University 100 Lesson Outline and Script
Introduction to Environmental Responsibility and Sustainability at RU
Overview of the sessions:
Welcome…
Today we’re focusing on RU’s efforts at taking on more responsibility for addressing environmental
issues facing the community and planet, and discussing ways that your class, the Class of 2014/15
students can support this effort.
10 m. Introduction to sustainability & video/discussion
To get us started, we’d like to show you a video…
SLIDE: Introduction to sustainability
Choose one of the following videos to play:
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Annie Leonard interview with Stephen Colbert (5 m – show the first 2 – 3 m.)
The Story of Bottled Water (8 m – show the first few minutes)
The National Geographic’s Global Warming 101 (3 m)
The Climate Project’s Google Earth Introductory Tour (2 m)
The 1st 2 videos show one important factor in environmental issues – related to our consumption.
The 2nd 2 videos show an overall picture of global warming
What are your reactions to the video?
PI note: Acknowledge the different responses, but be careful about commenting on them unless
you’ve studied the issue. If there are “pros and cons” points offered, make the critical point that these
different views is precisely why higher education, including students, can play a critical role for
helping society find answers.
While there are many different views on the environment and what to do about challenges like this,
an increasing number of people – scientists, theologians, public leaders and citizens – are in
agreement that this issue is one of the most important challenges for our times.
RU believes that we have an obligation to better understand and help address this issue.
So today we want to give you an overview of RU’s efforts in this area, encourage you to learn more
about the issue, and become involved in our efforts to be a leader in creating a healthier environment.
5 m.
Help students reflect on their background with this issue:
SLIDE: Picture a place
Before we talk about what RU is doing, we’d like you to consider for a moment a place or
experience that helped to shape your attitude/feelings toward the environment and nature.
Many say that a big part of the problem is that more and more of us don’t have as much of an
attachment to the land and nature. So just for a moment, get an image of that place or experience in
your mind.
Perhaps you grew up on a farm or in a small town with lots of opportunities to be out of doors. Or
more likely you lived in a city or suburb, but you visited a national park or a national forest. And not
just wild places, but places where people and nature seemed to fit well together. But just picture that
place in your mind. We ask you this because research shows that these experiences when we are
younger, strongly shape our attitudes throughout our whole life.
Take a moment to turn to a person next to you to tell each other about your place or experience
and how that affected you.
Who wants to talk about a place that was important to them? How did that place influence
your attitudes towards the environment today?
SLIDE: Before & After
One of the reasons that environmental issues are becoming more urgent is that for many people…
these places are being changed or destroyed such as in this slide. We’re not saying this change is
necessarily good or bad. Just that when this is happening in more and more places, it adds up,
entailing all sorts of consequences to people, to animals, to the environment.
Have you seen significant changes in the places you just considered?
10 m. Environmental Issues & Sustainability
SLIDE: Environmental Changes
Here are some of the consequences we’re seeing.
You’ve probably heard about many of these, but here are changes in the Earth’s environment that
many find very alarming.
PI: Discuss one or two of these issues, or another environmental issue not on this list, which you are
more concerned about – especially if you have a personal experience with one of these issues. Your
personal connection with an issue could be very effective in engaging students’ interest/concern.
These are causing more people to suggest that protecting the earth’s environment is the critical
challenge for society and higher education.
PI: Allow a few minutes for sharing, but again, if students disagree with one another, don’t let them
drag the conversation into an argument. The big picture is that there is agreement on these
changes, but lots of disagreement on what we should do to address them. Our job at RU is help
understand our options and do what we can to be a part of the solution.
Have any of you heard or seen anything particularly interesting related to any of these issues?
While most people don’t dispute these issues, there’s lots of disagreement on what to do about them.
SLIDE: Two types of environmental responsibility
This slide shows why it makes a difference to learn about the issue – what an RU education should
help us do.
PI: This slide shows two people, each trying to be environmentally responsible, but with dramatically
different environmental impacts related to consumption and waste.
Sustainability:
RU has made a commitment to leadership on sustainability, so let’s talk about this term
“sustainability” for a moment.
SLIDE: Sustainable Development
There are many definitions and controversies surrounding the term, but sustainability refers to the
obligation to meet the needs of our generation without depriving future generations of the opportunity
to meet their own needs.
SLIDE: Sustainability
This means not just our children and their children, but the children and grandchildren of those in
other less developed countries as well. Radford University and many others are concerned that we
will not leave our children and grandchildren with the same opportunities as we’ve had.
Our consumption – one dimension of sustainability
Okay, this is the big picture. So let’s bring this down to something more immediate and direct – what
we consume/use and how we dispose of those goods.
We showed you a video at the beginning of the class (e.g. Colbert said he didn’t care where things
went when we disposed of them), and now we want to discuss the “stuff” we use and consume at RU,
and how we dispose of it, as well as other work that RU is doing for sustainability.
10 m. Sustainability at RU: what’s RU doing (or not doing)?
SLIDES: Why Higher Education?
Higher Education is an appropriate place to engage in discussions about sustainability because of the
large amount of on education and business practices. Higher Education institutions should be
thought-provoking and leaders in the community and developing tomorrow’s leaders.
SLIDES: RU’s SustainABILITY Commitment Statement
Here is RU’s SustainABILITY Commitment Statement; this is the guiding statement to move RU and
others forward.
SLIDES: Administration
RU’s commitment is evidenced by President Kyle signing the Presidents Climate Commitment. This
commitment, joins RU with over 700 other colleges and universities that are committed to becoming
carbon neutral (no greenhouse gases) at some point in the future.
Do you know what’s included in calculating your carbon footprint?
How many miles you drive, how much energy you use, how much trash you throw away, & more
Do you know how to reduce your carbon footprint?
You can start by walking, biking, carpooling or you can set your computer’s energy management
settings, reduce your printing, shut off the lights. You can also create less trash and recycle,
compost, or donate other items.
SLIDES: Buildings, Energy, & Water
Here is a list of some of the things that RU is doing to be more sustainable. They include conserving
energy and water, using more environmentally-friendly cleaners, buying more energy-efficient
appliances, using less paper, and building better buildings.
SLIDES: Energy & Water
Here are some ways that you can help RU. If you see lights on or water running when no one is
around, turn them off. If you have an issue that you’re not sure what to do, contact your RA or put in
a fix it request. And if it’s an emergency, call RU Police to let them know.
SLIDES: Dining Services
Dining on campus has become more sustainable as well. By having trayless dining halls, RU saves
energy and costs related to hot water, dishwashing chemicals, and less food wastes. You can find
vegetarian and gluten-free options and even save money by using certain reusable drink containers.
SLIDES: Waste Minimization
When looking at trash and recycling, reducing how much you throw away should be the 1st priority.
By throwing less away, less greenhouse gases are emitted from the landfill.
SLIDES: Recycling
Recycling is available in every building on campus. It primarily includes mixed paper, containers, &
cardboard but the university also recycles many other items like batteries (library), vegetable oil from
the Dining Halls, and much more. If you’re not sure what you can recycle, ask your RA or contact
the recycling department to find out. You can even help out during the RecycleMania competition
that starts in January or the Y-Toss? donation event during May move out.
SLIDES: Recycling Guidelines
Here are the recycling guidelines that are posted in the residence halls and are located on the
recycling website. Mixed paper includes just about any kind of paper including staples, paper clips
but no food wastes. The containers include aluminum, glass, and #1 & #2 plastic bottles. It doesn’t
even matter if you include the lid or not but do try to empty them so they don’t leak. Cardboard
includes boxes but don’t include any plastic or Styrofoam and be sure to flatten the boxes when you
put them in the recycling area.
SLIDES: Transportation
RU is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by using electric vehicles, biodiesel, and providing the
tartan transit. Even the lawn mowers going across campus use biodiesel.
SLIDES: Student Involvement
There are many ways for students to get involved during the academic year. There are numerous
events on campus including Campus SustainABILITY Day, Campus Conservation Nationals (an
energy & water competition among residence halls), RecycleMania, Earth Day celebrations, & more.
You can even apply as a work study to help with recycling or incorporate your interests into your
classes.
SLIDES: Reactions?
Of all the things that you see and hear RU is doing to be a more sustainable campus, what else
can they do? What would you like to see done here on campus?
5 m.
Call to Action
Show the Lost Video
Lost Video (2m)
SLIDES: Simple Tips
Many of you may already be doing a lot of the tips but more can be done. As your look at this list,
what can you do in the next week, next month, or next year to keep moving forward?
SLIDES: Earth Picture
Ask students to think about the next time they: turn on equipment, flip a light switch, leave a
computer on, throw something away to think about the: mountain top that is being removed to get
more coal or the growing landfill to throw trash away and remind them that:
They have the ABILITY! (& responsibility) to make a difference.
PI: Reporting out and discussion
-If you have any questions that you’re not sure about, you can contact the sustainABILITY OFFICE
at x7206, look at the website (www.radford.edu/rugreen) or send an email to: rugreen@radford.edu
-Feel free to send comments, ideas, or connections between student views/interests and
existing/planned RU programs
Resources:
RU SustainABILITY website: www.radford.edu/rugreen
RU Recycling website: http://www.radford.edu/fac-man/recycle.html
US EPA Back to Basics Frequently Asked Questions about Global Warming & Climate Change (2009)
Worldwatch Institute Climate Change Reference Guide (2009)
What is Education For? in Earth in Mind, by David Orr (1994)
US EPA Fact Sheets
Climate Change Science Facts (2010)
Climate Change and Ecosystems (2010)
Climate Change and Health Effects (2010)
Climate Change and Society (2010)