| While university and college campuses across the U.S. set significant renewable energy use goals, the majority fail to achieve them. Existing research has thoroughly assessed how campus-based forces impact the development and attainment of these goals, but has almost completely ignored the impact of factors external to campuses, such as state and local governments. This study fills this research gap by examining the role of external environments in the development and outcomes of campus renewable energy use efforts.;This study utilizes a mixed methods approach, with the data collected from a series of case studies and a survey of US-based campuses attempting to use renewable energy. The data was analyzed and reported via a combination of t-test, bivariate correlation and thematic analysis. This research finds that factors within their respective external environments---including actors at the state and local government levels---impact campus renewable energy activities in numerous ways. While these impacts are positive in some cases, at a broad level the campus sector does not always obtain the support needed to achieve the lofty goals it sets forth for renewable energy use. This resulted in the majority of the campuses studied in this dissertation either walking away from their renewable energy goals, or meeting them in questionable ways, particularly in the form of renewable energy credits and offsets that likely carry little to no actual environmental benefits.;Comprising over fifty interviews with renewable energy stakeholders and survey responses from 100 colleges and universities, this study is the first to assess the forces beyond campus walls impacting college and university renewable energy activity. Subsequently, this dissertation contributes significantly to the fields of sustainability in higher education and multilevel environmental governance. |
