The Role of Actors in Enacting Sustainability in Higher Education

• In Event: 16.060 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 16.060-9 - (Re)Considering Environmental Education: Learning From Policy and Higher Education

Abstract

This paper reviews sustainability in higher education (SHE) literature to examine who are the key sustainability actors in higher education, what roles these actors play in relation to practice, and which factors impact their ability to participate in sustainability initiatives. The aim is to gain to better understand how different actors are implicated in the enactment of sustainability to help its advancement. The review shows that students, faculty, staff, and administrators are among the key actors involved in the enactment of sustainability. SHE literature focuses on the role of faculty in fostering involvement among students, and the role of administrators in institutionalizing sustainability. There is little research on how historically marginalized groups are implicated in sustainability in higher education.

Author

• Naomi Mumbi Maina, University of Saskatchewan