October is Campus Sustainability Month, an international celebration of sustainability in higher education, coordinated annually by AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
During the October celebration, colleges and universities support hands-on activities like recycling, reuse, waste reduction, and energy conservation, among other sustainable solutions. Many activities are student-led. For instance, students organize clothing swaps, sewing workshops, composting demonstrations, and participate in food rescue and redistribution. But students aren’t the only ones who get involved—faculty, staff, and community partners join in for maximum impact.
Planet Aid Recognizes Sustainable College and University Programs
This month, Planet Aid will highlight colleges and universities making sustainability a top priority; Johnson Community College (JCCC) is first on the list. Located in Overland, Kansas, JCCC recently received the AASHE 2026 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award for its Sustainability Distinction Program.
Photo Credit: Susan McSpadden/JCCC
What makes JCCC’s program so different is how it incorporates sustainability into students’ existing field of study. This allows any student to earn the distinction alongside their diploma by completing coursework and hands-on projects across four pillars.
Sustainability Distinction Program Pillars
- Ecological
- Economic
- Social
- Foundational sustainability.
Another university being highlighted is the
University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Under the direction of Dr. Sha’Mira Covington, the university is running its own circular economy with a student-led textile recycling program and collection bins across campus. Furthermore, at the campus’ Miller Learning Center, students can trade clothes for free at the Swap Shop. Anything that can’t be used goes back to Dr. Covington’s recycling team.
Student Stewardship
Follow Planet Aid’s social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn) this October for more details about the pioneering sustainable solutions colleges/universities are implementing. Meanwhile, campus sustainability is also encouraged by organizations like
Turning Green—a California-based, student-driven environmental nonprofit organization, established in 2005.
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Turning Green has a long-running Campus Sustainability Month tradition called
Project Green Challenge. This free online 30-day sustainability challenge for college and high school students rolls out a new themed challenge every day covering topics such as food, fashion, waste, water, energy, climate, and environmental justice. It’s a competition, so of course there is a tally board, which keeps it interesting as participating students contribute to sustainable action, compete for prizes, and get bragging rights as representatives for their campus.
Sustainability is an everyday practice that sharpens our stewardship for people and the planet. This October, let your local campus inspire you to make sustainability a lifestyle choice, one action at a time.
