SUSTAINABILITY,
SOCIAL JUSTICE,
AND
STUDENT AFFAIRS
Andrew M. Wells, M. Ed.
University of Georgia
Dillon E. Kimmel, M. Ed.
University of Delaware
ACPA March 5-8, 2015: Tampa, Florida
SESSION OUTLINE
 Brief introductions
 Review concepts of “Sustainability,” “Just Sustainability,” and
“Environmental Justice”
 Present findings from Andrew’s study grounded in the NEP
 Examples of Environmental Justice in practice around the country
SUSTAINABILITY, JUST SUSTAINABILITY,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
 Sustainability: balancing development activities such that economic
progress accounts for the needs of future generations (World Council
on Environment and Development, 1987).
 “Triple Bottom Line” of people, planet, and profit (Elkington,1999).
 “Unreconstructed Environmentalists” (Agyeman, 2005, pg. 88).
 Environmental justice advocates the radical dismantlement of
systems of power and privilege that contribute to environmental
injustices.
 Just sustainability: Quality of Life, Present & Future Generations,
Justice & Equity, Living within Ecosystem Limits (Agyeman, 2005,
pg. 92)
EXPLORING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES
 Exploratory quantitative study at a public research institution in the
Southeast US
 N = 100
 1. What attitudes related to sustainability do traditional age
undergraduate students hold?
 2. What kinds of experiences prior to matriculation at the university
influence pro-environmental attitudes?
 3. What kinds of experiences as students at the university serve to
promote pro-environmental attitudes?
INSTRUMENT & FINDINGS
 Revised New Ecological Paradigm (Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, &
Jones, 2000)
 Researcher-designed questions
 Mean NEP score for all respondents (M=50.04, SD=8.42, N=99) is
only moderately pro-environmental
 Female respondents’ overall NEP score was higher (M=51.42,
SD=7.65, N=73) than the male students’ mean score (M=46.08,
SD=9.57, N=25); significant at t(96) = 2.822, p = 0.006, η2=.653
 On the researcher-designed questions, female respondents reported
higher rates of pro-environmental experiences prior to college
NEP ITEMS
 We are approaching the limit of the number of people the earth can support.
 Humans have the right to modify the natural environment to suit their needs.
 When humans interfere with nature it often produces disastrous consequences.
 Human ingenuity will insure that we do NOT make the earth unlivable.
 Humans are severely abusing the environment.
 The earth has plenty of natural resources if we just learn how to develop them.
 Plants and animals have as much right as humans to exist.
 The balance of nature is strong enough to cope with the impacts of modern industrial
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nations.
Despite our special abilities humans are still subject to the laws of nature.
The so-called “ecological crisis” facing humankind has been greatly exaggerated.
The earth is like a spaceship with very limited room and resources.
Humans were meant to rule over the rest of nature.
The balance of nature is very delicate and easily upset.
Humans will eventually learn enough about how nature works to be able to control it.
If things continue on their present course, we will soon experience a major ecological
catastrophe.
NEP SCORES
GENDER X NEP
NEXT STEPS FOR RESEARCH
 Current project examining attitudes toward socially responsible
behavior, measure of moral orientation toward ethics of care vs.
justice
 Measurement of NEP attitudes as opposed to other environment-
related issues…like attitudes toward environmental justice,
correlation between attitudes toward social justice and sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN
PRACTICE
1. Campus Designations
2. Connection to the Academic Mission
3. Building Partnerships
4. Peer Education
CAMPUS DESIGNATIONS:
FAIR TRADE CAMPUSES
CONNECTION TO
ACADEMIC MISSION
 Seattle University Environmental Justice and Sustainability
 Connection of the Jesuit tradition and “seeing God in all things” and
environmental justice
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Elon University Sustainability Master Plan & Office of Sustainability
 Formed in 2007 in an effort to create an all-campus commitment to
sustainability
 Partnership with Leadership & Multicultural Office on an Intersect
Conference
Colorado University-Boulder Environmental Center
 Environmental Justice Team seeks opportunities to partner with local
Boulder organizations
 Also coordinates large food drive that seeks to educate Greek Life
community while collecting food
PEER EDUCATION
 Eco-Reps at Seattle University
 Joint training for peer educators at Elon
University
 Climate Justice Leadership Program at
Colorado-Boulder
 Trained on sustainability and social justice
principles
 Each student completes a capstone project that
benefits and educates the campus community
GET-STARTED RESOURCES
 Articles/Books:
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Agyeman, J., Bullard, R. D., & Evans, B. (2003). Just sustainabilities: Development in an unequal world.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
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Breen, S. The mixed political blessing of campus sustainability.
 Documents

Toward a Sustainable Future. 2008 ACPA Monograph on sustainability in student affairs. Includes learning
outcomes.

AAC&U Values Rubrics. Rubric suggestions for skills associated with sustainability and just thinking

Envisioning a Student Affairs Division that Supports Sustainability. Adapted by ACPA President’s
Taskforce on Sustainability
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Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners. A 2010 joint publication of ACPA and
NASPA of which sustainability is a part of three threads.
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Student Learning Outcomes for Sustainability: Assessment Materials Guidebook. Follow-up to the
2008 monograph, Toward a Sustainable Future
SELECTED REFERENCES
 Agyeman, J. (2005). Sustainable communities and the challenge of
environmental justice. New York, NY: New York University Press.
 Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D. , Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E.
(2000). Measuring endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A
revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442.
 Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st
century business. Oxford, United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing
Limited.
 United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Development. (1987). Report to the world commission on environment
and development: Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.