Page 35 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

ways to reduce energy use, and agitating for new courses or
majors in environmental science or environmental studies.
We tend to think of colleges and universities as enlight-
ened and progressive institutions that benefit society. This
may be true, but colleges and universities are also centers of
lavish resource consumption. Institutions of higher educa-
tion feature extensive infrastructure including classrooms,
offices, research labs, residential housing, dining establish-
ments, sports arenas, vehicle fleets, and road networks. The
4500 campuses in the United States interact with thousands of
businesses and spend $400 billion each year on products and
services. The ecological footprint of a typical college or uni-
versity is substantial, and together these institutions generate
perhaps 2% of U.S. carbon emissions.
Reducing the size of this footprint is challenging.
FIGURE 1.14 We can develop clean and renewable energy Colleges and universities tend to be bastions of tradition,
sources for our sustainable use. Just as a flowering plant gathers where institutional habits are deeply ingrained and where
energy from the sun, rooftop panels like these harness solar energy. bureaucratic inertia can block the best intentions for posi-
tive change. Nonetheless, faculty, staff, administrators,
and students are progressing on a variety of fronts to make
the operations of educational institutions more sustainable
(FIGURE 1.15).
Sustainable solutions abound Students are often the ones who initiate change, although
support from faculty, staff, and administrators is crucial for
Humanity’s challenge is to develop solutions that enhance our success. Students often feel freest to express themselves. Stu-
quality of life while protecting and restoring the environment dents also arrive on campus with new ideas and perspectives,
that supports us. Fortunately, many workable solutions are at and they generally are less attached to traditional ways of
hand. For instance: doing things.

• Renewable energy sources (Chapters 20 and 21) are be-
ing developed to replace fossil fuels (FIGURE 1.14), and
energy-efficiency efforts are gaining ground. Campus sustainability efforts are diverse
• In response to agricultural impacts, scientists and others Students are advancing sustainability efforts on their cam-
have developed and promoted soil conservation, high- puses by promoting efficient transportation options, running
efficiency irrigation, and organic agriculture (Chapters 9 recycling programs, planting trees and restoring native plants,
and 10). growing organic gardens, and fostering sustainable dining
• Laws and new technologies have reduced the pollution halls. They are working with faculty and administrators to
emitted by industry and automobiles in wealthier coun- improve energy efficiency and water conservation in campus
tries (Chapters 15–17). buildings and to ensure that new buildings meet certification
guidelines for sustainable construction. To help address global
• Conservation biologists are helping to protect habitat and climate change, students are urging their institutions to reduce
safeguard endangered species (Chapter 11).
greenhouse gas emissions and to use and invest in renewable
• Recycling is helping us conserve resources and alleviate energy.
waste disposal problems (Chapter 22). In response, nearly 700 university presidents have signed
• Governments, businesses, and individuals are taking steps onto the American College and University Presidents’ Climate
to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that drive Commitment: a public pledge to inventory emissions, set tar-
climate change (Chapter 18). get dates and milestones for becoming carbon-neutral, take
immediate steps to lower emissions, and integrate sustainabil-
These are a few of the many efforts we will examine while ity into the curriculum.
exploring sustainable solutions in the course of this book. Students who take the initiative to promote sustainable
practices on their campuses accomplish several things at once:
Students are promoting solutions • Students can truly make a difference by reducing the eco-
on campus logical footprint of a campus. The consumptive impact of
educating, feeding, and housing hundreds or thousands
As a college student, you can help to design and implement sus- of students is immense, so considerable opportunity
tainable solutions on your own campus. Proponents of campus exists for reducing the waste of resources.
sustainability seek ways to help colleges and universities • Students who act to advance campus sustainability can
reduce their ecological footprints. Student-run organizations serve as models for their peers, helping to make them
34 often play a key role in initiating recycling programs, finding aware that they, too, can address problems.

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