Meghan Ras
English- Sustainability Project
Slide 1: On most college campuses today you hear a lot of buzz about the “Go Green”
movement, what schools are getting active and how they are making a difference.
Another big topic is how we can educate college students on sustainability. In order to
have students practicing Sustainability, they must first understand what it is and how their
ideas can be put into action.
Slide 2: What makes a sustainable campus? Schools all worldwide are getting
progressively involved in making a difference in our world to keep it “green”. There are
many colleges that offer courses in sustainability and majors and minors in
Environmental studies as well.
Slide 3: Berkeley College located in California, has taken numerous steps to becoming a
more sustainable campus. They have improved their situation immensely within the past
few years, as have many other similar colleges. Project GreenPath started by Janelle
Roth, originally started with recycling and added on from there. They signed the
American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which commits the
College to developing a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality. They will be
working to reduce their carbon footprint and “greening” as many systems as possible
(like complying with LEED guidelines).
Slide 4: Another University practicing effective sustainability techniques is St. John’s
University, located in New York City. They have developed a plan for a combined heat
and power generation plant. Taking small steps towards an on campus sustainable
lifestyle has made a huge difference. St. John’s has even hosted recycling events where
hundreds of computer monitors, printers, stereos, televisions and other electronic items
were piled up and loaded onto trucks headed for recycling facilities.
Slide 5: The top 5 most sustainable schools in the world can all still work at becoming
more sustainable. The efforts made by them are recognized and are making a difference,
but at Fredonia we must also be as aware as them of the effect we have on our planets
survival.
The College of the Atlantic has only one major, which is Human ecology (or the study of
our relationship with our environment). It was the first school to pledge carbon neutrality,
which means that the college will avoid, reduce, or offset all greenhouse-gas emissions
generated by campus activities and student travel. Their active study or sustainability, as
well as the ability to act upon their research is so important to the schools progress.
Middlebury College is fighting climate change by joining up with the Climate Summer
Campaign in New Hampshire. This campaigns purpose was to bring out awareness of
possible climate changes, and global warming that we can prevent from occurring.
EARTH University located in Costa Rica is all about promoting sustainable idea
development in the tropics. Students here go through 4 years to earn an agronomy degree.
In this time they learn about balancing ecological preservation and agriculture. They have
in depth plans that are working to “instill an environmental consciousness” in students
(more information is found at http://www.earth.ac.cr/ing/info_programa_uso.php).
The Evergreen State College in Washington State has almost an acre of land dedicated to
an organic farm, which serves as the student’s meal source. They also have a massive
composting program that is in affect, which includes a compost reactor, worm bins, and
food-scrap collection at the residence halls.
And number 5 is Oberlin College. Oberlin is a small liberal arts school found in Ohio.
Last year, students worked with Cleveland-based CityWheels to create a car-sharing
program on campus in order to minimize car usage. They have also transitioned
completely to 100 percent earth-friendly cleaning products.
Many schools are making efforts similar to these colleges, and are trying to make a
difference in some way, because every step counts.
Slide 6: All different types of degrees and courses are available depending on the school
you attend. Some schools are more extensive than others (read off the slide). But I would
say it is pretty obvious that the more schools are academically involved with
sustainability, the more they are going to put those courses and knowledge into action.
People have to be proactive to make things happen, and this means they need to be aware
of the damage we are causing our planet. Let’s work together to stop it!
Slide 7: At Fredonia, every year we are making more of a difference in becoming a
sustainable school. Earth week is a great way to get people aware on campus of the
difference that they can make for our planet, both as individuals and as a whole as well.
Slide 8: Earth Week is only once a year. We must continue to push these efforts
throughout the school year to get people aware and active. There are some great ideas
that have begun but need to be followed through with. For example, I believe that we do
not need trays in the cafeterias. The only purpose they serve is encouraging students to
waste food and plus to eat excessive amounts. If we can eliminate trays, we are already
cutting down on the amount of food that will be ultimately be wasted and thrown away.
Little by little SUNY Fredonia will make changes to becoming a more sustainable
campus. With help and support, more courses will be offered in sustainability. Maybe one
day Fredonia could even offer a major and minor in Environmental Studies, like they’ve
discussed.