Ryan Chartrand
All around America, people are becoming increasingly aware. Aspects of our lifestyles must change soon if we hope to leave a healthy planet for humanity’s future. Today, the word sustainability is spread over everything as if it was political ketchup. The idea of living lifestyles that are minimally impactful on the planet is slowly becoming a given in public rhetoric and corporate visioning. Sustainability is not a passing fad like some might guess. It is becoming embedded in everyday social processes and our everyday life.
Perhaps the largest constituency of people seeing major policy and operational changes are those in academic communities across the nation. Universities have always been centers of social change, so it makes sense considering our global situation, that they would be among the first very large institutions to begin reversing the damage that humanity has inflicted upon itself. Following is a few descriptions of a few successful and growing campus sustainability programs around the country.
In Cambridge, Mass., Harvard is ahead of the pack with the three-year history of its Green Campus Initiative. Throughout this process facility managers, students and faculty have helped to save the university $800,000 on energy. This boils down to 11 million pounds of greenhouse gas that were diverted from Earth’s atmosphere. Other campus projects include improved recycling programs, clean fuel-powered shuttles, dormitory awareness efforts, and an Environmental Loan Fund, which makes $3 million available for environment-related projects and improvements.
Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio is also a great leader in the business of greening campuses. In 2005, students collaborated to design and build a campus resource use monitoring system with real-time web based feedback on energy consumption. This system has led to a 56 percent energy reduction in the dorms that it was utilized on. They are also creating innovative car sharing programs as well as extremely ramped up recycling. Their center for environmental studies is the home to Ohio’s largest solar array with a total rated production of 159 kilowatts. Sixty percent of the college’s energy is currently supplied by green sources. Work at Oberlin has brought it the Environmental Protection Agency’s People Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant award of $75,000.
Change is happening at home too! The student stewards of Poly’s environmental impact in the Empower Poly Coalition are working to establish permanent programs and projects that will create a greener future for Cal Poly. In 2005, the California State University system’s committee on campus planning, buildings, and grounds passed a policy on Energy Conservation, Sustainable Building Practices and Physical Plant management. This policy included target goals for university-wide energy consumption, clean energy purchasing and production and green building standards. Just as empowered students were continually voicing their support during the passing of the policy, the coalition will now focus its energies on the actual implementation of these campus greening goals on.
Currently, a Green Campus Initiative project is in the works, in which student volunteers will team up with campus facilities management to work on issues of energy audits, alternative campus energy systems, zero waste, and alternative fuels such as biodiesel. Members of the coalition have also been helping to further development of the old Powerhouse building, which will be a permanent center for sustainability awareness and student environmental action on campus.
These examples are just a few of the ever increasing amount of universities whose students, faculty, administrations and campus facilities are collaborating to set strong precedents for green development. The fact that this is happening is evidence that the sustainability is becoming imbedded in our way of life.
Environmentalism is maturing away from its beginnings as a fringe progressive movement and is developing into a new paradigm for all to embrace.
Jesse Churchill is an architecture senior with a minor in sustainable environments. He is also the founder and president of the Empower Poly Coalition of Sustainability clubs.
Source articles:
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4651
http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/10.02/11-envhowto.html