Wendy Stubbs Integrating Environmental Sustainability Into Universities

“Sustainability is a matter of long term development” (Fowler, J., Sept.24th), this is the simplest statement describes the word “sustainability” till the end of the third week lecture. After two weeks’ lecture classes and ESS lecture classes, the concept that “sustainability is not a certain technology or policy” (Introduction to Environment, Sustainability and Society, slide79) is founded in my mind. Mind Shift organization and professor Matthew Schnurr’s research taught me more specifically that sustainability is not only about the environment.

Three ways an individual can critically analyze sources to determine if they are scholarly and credible are authority, accuracy, and coverage. It is serious to tell the concepts you discover on a site to a specific writer, association, or corporate. A source of data is

Oberlin college is ranked as the 4th greenest college in America by popularmechanics.com, and it makes sense. It incorporates sustainability into its curriculum, but it also uses brand new technologies, such as solar panels and electric cars. Campuses that are more sustainable seem to have two main characteristics. The first is they are often in more rural settings, and usually use this setting to their advantage, by having big farms and creating nature reserves. The second is that they invest in more environmentally friendly technology before other colleges. Most colleges in the United States are attempting to become more sustainable, but many are taking the wrong approach to doing so. For example, USC is making efforts towards becoming more sustainable, and while some of these efforts are valid, many merely appear to be so that USC market itself as more sustainable. Colleges that put an emphasis on using new, more sustainable technologies tend to be more sustainable than those that simply try to spread the ideas of sustainability. While creating an environmentally conscious student body is important, it may not be achievable everywhere.

Oberlin college is ranked as the 4th greenest college in America by popularmechanics.com which makes sense. It incorporates sustainability into its curriculum, while still maintaining its use of brand new technologies such as solar panels and electric cars. Campuses that are more sustainable seem to have two main characteristics: they are regularly in rural settings, which they use to their advantage by having big farms and creating nature reserves, and they invest in more environmentally friendly technology before other colleges. Most colleges in the United States are endeavoring to become more sustainable, but many are taking the wrong approach to doing so. For example, USC is making efforts towards becoming more sustainable, and while

Environmental sustainability is the ability to be able to continue a certain process or use a certain resource indefinitely (Mason). For example, if you’re using a certain resource and you know it’s going to run out one day, that resource is unsustainable. Sustainability is important because a lot of the practices that we do in modern society from agriculture, to energy source, and even development, are completely depleting our resources. This practices were also made to accommodate our fast pace lifestyle, everything is built and made to be fast and cheap, nothing is made to last anymore. Many people are realizing the importance of being sustainable and the world is slowly changing to sustainable practices like Renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, while also changing the fast and easy mind set to a more “reusable” one. Brevard College has boarded the sustainable train of the world by making several additions to the school like solar panels, alternative transportation options, a Fair trade and organic Coffee shop, and several environmental based clubs. Although they are heading in the right direction, many changes still need to be made in order to achieve a well-developed sustainable campus.

Studies show that education, training, and incentives are causing university students to become more concerned with their environment and the environment of the next generation (Levy and Dilwali, 2000). Providing the opportunity to live in a sustainably built environment has become an important differentiating factor among universities around the world and is becoming increasingly important to students in terms of both how they adopt sustainable practices and their choice of a university. The majority of students and their parents are making acceptance decisions based on a university’s environmental commitment (Princeton Review, 2012). If the University of Central Arkansas would raise the facility fee, then the higher percentage rates

Grinnell College students, faculty, and staff have, for years, tried to make Grinnell College and its community more sustainable. Whether it has been through sourcing food grown locally and without fossil-fuel based fertilizers, advocating for LEED-certified buildings that conserve energy and water, or altering the College’s energy profile through the implementation of large-scale wind turbines, the College has focused on reducing harmful emissions while preserving standard of living (BMUB 2014).

Penn State University offers various ways for members of its community to live environmentally consciously and sustainably. The Sustainability Institute at Penn State boasts a gold rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a green rating from The Princeton Review, and a ranking of 48 out of 173 on Sierra Club’s list of the most sustainable colleges (“Track our Progress”). Despite these awards and recognitions demonstrating Penn State’s commitment to the environment, the university still produced and directed 14,950 tons of solid waste to landfill sites in 2015 (“Recycling and Waste Management”). Penn State Food services can reduce the amount of waste the university produces by expanding the existing

Before my campus tour, a presentation was given on Dickinson College and its core values. During the presentation, the speaker explained how sustainability

I consider myself as someone who cares about the environment therefore, I understand the difference that York is trying to make. I agree that York should be one of leading post-secondary institutions in sustainability. The approach that the university is taking is a great way to get people in the York community interested in this growing problem. When we are talking about the environment it is important that our plans work for the long-term as well. York has successfully included in its policies that they are thinking ahead for the years to come (“The Sale and Distribution…”, 2015). I came across a book called “Blue covenant the global water crisis and the coming battle for the right to water” written by Maude Barlow. The argument that stood out the most to me was that our landfills in Toronto are not able to support bottled water (Barlow, 2009, p.89). More specifically, it states that municipalities are having trouble finding space for garbage generated by bottled water. It has a quote that paints a picture of how big of a crisis this is, “as few as 50 percent of the water bottles Torontonians consume everyday are actually being recycled, as many as 65 million empty plastic water bottles per year end up as garbage in a landfill waste site.” (Barlow, 2009, p.90) These statistics stuck with me since Toronto is a city of approximately 2.8 million people and yet we are able to use roughly 65 million single-use water bottles (Barlow, 2009, p.90).

Environmental sustainability has become more of a concern than ever, and this trend will continue so long as people do not prioritize sustainability. Plenty of effort is necessary for sustainability, and to quote Lewis Carroll, “We must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place.” I have made lifestyle changes to try and attain individual sustainability, but this does not create change; the impact that I want to contribute to. With the skills that I hope to have an opportunity to cultivate at UBC, I aim to be a part of that change.

UVM, specifically Vermont, is the perfect place for sustainability and going “green.” UVM has taken many steps in becoming a top school for not only environmental education but a top school for sustainability as well. UVM is continuing to strive for climate neutrality and these efforts will continue well into the future. UVM’s efforts are inspirational to the community, students and the future of sustainability.

Campus sustainability is a task largely in the hands of the students. The effects of climate change will directly impact our lives in the future, so to prepare, it is our job to make a change. A college’s job is to serve its students as best as possible, and that is certainly a major tenant at Temple University, though to get what we want, we need to make our voices heard. While it takes a lot of guts to go talk to President Theobald, that is the best way to make known the problems and worries we are facing. In respect to sustainability, Temple students also have the Office of Sustainability to help perpetuate their causes and getting involved in organizations such as Living Learning Communities, Community Council, and Green Council makes initiating change much easier.

When I was five years old I began school. In Kindergarden we learned basic things like letters, numbers, and how not to be fully engulfed in flames. For some reason, 2004 was the height of anti-fire education in Missouri and before I knew how to tie my shoes I knew that if I ever was ablaze, to cover my face, fall to my knees, and roll back and fourth. This is what my institution placed serious value upon and because I was a student of that institution I also placed serious value upon it. The same idea must be applied to a university's teaching of environmental sustainability. This is discussed in David Orr's "What is Education For?" Through choosing a curriculum a university chooses what it places value onto, by making the environment a priority it showcases to the future generations that environmental wellness is an important responsibility for them to take ownership.

model for SI we will discuss the changing position of sustainability in an academic and