Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money and Community in a Changing World is Parish’s new book, released earlier this year. Parish, co-founder of the Energy Action Coalition, and currently working to create solar energy through Solar Mosaic, pushed students in the audience to think critically about why they are doing the work they are doing to create a more sustainable world. Using his key findings from his book, he gave the audience three valuable tools to help us unleash our purpose.

1. Feed Your Purpose! Or more specifically, what is the vision you are trying to create? In all my time attending different summits and conferences, no one has really ever asked me what my purpose was. I thought this was a great way to push the audience (and myself) to question what our vision is.
2. How can you “Build with the Best?”  When trying to make your vision a reality, who are the top 5 people that can help you get there? He urged students to think outside the box and to think “BIG.”
3. What is the Root Problem you are trying to Solve? He wanted to make sure that the audience realized the importance of digging deep to get to the root of the problem.  He gave the example that if Carbon, C02 is the root of our problems- than we need to look at the cause of C02.  He used Bill Gates example of Innovating to Zero  and how it helped him figure out his root problem and ultimately figure out his purpose

Networking Session hosted by NWF Campus Ecology

Across the country, students are working hard to make their campuses and communities sustainable. This summit was a great way for students to learn, share and develop new relationships to push them toward success in their projects and campaigns.To find out more about how the NWF Campus Ecology program has been working for 24 years to assist students, staff and faculty in reaching their campus sustainability goals, visit us at  the CampusEcology.org.

Students Push for Sustainability on their Campuses

Students are the epicenter of any college or university campus.  They are the heart and soul and the reason why colleges and universities exist, and it would be a disservice to any campus if students were not engaged throughout all aspects of campus sustainability.  A myriad of lessons have been learned from engaging an estimated 460,000 student leaders hailing from 2,000 campuses over Campus Ecology’s23 years and counting of programming at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).  During this time, the program has also awarded approximately 180 Campus Ecology Fellowships to current undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 500 internships to recent graduates.   Throughout the evolution of campus sustainability, there have been changes in approach and goals for greening one’s campus; however the one constant has always been student leadership.

Appalachian State Dining Services Image

Bold Campus Climate Action

Students across the country have been lobbying their college or university president to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) since its inception five years ago.  Schools like University of Oklahoma and Birmingham Southern College attribute students to the signing of the ACUPCC.  In addition, once the school has become a signatory, in many cases students are conducting the greenhouse gas inventories and helping with the climate action plans.  In 2009, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) research conducted by John Hehir, showed that approximately 19 percent of all greenhouse gas inventories to-date were compiled by student researchers and classes.

Climate Action Planning Research Team at Ithaca College

Engaging Students Across all Sustainability Programming is Key

NWF Campus Ecology staff have been working with students across the country to assist them through the process of how to effectively lobby for the signing of the ACUPCC, and once completed how to stay on task with the different commitment steps.  In addition, staff have been instrumental in bringing sustainability staff, students and faculty together to dialogue about the priorities and issues facing campuses across the country.

It is through this work that we have found that engaging students throughout sustainability programming is strongest when it is:

• Non-Prescriptive:  Programming that empowers student leaders to define their own vision, dreams and goals is more effective and compelling for students than efforts that prescribe exactly what students should do and how they should do it.
• Whole Person-Oriented:  Initiatives that emphasize the whole person, fosters personal and professional development and the need for social connections are stronger than programs that focus on narrow tactics. Students are not campaign objectives, engaged simply to meet short-term tactical policy needs of an organization or campus and dispensed with when the victory is achieved.
• Consultative:  Programs benefit from engaging students upfront in the design, outcomes, purpose, objective and even the language used to implement it.
• Cumulative:  Programs that provide ladders and pathways for professional, career and personal growth, as well as increased leadership opportunities are stronger than programs that lead to cul-de-sacs for student leaders.  Providing connections among programs geared to various age groups and clear pathways from one to the next supporting leaders as they progress through each life stage is worth aiming towards.
• Recognition:  In one survey after another, students tell us they want recognition.  Whether it is a certificate or title for their resume, volunteer programming is enhanced when it leads to credentials students can use to advance their academic and career goals.

As college and university campuses improve their sustainability efforts it is critical to understand the bigger picture.

Why Higher Education Matters

By the numbers in 2008

• 18 million – Number of students (with 44% of undergraduates attending two-year schools)

• 4,300 – Number of U.S. colleges & universities

• $386 billion – Annual expenditures of postsecondary institutions

The numbers alone are impressive, but perhaps more important is the fact that today’s college and university students will be the leaders in most areas of the U.S. economy in years to come. They will strongly influence the values and priorities in the country’s future use of energy, resources and political power. Although the years spent in college are just one of many forces shaping a young person, they can have a big impact not only on a student’s understanding of issues like sustainability and climate change, but also on development of the skills and habits of mind needed to successfully tackle them.

Hence, it is important to consider the campus as a microcosm of larger cities across the U.S.  and the globe.  It is the college and university setting that gives students the training and experience they need to find and create green jobs, develop solutions to climate change and have positive sustainability impacts across the world.

NWF Campus Ecology works with students, staff and faculty across the U.S. to improve overall campus sustainability efforts by providing one-on-one consultations, fellowships and internships, resources, and through networking and sharing best practices. In addition, through our Greenforce Initiative, a partnership of NWF and Jobs for the Future, we help create hands-on training opportunities for students in green career pathway programs; connecting students to campus sustainability efforts provide students the opportunity to harness green job skills while greening their campus.

To learn more about the different programs within NWF Campus Ecology, find us at www.campusecology.org

Clean, renewable energy will not only bring more jobs to Michigan and the rest of the country, but will not destroy our natural environment like oil spills and threaten wildlife populations, including endangered whooping crane habitat and the risks to thousands of wolves that may be poisoned from expansion of Canadian tar sands operations.

Young people in Michigan have seen first hand the devastation that a tar sands oil spill has on the health of a community.  The community of Kalamazoo continues to struggle over a year and half later.

We are asking you to tell President Obama and Congress to stand up to big oil polluters and say        No to the Keystone XL Pipeline.

This Thanksgiving, I feel we have so many amazing things to be thankful for… but I will name just 5 of the top environmental/campus sustainability victories I feel deserve mentioning:

Top 5 Environmental / Campus Sustainability Victories 

1.  Keystone XL Pipeline has been delayed:  Two months ago no one thought that this was possible- yet we defied the impossible, we stopped Big Oil and are going to continue to put pressure on President Obama and the State Department to ensure that this pipeline will be stopped for good.

2.  Young Voices are calling for an end to Dirty Oil:  Across the country, the youth are asking for a clean energy revolution.  Just this past week, students in Ohio stood up to the gas industry, telling them that they “We won’t stop until you do.”   From the Keystone XL Pipeline, to fracking and mountaintop removal, young people are at the heart of each of these movements.  As Benjamin Disraeli said in 1844, “Almost everything that is great has been done by youth.”   

3.  Colleges and Universities are beginning to demonstrate that they can become 100% off-the-grid: Butte College in California is now grid positive  and the University of Minnesota-Morris has two utility scale wind turbines and a biomass plant, which is producing enough energy, that when the wind blows they, too, are off the grid.  These are just 2 college campuses, imagine what would happen if all 4100 colleges and universities made a pledge to be 100% off-the-grid!

4.  Sustainable Financing is now common on campuses:  Across the country, student green fees and green revolving loan funds are becoming the norm on college and university campuses.   The funds are then allocated to green projects on campus- new solar panels, better recycling, and improved energy usage are all types of projects students elect to implement on their campus.  These fees offer the ability for students to be creative in their efforts to green their campuses.

5.  Going “Green” is proving to save money:  Up until recently, many folks believed that becoming more sustainable would cost more money.  But colleges and universities are showing that sustainability has a high return on investment.  Millions of dollars are being saved on college campuses across the US .

There are many things to be thankful for this holiday season.  These top 5 victories are just the beginning.  I invite you to share with us what you think are the top 5 environmental victories to be thankful for this season in the comment box or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since the Kalamazoo Oil Spill last summer, students and community members have come together to shed light on the impacts tar sands oil spills have on the environment and the community.  The Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition (MSSC), the state-wide student network is working together with the National Wildlife Federation and other organizations to ensure that young voices in Michigan are being heard at the White House and with President Obama.

Students with Congressman John Conyers

Students across the state are working to collect 1000′s of video and photo petitions showcasing that they do not support the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Also, students will be holding teach in’s and movie screenings to help seperate the facts from the myths of the pipeline.

To get involved:

1.   Find us on Facebook at Michigan Students Against Keystone XL 

2.   Email Sarah Murphy at allaspiaggia@gmail.com who will get you linked in to the movement!

3.   Sign the No Keystone XL Pipeline Petition 

Click here to view the embedded video.

The purpose of the Midwest Power Shift conference was to educate and train young people about topics, such as the green economy, sustainability, and the fight against dirty fuels, such as the Keystone XL pipeline.

Keynotes included:  David Orr- professor from Oberlin College and world-renown sustainability expert, Reverend David Bullock- founder of GreeNation and part of the green revolution in Detroit, and Kandi Mossett- youth leader extraordinaire who has been fighting dirty energy in her home state of North Dakota.

On Sunday, the closing event was a march and rally across downtown Cleveland- where young and old gathered together to tell President Obama that he needs to stand firm on his campaign promises and veto the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Send a message to President Obama, urging him to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.

If this pipeline is approved, it will be “GAME OVER” for the climate, as Dr. James Hansen, NASA Climate Scientist has noted.

Learning about the biomass plant at UMM: photo credit- Juliana Goodlaw-Morris

This past weekend, September 23-24th, almost 200 students, staff, and faculty were faced with this issue while at the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) for the UMACS conference.  The main natural gas pipeline between Benson, MN and Morris, MN (approximately 25 miles) was severed.  Thus, leaving the community without their main source of heating/cooling and cooking needs.

However, except for the lack of hot water in our hotel rooms- the participants of the conference didn’t have to worry because the Morris campus has a biomass plant that was  kicked up to full power- eliminating the need for natural gas to heat and cool the buildings.

UMM is a leading renewable energy campus in the country, and the only liberal arts college within the U of Minnesota system.  As colleges and universities seek to transition towards renewable energy options, many lessons can be learned from how UMM has been successful in the development of two 1.65 megawatt wind turbines (which produce 70-100% of the campus electricity needs), a biomass gasification plant (using locally sourced fuel stock), solar thermal heating for their pool and other solar photovoltaic systems.

Participants at the conference were able to learn about the many sustainability efforts at Morris through different tours, including an agriculture campus/community tour, renewable energy tour, and even a night prairie walk.

On the prairie: one of the UMM wind turbines: photo credit- Juliana Goodlaw-Morris

This enabled the participants to learn about different financing options for renewable energy production (such as ESCOs = Energy Service Companies), successes and challenges with capturing the best biomass products, and how place-based education allows students to connect with their community and the land.  I should also mention that a number of participants camped out during the conference- furthering their understanding of the Minnesota prairie and their connection to the land.

Using the campus as a learning laboratory, something that Campus Ecology espouses, is critical to the success at Morris and many other colleges and universities in the UMACS network and across the country.  Students are not only learning theory, but are testing and tweaking what they are learning through hands-on sustainability projects across the campus and community.

Tour of 2nd wind turbine at UMM: photo credit- Juliana Goodlaw-Morris

One of the goals of UMACS and Campus Ecology is to accelerate sustainability learning and action by sharing resources, ideas, and lessons learned- in the hopes that higher education institutions will lead the way to a sustainable, clean energy future.This gathering at Morris proved that this goal is being accomplished across the Midwest!

American manufacturing has seen a steady decline for many years, especially in the Midwest region.  According to the International Trade Association- Illinois has seen a decrease in manufacturing jobs by 37% between 1990 and 2009.  However, the theme for the Greenforce meeting was “Manufacturing is not dead!” Marc Smierciak, Associate Dean of Instruction, Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center, Wilbur Wright College showcased that their green manufacturing training programs are at capacity and that students are leaving college with jobsand employable credentials.

Furthermore Tom Gannon, Manufacturing Specialist from AFL-CIO Working for America, discussed that although the United States has lost traditional manufacturing jobs, there has been an increase in green manufacturing- including wind, solar, battery technology and fuel efficient engines. Working with the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, and industry experts, new green standards are being finalized and will be piloted in Indiana at an AFL-CIO center this summer.

Jennifer Keeling, Director of City Policy at the Chicago Jobs Council, discussed their new report, “Job Growth Projections and Analysis in Chicago’s Emerging Green Industries”  which demonstrates possible job growth potential in the Chicagoland area to include: energy efficiency, landscaping and urban agriculture, and renewable energy.

Urban agriculture, local food, composting and green landscaping were discussed with enthusiasm during the session titled “Campus Greening Connections with Workforce Development.”  It seems as if colleges and community partners are ready and willing to figure out ways to further educational and community outreach opportunities as it relates to urban agriculture.  The Greenforce Initiative will work with our college partners to assist with possible curriculum development and sharing of best practices as programs are developed.

Even though green manufacturing and urban agriculture stole the show during this meeting, the theme really focused on partnerships, and how the Greenforce Initiative, local community college partners, training providers and other community organizations need and can work together to ensure the green economy is inclusive and effective in creating good, family-sustaining green jobs.

Martin Dober, Senior VP, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Yesterday at Lansing Community College- West Campus, 90 participants from across the state of Michigan participated in the first Greenforce Initiative summit. With 15 community colleges represented, state agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations and small-to- large green businesses the excitement in the room was hardly contained. 

Although it was day of sharing success stories, understanding the state of Michigan’s green jobs initiatives and showcasing strong partnerships between community colleges and business/industry- the underlying message was one of creativity, cooperation, and innovative collaboration.

Community colleges are finding unique and exciting new ways to partner with industry, community based organizations, research institutions and the state of Michigan.  One exciting new partnership is between Grand Rapids Community College and Rockford Berge on a new global wind safety training program.  Also, the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, has exciting new partnerships with their green skills alliances- which are bridging the gaps between education, training, and green businesses. 

The keynote speaker for the day, John Austin, President of Michigan State Board of Education and Non-Resident Fellow for the Brookings Institution challenged the participants to consider changing the culture of Michigan from our historical polluting past to a more sustainable economy.  He asked the question “How do we change the culture of our communities and economy…how do we move to an entrepreneurial society?” 

Gerald Ryan, KGR Services has heeded to Dr. Austin’s call to become an entrepreneur.  After being laid off from the auto industry, Mr. Ryan retrained as an energy management specialist at St. Clair County Community College and now own’s his own LED lighting company.  Mr. Ryan’s story, which he shared with us yesterday,  is inspiring and highlights how entrepreneurship can help lead the “next” economy in Michigan. 

The Greenforce Initiative is continuing it’s work in Michigan to create strong networking and collaboration between community colleges in order to develop green career  pathway programs and strengthen sustainability initiatives on campuses across the state.

Although there have been many books dedicated to environmental issues, Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth, emphasizes the idea that changes to the climate are occurring due to human behavior, and therefore require human recompense. Schweiger states, “Like it or not, global warming is the defining issue of the twenty-first century, and this may be the defining moment for an all-out effort to avoid a climate crisis.”

Last Chance argues that climate change is primarily a moral challenge, rather than a scientific or a technical one. We are, Schweiger asserts, responsible to protect the future of the planet for our children’s future. “This book is a call from an outdoorsperson who harbors respect for science, a Christian perspective, and a lifelong love for this gift we call nature.  I believe that each of us has a moral and stewardship obligation for nature regardless of our faith, politics, or worldview.”  It’s no surprise that his religious background informs his activism; his language is downright Biblical at times: “Surely we can agree that wrecking the planet is an ethical abomination.”

Schweiger is not the only one who claims a moral obligation to address climate change. In a recent interview with Yale University’s Environment 360, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, said “As a human being, I just couldn’t keep quiet in the face of all this overwhelming evidence. I know it’s probably not right for me to take a position such as this, but on the other hand, I think it would be totally immoral on my part not to take a position, so I came out and said so.”

Scientific research has been suggesting since the early 1970′s that we are at risk from the dangerous aftereffects of climate change, yet greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, well beyond the 350 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that we know is safe. As of writing, levels are 385ppm. Against the recommendations of the world’s leading scientists and the  IPCC, nations and individuals are procrastinating action.

Schweiger notes that ecologists are already seeing the effects of climate change in wildlife. Many plants and animals are highly sensitive to their environments, so as those environments change, so will their behavior. For example, although sea turtles have been on earth for millenia, rising temperatures in sea water may threaten their populations within a matter of years. Sea turtles are dependent on water temperature to determine the sex of the turtle (“temperature-dependent”), similar to some species of crocodiles, alligators and other turtles. Male sea turtles are born if temperatures are below 86°F, females above 86°F, and anything above 93°F often causes incubation to be fatal. As oceans continue to warm, fewer male sea turtles will be born, or incubations will fail altogether. Schweiger’s wildlife background helps him describe the ways in which discrete changes to parts of the natural environment ripple out to threaten the entire ecosystem, of which humans are a part.  

Last Chance is, more than anything, a rally to action for the American people. Throughout the book, Schweiger gives the reader tips, suggestions, and ideas about taking action on climate change and connecting with nature.  He encourages the use of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to heighten the level of concern for climate change. He also asks every reader to get involved by writing a letter or calling their Senators and President Obama. The heart of his campaign is a grassroots movement from citizens pushing their representatives to follow the science and pass comprehensive climate legislation.

Perhaps most importantly, Schweiger asks the readers to get outside and be a part of our natural world, arguing that we only save what we love. As he affirms, “Time spent in untrammeled nature is vivid, multisensory, and memorable. We are touched in visceral ways with the power and immediacy of our surroundings…” And lastly, Schweiger “urge[s] every parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle to make memories in nature with the children in [their] life. They will scarcely remember watching television with you, but in their heart, they will hold on to the times they spent in the wild with you.”