Why higher education leadership for the environment in Virginia is important

“NWF started the Campus Ecology Program back in 1989, Mr. Lyon explained, because NWF knew higher education needs to lead the solutions to the conservation and wildlife challenges we are facing and to ensure that the graduates of today are prepared to lead the solutions of tomorrow.”

Colleges and universities, he explained, are places where people from all walks of life expect to see solutions demonstrated in practice, whether wind turbines, solar panels or electric recharge stations. Hands-on conservation and sustainability go hand-in-hand with the curriculum.

Campuses, clean economy and healthy wildlife connections in Virginia

“It is no longer business as usual for protecting wildlife, explained Lyon. We can’t simply set aside land and water, or regulate for clean air and clean water, although all of that is critical. We also have to look upstream to the impacts on wildlife and habitats- and there we can see that it is our building choices, our energy choices, our transportation choices and all of those need to be overhauled for a clean, safe, 21st Century.”

Reducing carbon pollution to zero within the lifetimes of Virginia college students today

“The challenge to society is to reduce carbon pollution to nearly zero before 2050, or within the lifetimes of most college students today,” Lyon explained. “This means that we are not talking here about being trained to recycle aluminum cans, although that is certainly a part of the solution. We are talking here about a much larger shift- educating students to scale solutions to the scope of the problem.”

“While this can be a daunting challenge,” admitted Jim, “it is the conservation fight of a lifetime.  The fact is 99% of scientists overwhelming agree human reliance on fossil fuels is destabilizing the climate. Is this the legacy we want to leave our children or even the current generations of students today?”

How Virginia colleges and other universities are leading

Jim highlighted several examples of higher education leadership in Virginia, including:

• Dabney S. Lancaster Community College’s Wind Turbine Service Technology program prepares individuals for career entry and advancement opportunities in the advanced technology applications of wind energy technologies.
• Randolph College has an organic garden & orchard, an extensive recycling center that accepts CFLs, electronics, CDs, DVDs, in addition to glass, plastic, aluminum and cardboard. Through NWF’s partner, the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), Randolph has commitment to reduce the campus’s carbon footprint through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other strategies.
• George Mason University’s (GMU) Board of Visitors, in 2007, pledged that the university would build all new construction to a higher environmental standard, specifically, LEED Silver certification level. In addition to two certified National Wildlife Habitats, GMU has purchases 10% of its annual electricity through wind powered Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), avoiding over 17 million pounds of CO2 emissions, which is like taking almost 1,500 cars off the road for a year or like powering 963 homes for a year!
• Northern Virginia Community College is committed to green building. NVCC’s newly-opened Student Services Building on the Annandale campus recently received their LEED certification award (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design); the student services building is the first LEED Certified building at NVCC. More of NVCC’s campuses will feature LEED buildings soon – Manassas, Woodbridge campuses, etc.
• Thomas Nelson Community College installed two solar panels to power the lights, ventilation and battery chargers for its motorcycle storage containers used for the campus’s motorcycle safety courses) that are located adjacent to a campus parking lot.

Virginia students gain some greener career insights

These kinds of programs help students prepare for a growing array of greener career opportunities throughout Virginia, he noted.  Drawing on labor market studies developed through the Greenforce Initiative (a partnership with Jobs for the Future and National Wildlife Federation sponsored by the Bank of America Charitable Trust at 100 community colleges in six states), Lyon highlighted some of the Virginia specific job trends of relevance to students.

For example, some of the top green jobs by category in Virginia, include pollution reduction, removal & remediation (with 3402 postings), energy efficiency (with 2148 postings), and natural resource conservation (with 1859 postings). Among the top 10 green skills in Virginia, Lyon explained, are scheduling, HVAC, and inspection, while the leading green certifications in Virginia, include professional engineers, certified safety professionals and certified energy managers.

“We’ll need solar financers, project managers and installers and an array of other renewable energy technologies in Virginia,” explained Lyon, including offshore wind. We’ll also need people skilled in climate mitigation and adaptation,  restoring habitat and protecting biodiversity for people and wildlife.”

***

The ideology of “sustainable dining” is a fairly new concept on campuses. While students and universities have been focusing on energy efficiency and policy, of course important issues, there has been another looming shift in our country where people are beginning to focus on their food and what their body intakes. We’re not just talking calorie counting, but examining what farmers and food processors put in the things we eat. In the light of this shift, students are demanding their school dining services think about these things as well. Additionally, how far food travels is a considering factor. Reducing the carbon footprint of your campus includes decreasing the distance your food is travelling from “Farm to Table”. Basically, buying local, naturally grown produce and naturally fed meat is important for the sustainability of human health and the health of our planet.  And of course, in a still largely agricultural state like Georgia, opportunities for this should not be hard to find.

Friday’s workshop began with a keynote from K. Rashid Nuri, founder of Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture. Truly Living Well is an organization with two community gardens in Metro Atlanta’s urban neighborhoods. However, they do much more than gardening. TLW has a number of programs educating Atlanta and the state community on urban agriculture. Nuri came and gave a very inspirational speech on his background, starting Truly Living Well and his opinions on urban farming. We were reminded of why we were there and why this work is so important.

Jett Hatthaway’s lunch time presentation on Kennesaw State Students for Environmental Sustainability’s new student run farmer’s market

Campus Ecology’s Southeast Campus Field Coordinator, Eriqah Foreman-Williams, holding two new friends at Hunter Cattle Farm in Brooklet, GA

“It was very inspiring to see others who are breaking new ground in the ‘good food’ movement. It was such a pleasure to hear stories about the creative work colleges and universities are doing across the state, in the area of sustainable food. Momentum for this movement is growing, and it’s very exciting!”

I believe this was the necessary guidance needed to drive sustainable food initiatives forward on Georgia university campuses. In the next year, my plan is to organize strategic planning meetings with students, administrators, and university dining staff together to brainstorm how to tailor this new venture to their individual campuses.

A student at St Clair County Community College scans a QR code with her smartphone to learn more about a campus green feature. Image credit St Clair County Community College.

Campus sustainability (read:  campus efficiency projects) today is frequently driven by facilities departments, who see the cost savings from use of long-lasting CFL bulbs or double-paned windows, but, Newport and Antle say, economic benefits can’t be the main force behind sustainability. Eventually we’re going to have to figure out how to tap into the “moral imperative,” based on the concept that everything is part of the puzzle.

Climate change is, obviously, not an easy concept to grapple with for students and the general public alike, and in the face of increasing extreme weather and political inaction on mitigation and adaptation, it’s easy to feel like this problem is too big to solve. But, Newport and Antle agree, this is where colleges and universities, especially community colleges, come into play, bringing together stakeholders and making immediate and positive impacts on the local level. Campus sustainability efforts provide a rare opportunity for relatively instant gratification in the realm of action to address causes and effects of climate change; colleges and universities are generally willing and able to move much more quickly to cut carbon emissions, operate more efficiently and transition to clean energy, than, for instance, the government.

Newport argues, however, that with all the good they are doing, institutions of higher education can operate with even greater transparency, and with greater self-awareness of their environmental impact. Somewhat surprisingly, Newport suggests multinational corporations as models. The general market trend has been toward increased, consumer-demanded corporate social responsibility–better labeling, workers’ rights, agricultural practices, etc. Newport touched briefly on the current student-driven movement to divest from fossil fuels (which now includes cities, churches, 210+ campuses and at least one or two senators) as a good start. I’ll add that the 665 signatories of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which requires emissions inventories and a solid plan for achieving carbon neutrality are not too shabby in the transparency department either.

So to address the title of the webinar, the future of campus sustainability will be well-integrated, all-inclusive and very transparent. Students, faculty, staff and administrators will all be part of not only the discussion but also helping to create the solutions for living lightly on a strained planet.

What do you think the future holds for sustainability on your campus? Solar-powered hovercraft? 100% self-sufficiency for energy, and something close to that for food? What are you doing to propel your campus toward Sustainability 2.o? Leave a comment and let us know!

Related Reading:

• Climate Literacy in a Time of Climate Silence, previous post by yours truly
• Campus Environment 2008:  A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education, NWF Campus Ecology resource
• Campus Sustainability Case Study Database, a 23-year collection of reports on green projects at colleges and universities across the world (search “environmental education” to find out how students are engaging peers in sustainability, as referenced above) 

Like Campus Ecology on facebook and follow @CampusEcology and @YouthforClimate on twitter

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Watch other campuses’ videos and see what they did to energize students.

Overall Campus Conservation Nationals saved 1,739,046 kWh of electricity and $157,925, equivalent to taking 151 US homes off the grid for year!  Not to mention the 1,554,814 gallons of water, equaling 10,365 shower hours!

Keep up to date with CCN and learn more about getting involved in next year’s competition.

New Student Guide Offers Steps for Peer to Peer Campus Sustainability Training

March 30 – NWF and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) have released a new step-by-step guide to creating student peer-to-peer sustainability education programs—often known as “Eco-Rep” programs—on college campuses. Authored by Champlain College Sustainability Director Christina Erickson, “Student Sustainability Educators: A Guide to Creating and Maintaining an Eco-Rep Program on Your Campus” takes readers through the design, implementation and evaluation stages of an Eco-Rep program.

House Attacks on Wildlife, Air and Water Wouldn’t Close Budget Gap

March 29 – The U.S. House of Representatives today is expected to pass the budget plan written by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). A National Wildlife Federation analysis shows the plan would gut investments in natural resources that already make up only a tiny fraction of federal spending.

“The vast majority of Americans believe the federal government has a fundamental responsibility to help ensure that our air is clean, our water is safe to drink and our treasured National Parks, refuges and other public lands are protected for this and future generations,” said Josh Saks, legislative director of the National Wildlife Federation.

EPA Proposes Historic Limits to Industrial Carbon Pollution

March 27 – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever national carbon pollution limits for new power plant smokestacks. These long-awaited new air pollution standards are essential for reining in the climate change-causing carbon pollution that is increasingly endangering the nation’s public health and wildlife.  The new air pollution standards are the result of a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that found carbon dioxide and other air pollution from cars, power plants, and other sources is subject to the Clean Air Act. Despite that ruling and a subsequent 2011 Supreme Court ruling reinforcing the decision, it is expected that a number of big polluting utilities and coal interests will fight the standard.

Warming Winters Threaten America’s Outdoor Traditions

March 27 – Near-record warmth in the winter of 2011-2012 left both wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts scrambling to adapt – and it’s just a preview of what’s to come in a warming world, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation. On Thin Ice: Warming Winters Put America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage at Risk tells the stories of how 2011-2012’s warm winter impacted hunters and anglers across America and details the steps we need to take now to protect those traditions for future generations.

Hill Ads Praise 76 Senators for Passing Gulf Restoration Amendment

March 27 – Capitol newspapers will run full-page color ads this week by six Gulf restoration advocacy groups thanking the 76 Senators who approved legislation to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the parties responsible for the Gulf oil spill to restoring the Gulf.

The ad copy says:

“On behalf of our members nationwide, we thank the 76 Senate leaders who voted in favor of restoring the ecosystems and economies of the Gulf region by passing the RESTORE Act as an amendment to the transportation bill.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• Politico: EPA hits greenhouse gas emissions from power plants
• Bloomberg: EPA Introduces First Greenhouse-Gas Limits for Power Plants
• The Los Angeles Times: Hunters, anglers report warming winters bad for wildlife
• Erie Times-News: Report examines effect of warmer winters on outdoor economy in Pa., other states
  
• Public News Service (NM): Warming Winters Hurt New Mexico Wildlife
• Public News Service (CO): Carbon Pollution Puts CO “On Thin Ice”
• The Times Picayune: Photos document BP oil still contaminates “cleaned” Louisiana marshes, state officials say
• Michigan Live: U.S. Coast Guard adopts ballast water standards to combat invasive species

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

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

The Greenforce Initiative, a partnership of Jobs for the Future and National Wildlife Federation, sponsored the event, and hosted a workshop on linking campus sustainability to green career pathways. The Greenforce Initiative seeks to advance green career pathways, geared toward lower-skilled adults, and helps make the connection between on-campus sustainability efforts as hands-on training opportunities for students.

While the Greenforce Initiative partners with ten community colleges in Virginia, during the workshop “Linking Campus Sustainability to Hands-On Training,” we highlighted three.

Germanna Community College new LEED building

Germanna Community College highlighted their new LEED Silver building (at their Fredericksburg campus); students will be giving tours of the buildings to educate the community on the green features (including rainwater harvesting, passive solar, etc.). 

Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave featured their sustainable and edible landscaping program engaging local farmers as well as students interested in starting new businesses in the landscaping industry.

Thomas Nelson Community College solar installation

Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton Roads spotlighted their new solar installation project for their motorcycle storage containers. Thomas Nelson students helped design and build the solar panel installation (two panels) that will be placed on the top of two containers that store all equipment, including motorcycles, for their motorcycle safety courses. The panels will power lights as well as a ventilation system.

Other colleges and groups featured are developing green programs as well:
- Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) is hosting three renewable energy showcases this spring featuring consumer information on various aspects including geothermal systems, photovoltaic systems, solar water and space heating systems, and residential wind turbine systems. Showcases will be on April 8, 14 and 21. Learn more about this opportunity.

- The Virginia Weatherization Training Center provides training and certification in both weatherization and residential practices at their 14 partner campuses across Virginia. Course offerings include, but are not limited to, air conditioning & heating pump professional, energy auditor, Lead Safe Weatherization Training, and Energy Star Inspection and Procedures. Learn more about the Center.

Learn more about the Greenforce Initiative in Virginia and our community college partners.

Davidson College in North Carolina recently hosted its 8th annual Green Ball to raise money for the Davidson

Davidon College - Credit: Environmental Action Coalition

Lands Conservancy (DLC). The Green Ball is a Davidson tradition, combining contra dance, local food and an auction to raise money for the Conservancy. The DLC is a land-trust organization that works to protect land in and around Davidson, and last year it received $2,300 from 125 participants in the Green Ball. The Green Ball ties Davidson students to their community as the campus Environmental Action Coalition works with local businesses and charities to improve the regional environment, and ties Davidson (both town and college) to the globe by situating the activism of the Green Ball as a conscious attempt to counter worldwide climate change by guarding green spaces in the community.  Learn more about this effort.

In an ongoing project that applies service-learning teaching

Delgado Community College - Credit: Angela Lorenzo

methods to the Horticulture program classes at Delgado Community College, students work to restore the coastal barrier islands suffering from coastal erosion and the effects of 2010’s B.P. oil spill. Using the Delgado City Park Campus Greenhouse, Horticulture students propagate native coastal sand dune plants, which are then re-planted along coastal habitats of Southeast Louisiana by students and community volunteers. Students learn effective propagation methods and care of these native plants, a necessity for land-building and wetlands stability; filtering pollutants from watersheds; and providing habitat for local animal and plant life. Learn more about this effort.

The University of South Florida preserved an area of approximately one square mile comprising a variety of habitats including extensive wetlands(mostly cypress swamp) and the only

University of South Florida - credit: Anne C. Schmidt

large, intact piece of Florida sandhill habitat within 50 miles (sandhills are open dry savanna-like habitats, usually with an open overstory of longleaf pine).  An estimated 400 gopher tortoises  – a species currently listed as of special concern in Florida and being studied for federal listing – inhabit this sandhill area; Eastern indigo snakes  – a federally endangered species – occur in the area but are quite rare. At least 404 plant species are present in the preserved area, including nine listed as endangered, threatened or commercially exploited in Florida, and four known to grow nowhere else in Hillsborough County.  Learn more about this effort.

Colleges and universities across the country struggle with issues related to campus transportation, from bus fleets to

Appalachian State University

parking spaces. Now campuses are stepping up their efforts to tackle some of these challenges in a sustainable way.

Appalachian State University (NC) is implementing an alternative transportation system, with a goal of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The new system has successfully reduced the number of vehicles on campus by offering various modes of alternative transportation such as car-sharing, ride-sharing, increased bicycle accessibility and an improved public bus system. Learn more about this project.

University of Chicago, credit Tom McGrath

Launched in Fall 2009, the University of Chicago’s bike share program, “recycles,” provides bikes for students, faculty and staff to borrow for a day free of charge. Recycles has multiple benefits including decreasing waste and pollution, improving the landscape, encouraging healthy living and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of single-occupancy vehicles. Managed by UC’s Office of Sustainability, recycles partners with a local nonprofit, Blackstone Bicycle Works, which provides refurbished bikes for their low-tech program. Within the first year, recycles had nearly 1,000 registered users and currently boasts an average of over 100 bike rentals each week. Learn more about this project.

University of Mass Amherst, credit Sarah Zuraw

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is studying the feasibility of converting the buses of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus system, the main public transportation system in the area surrounding the University, to biodiesel. The study will help determine the availability of biodiesel fuel in the Pioneer Valley, as well as the costs that would be involved in converting the buses. Learn more about this project.

Campuses nationwide are making great strides to green their operations and curricula, but one green topic seems to be especially popular for 2011 – campus gardens. Colleges and universities are planting gardens on campus for a few reasons: they provide experiential learning opportunities for agriculture students, a source of local food for dining halls, and green space for the campus and wider community. Several campuses were featured in the 2011 case study database for their campus garden projects, a few highlights include:

Dominican University - Kristen Peterson

• Dominican University (IL) In May 2011, a community garden was launched, engaging volunteer faculty, staff, and students, along with members from the community and children from the campus daycare facility. The garden is an ongoing educational and recreational project blooming before its volunteer’s eyes. It is watered each morning, and shift leaders take a day or two each week to teach others about gardening.  Organic gardening methods are used (compost, in the form of coffee grounds, eggshells and other leftovers, is collected from staff lounges weekly and dispersed around the garden as needed.  As produce ripens, volunteers can take whatever they will use. The remainder is brought weekly to the local food pantry.  Learn more about this project.

• George Mason University (VA) The Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden was introduced in April 2009 with the help of George Mason’s Office of Sustainability. A student club, the GMU Organic Garden Association, oversees the garden and is responsible for outreach and education as well as coordinating volunteer efforts. Mason Dining Executive Chef Peter Schoebel and Auxiliary Enterprises and Campus Retail Operations Executive Director Mark Kraner worked together to arrange vegetables grown at the garden to be sold to Southside, a central dining facility at Mason’s Fairfax campus. Learn more about this project.

University of Minnesota Morris Alumni Relations

• The University of Minnesota Morris has partnered with local businesses, student groups and representatives of Native American nations to establish a garden adjacent to the campus to honor the knowledge and  cultural practices of traditional Native American farming. The garden provides access to fresh, organically-grown traditional fruits and vegetables on campus. The garden was tilled and planted this summer and the fruits and vegetables are being harvested this fall. Learn more about this project.

University of Texas at Austin - Daniella Lewis

• The University of Texas at Austin Concho Community Garden, the first of its kind on campus, provides students and staff with the opportunity to garden, learn and share knowledge about food production, pursue sustainability-minded projects and participate in free classes and events. Food at the garden is grown for individual consumption, for use in UT’s dining halls, for donation and, organizers hope, eventually to supply an on-campus garden stand.  Learn more about this project.