Communicating Sustainability Through Websites of Higher Education Institutions of New Jersey

Abstract Sustainability is integrated into the higher education institutions as a new culture. Since the emergence of various declarations and policies, higher education institutions have integrated, implemented and practiced sustainability in the form of campus operations, community engagement and academic programs. As a result, some institutions have started communicating about their sustainability practices through their websites to inform their stakeholders. It is also noted that prospective students prefer to study in institutions that communicate about sustainability on their websites. However, there is a gap in research to understand the strategies used by higher education institutions to communicate sustainability. This content analysis provides an insight into the websites of higher education institutions in New Jersey and discusses how these institutions are communicating sustainability. Using campus sustainability framework and STARS reporting tools, this study analyzed the strategies used by the sample institutions. Findings indicate that many higher education institutions in New Jersey still do not communicate any kind of sustainability information on their websites. Institutions that communicate sustainability have talked about different areas where sustainability is incorporated and practiced across the respective institutions