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) 

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Symons identified October’s Superstorm Sandy as a “turning point” in how people are registering climate change in the national political dialogue, and referenced a Zogby poll of voters, taken November 7th, in which it is reported that 65% of voters believe elected officials should take action to mitigate climate change for future generations. But it’s not just voters advocating for legislation and calling attention to climate change and its effects. Symons referenced a new World Bank report, Turn Down the Heat:  Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be Avoided–a call to immediate action to reduce carbon emissions from an institution that has not, historically, “been a leader of environmental consciousness.”

Audience at Symons’s University of Mary Washington presentation earlier this month. Photo credit Julian Keniry, NWF.

So, what can students do, and what role do colleges and universities play in this transition? Symons cited the strong turnout of young voters on November 6th as an important step, and encouraged that bloc to continue to let their legislators know that clean energy is an important issue to them. He discussed student activism around the Keystone XL pipeline, as well as the value in students gaining hands-on sustainability skills in the classroom, and carrying those skills through to the workforce. Symons lauded the leadership of the higher education sector, as campuses, more often than not, are models of sustainability inside and out–prime examples of efficient, low-impact and low-cost operations.

Jeremy Symons’s inspiring presentation was follwed by comments from Scott Sleisinger of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who reinforced the fact that this past election, the power of the people proved stronger than corporate polluter dollars (10 of the “Dirty Dozen” were defeated, and all 18 of the NWF Action Fund-endorsed candidates won their races), a trend Sleisinger says shows the waning power, politically and otherwise, of the fossil fuel industry. However, Sleisinger pointed out that we need to continue to pressure Congress to vote for clean energy, especially about the Production Tax Credit for Renewable Energy.

A closing message from the webinar emphasized setting our sights high–on eliminating carbon pollution for a healthier planet, building and supporting that infrastructure now, for the long-term, rather than continuing to support industries that are only profitable in the short term.

In reference to the title question of this blog, it may be more telling to draw the connection a different way, instead asking, “What effect does campus sustainability have on elections?” Students, faculty, staff and administrators are greening campuses more than ever before, and will continue to demand the same sustainability initiatives and standards in the workforce and in government.

Read about Jeremy Symons’s visit to University of Mary Washington earlier this month, where he helped students connect the dots among Superstorm Sandy, energy and the future.

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