Main Activities
This thematic network will facilitate research-driven collaboration among Arctic universities to develop and share best practices in sustainability through three interconnected threads: Institutional Sustainability, Sustainability Education, University-Community Engagement.

Planned Activities

• Eco-Schools Green Flag: promote the Eco-Schools Seven Steps Framework for Green Flag certification among member institutions to increase involvement of students in improving the environmental management of their Universities, specifically, to track progress in reducing carbon footprints and implementing renewable energy solutions tailored for cold-climate campuses.
• Sustainability Research: Sustainability in the Arctic must be understood not only as climate resilience or institutional efficiency, but as an intergenerational responsibility shaped by colonial histories, ongoing inequities, and Indigenous peoples’ enduring relationships with land, language, and community. Independent or collaborative research activities focused on sustainability, including grant development, interdisciplinary projects, and scholarship addressing environmental, social, and Indigenous sustainability issues.
• Share Arctic Sustainability Data: The network will collect and analyze data from surveys, research initiatives, and institutional case studies, sharing findings through open-access reports, thematic webinars, and a centralized digital repository to ensure broad accessibility and foster collaboration among Arctic institutions.
• Regular Thematic Webinars & Workshops: Sharing best practices in institutional sustainability, indigenous ways of knowing, education, and outreach.
• Annual Arctic University Sustainability Summit: Bringing together educators, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and students the annual sustainability conference at the partner institution University of Akureyri will host a special session dedicated to arctic matters of sustainability in Arctic Universities (teaching, research, and administration).
• Annual Awards will recognize excellence in teaching and student theses (BA, MA, and PhD) that focus on sustainable practices and sustainability-related topics, highlighting student-level research and teaching that contributes to place-based sustainability, local community partnership, and broader Arctic research ecosystems. In addition, a dedicated Indigenous-focused award will prioritize Indigenous-led research, community-governed projects, and work conducted in direct partnership with Indigenous institutions and communities, rather than research conducted about Indigenous peoples without their leadership; honor work that centers Indigenous knowledge systems, community-engaged research, or Indigenous-led approaches to sustainability. All awards will be certificates of recognition rather than monetary prizes.
• Practice-oriented university–community engagement (applied research, student-led assignments, and theses) that links institutional sustainability work with local and regional development, Indigenous Knowledge, and community-defined priorities, strengthening Arctic research ecosystems and supporting climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods across Arctic communities.