Prioritizing Sustainability Projects with Low Market Value in Institutions of Higher Education: a green roof case study

This thesis adds to the body of knowledge available to decision makers in highereducation by presenting a framework for why valuable sustainability projects are oftennot pursued on university campuses, and offers one approach to overcoming theperceived financial obstacles for making investments in sustainability projects. Theframework is tested and verified through the evaluation of the benefits and costs of agreen roof case study at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. It is concludedthat the traditional approach to cost-benefit analysis is woefully insufficient at assessingthe true value of sustainability projects in higher education. However, with the inclusionof valuing the environmental and social benefits of these projects, cost-benefit analysisnot only becomes more accurate, but the process itself can catalyze latent interest in theuse of sustainability projects to enhance teaching and research. Therefore, establishingstandardized processes and communication methods to support the conduct of a costbenefitanalysis of any sustainability project in higher education are critical componentsto ensuring the success of the exercise.