Purpose: Universities have recognized their rich endowments in research, academic skills and facilities, as uniquely suited to finding "green" solutions. Moreover, the campus setting itself presents as a microcosm of greater society through which to investigate and test innovations. Thus, the "living lab" was born, a means of…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how Living Labs of Van Hall Larenstein UAS perform as sustainability-oriented, transdisciplinary learning environments. It shows how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) can be used as a compass and debates the sustainability impact of applied research. Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach…

Purpose: This study aims to explore employee green behavior in higher education institution (HEI) laboratories in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was used to explore the green behavior experiences of individuals working in HEI laboratories. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine participants…

Purpose: Sustainable development is an issue of high relevance for all countries and universities play a fundamental role in promoting the participation of society members in achieving this objective. This study aims to conduct an open laboratory of social innovation (OPENLAB_SI) inside a university with society stakeholders, as a research and…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the university experience of a social laboratory that mixes science and art to instruct communities of sustainability practice in heterogeneous contexts through interpretive audio-visual ethnography and cinematographic language. Design/methodology/approach: The research approach was qualitative; data were…

Purpose: Learning about sustainable development in dedicated curricula can be beneficial for students' personal and professional development and societies alike. However, for various reasons the implementation of sustainable development modules in existing curricula can be difficult in many fields of study. This paper aims to propose an…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance and use of the concept "reverse salient" in ambitious infrastructural change. Thomas Hughes, in his seminal study of socio-technical system building, observed that the elimination of "reverse salients", i.e. subsystems that because of their limited performance…

Purpose: Higher education institutions are widely known both for their promotion to education for sustainable development (ESD) and for their contribution as living labs to urban management strategies. As for strategies, smart and learning campuses have recently gained significant attention. This paper aims to report an air quality monitoring…

Purpose: While sustainability-oriented education is increasingly placing importance on engaging students in inter- and transdisciplinary learning processes with societal actors and authentic challenges in the centre, little research attends to how and what students learn in such educational initiatives. This paper aims to address this by opening…

Purpose: This study examines a general education, hands-on and 100 per cent online laboratory course to better understand the prospects for fostering green building literacy through experiential online education. Design/methodology/approach: The mixed-methods research design included pre- and post-course surveys (n = 42) together with…

Purpose: Universities are an example of institutions that aggregate people around work/study who consume water, energy and produce waste daily in their activities, generating an impact on the environment. The purpose of this study is to determine the quantity, composition and recycling potential of waste generated at the Faculdade UnB Planaltina…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarize and discuss the results from the LIVING LAB design study, a project within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. The aim of this project was to develop the conceptual design of the LIVING LAB Research Infrastructure that will be used to research human interaction with, and stimulate…

Purpose: Sustainability initiatives typically operate for a limited time period, but it is often unclear whether they have lasting effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine a laboratory fume hood campaign, in order to identify factors that might contribute or detract from long-term change persistence. Design/methodology/approach: The…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chemistry Department campaign to reduce energy consumption in chemical fume hoods. Hood use feedback to lab users is a crucial component of this campaign. Design/methodology/approach: Sash position sensor data on variable air volume fume…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to share the content and early results from an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates theory and practice (praxis). The curriculum links new topical courses concerning renewable energy, food, water, engineering and social change with specialized labs that enhance technological and…