans be developed that actually result in emission reduction on the ground?
Examples will be presented by professionals who have been successful in their own organization. They are willing to share the failures and critical success factors in their strategies.

What You'll Learn
Understand how international climate agreements work.
Assess the sphere of influence of your own organization.
Learn how to develop national climate policies and evaluate the relevance of existing policies for your organization.
Be able to set ambitious and feasible GHG emission reduction targets for companies and discover how to translate these into a climate action plan.
Design approaches to tackle greenhouse gas emissions in supply chains.
Be able to set ambitious and feasible GHG emission reduction targets for cities and municipalities and learn how to translate these into climate action plans.
Decide in which areas the greatest acceleration of climate action is needed.

This is a three-week lab sequence aimed at determining the approximate amount of carbon stored in a local bog and teaching skills for solving complex problems through collaborative work.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Innovative Practices for Sustainability Leadership

Short Description:
Developing Change Agents examines the role of academia in creating the next generation of sustainability leaders. Delving into strategies to transform higher education, this volume empowers universities to develop change agents who can scale solutions to meet the wicked environmental, social, and political challenges of the present and future. Developing Change Agents advances a revolutionary perspective on the way academia functions from the administrative hierarchies to faculty, and the classroom and to deep engagement in the communities where the solutions must be co-created. This book works to find a transdisciplinary, effective method of tackling the world’s issues with reference to emotional intelligence, diversity, community, and reward structures and supports a tailored, reflexive approach based upon each university’s diverse and unique students, faculty, programs, and communities. From the ANGLES NETWORK: A Network for Graduate Leadership in Sustainability

Word Count: 75528

ISBN: 978-1-946135-57-5

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)