It is one thing to be transparent about one’s environmental impacts, mistakes, and successes. It is yet another to set a commitment to doing better and saying one will implement new sustainable measures. The biggest thing of all to combine these two things and act now. We need to see real-time action from universities in their policies and plans on campuses.
How can universities ACT on their commitment?
DIVESTING FROM FOSSIL FUELS
Fossil fuels have led environmental degradation trends since the Industrial Revolution took the world by storm. Now, with so many responsible and renewable energy sources, fossil fuel usage needs to be minimized, and major investors like global universities need to be held accountable for divesting. Many universities are afraid to do this. Unity College led the way by being the first college in the US to divest from fossil fuels in 2012, and they have recorded no losses in returns since divesting. In fact, they have often seen gains in their portfolio.
Harvard University, one of the United States' leading universities, just announced their decision to divest from fossil fuels.
As one of the United States’ leading higher education institutions, Harvard University’s move to divest from fossil fuels creates enormous influence over other North American colleges to do the same. The university has the country’s highest academic endowment at a whopping $41.6 billion, and though their recent investments into the industry only stood at 2%, this action will result in almost half a billion dollars being redirected towards more worthy efforts. Local activists consider this a major win, as the college claimed in 2013 that they would never divest.
OTHER UNIVERSITIES WHO DIVESTED
COMMIT TO NET ZERO EMISSIONS
The switch to renewable energy is key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions at universities. It is important to look at where the quickest switches can be made now, and where the groundwork can be laid for long-term plans. Net zero emissions is the prime way in which we can stop global warming from damaging the world we know beyond repair.
Brown University has committed to reducing 75% of emissions by 2025 and reaching Net Zero by 2040.
1. They have created the Transition to Renewable Energy for Electricity and Longer-Term Sustainability Study Committee to determine how best to achieve sustainability that will last for decades to come.
2. Knowing that Net Zero also applies to investment in fossil fuels, Brown launched the Climate Change and Business and Investment Practices Task Force.
3. They created a final committee: Brown’s Committee on Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions. BCIGGE serves to assess the indirect effects of Brown’s purchasing decisions.
SWITCH TO RENEWABLE ENERGY
Switching to 100% renewable energy is key in achieving net zero emissions, especially as it pertains to those related to fossil fuel usage. It pays for itself by generating free energy and quickly offsets the initial cost of installation. Additionally, solar power in particular allows for backup energy in the case of emergencies. Read more about the benefits of renewable energy to colleges and universities.
TOP UNIVERSITY SUCCESS STORIES
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C., USA
130% of energy needs generated through on-campus renewable energy sources
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
New York, USA
125% of energy needs generated through on-campus renewable energy sources
Emerson College
Massachusetts, USA
123% of energy needs generated through on-campus renewable energy sources
ENVIRONMENTAL CURRICULUM FOR ALL
Spreading the message, philosophy, and practices of sustainability to the most people possible is of the utmost importance. Implementing sustainability across all sectors is the key to securing a greener future. By planting the seed with students who are learning how to work in all of these sectors, we will make the most change.
A course on sustainability, either existing or to be created, needs to be implemented in the General Education curriculum at universities across the world. Multiple courses must be offered to meet this requirement, and they must include content that addresses the interconnected play between the following factors: climate change, sustainability, social change, economic development, gender, science, and international relations.
Dickinson College requires all students to fulfill a Sustainability Requirement.
At Dickinson, there are over 100 courses that meet this requirement, and they each must address the three key dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. This perfectly allows students to increase their knowledge on sustainable practices, how they can better serve disproportionately affected communities, and how these factors can be applied to their work upon graduation. At the end of the first semester in which this requirement was implemented, 88% of students were taking at least two courses that fulfilled this requirement, and 54% took four or more. This means that students want to learn more about how to protect the environment for both its intrinsic and extrinsic value.
University of Connecticut also requires Undergraduates to meet a Sustainability Requirement.
One of the main influences to the University of Connecticut reaching platinum status in their STARS report in 2020 was the introduction of an Environmental Literacy General Education Requirement. Professors and students were the catalysts of the approval process. Students had an integral role in petitioning, attending board meetings, and presenting research to ensure they were met with positive results. Professors and other staff involved agree that the environment is one of the major issues students today are passionate about, and colleges are the perfect place to begin the groundwork. Additionally, this requirement encompasses all branches of study that students may be interested in, not just science. This allows students to be fully engaged and in control of their learning.
California State University, Northridge offers sustainability courses for students to take to satisfy general education requirements.
Sustainability courses are offered in the following disciplines: Physical Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Lifelong Learning. The available courses can be found here.
DINING
So much waste comes from university dining. 22 million pounds of food go to waste on college campuses across the US each year, yet 25% of students still face food insecurity. About 6,000 tons of waste went into the landfill at the hand of USC’s campus in California in 2017.
Does your university have the following implemented in on-campus dining?
REUSABLE CONTAINERS
Reusable containers can save thousands of pounds of waste from landfills each month alone. Take Northwestern University: during their first quarter of implementation, almost 4,000 pounds of food waste were saved. Having initially invested in 10,000 containers, there was almost $40,000 in estimated annual savings in the first year.
COMPOSTING
Throughout the main parts of campus, there should always be a composting bin next to every trash and recycling bin. There should be appropriate signage to dictate what can or cannot be recycled according to local standards (e.g., food, compostable plates, compostable silverware).
FOOD WASTE TO ENERGY
Food scraps from cross-campus composting bins can be utilized by local anaerobic digesters, which in turn transform the food scraps into energy via turbines. This energy can go back into the school. Leftover scraps can be turned into compost, which can be used on campus or sold to nearby businesses. Any money made from this can go to supporting campus sustainability initiatives.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has one of two university anaerobic digesters in the country.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo utilizes their 6,000 acres of agricultural land with a corresponding 265,000 cubic feet of manure, 300 tons of annual food waste, and other biomass generated on campus as feed stock for their anaerobic digester. This significantly reduces the greenhouse gas emissions associated with these waste products and also allows them a second life in the form of energy. The digester converts the feed stock to energy such as heat or natural gas, which is then sold back to local farmers and used to power campus.
Colorado State University has established a Food Recovery Program to reduce food waste.
“Rams Against Hunger” includes an opt-in text program called Ram Food Recovery which notifies students, faculty, and staff when there is leftover food at any catered events on campus. Not only does this reduce food waste, but it also aids those in the community that are experiencing food insecurity.
HOUSING
The home is where the heart is, and it is where lots of sustainable change can be made. When it comes to university housing, this can happen both on an individual level and by implementing systematic environmental programs.
Does your university have the following in its on-campus housing?
- Motion-activated lights in every hallway and bathroom
- Composting bins available to every student
- Recycling bins
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- In every dorm room/apartment
- On every floor
- In every community center
- In every outdoor space
- Next to every dumpster?
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- Water bottle refill stations
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- On every floor
- In every community center
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One-time and recurring events can result in a lot of waste. Setting standards for a college’s events and getting “green event certified” signals a commitment to becoming zero waste.
What does it take for an event to be sustainable?
- Transportation: carpool/virtual options,carbon offsets
- Catering: local, fair-trade, vegan/vegetarian, compostable silver/diningware
- Energy efficiency (e.g., equipment and lighting)
- Waste minimization and diversion
OFFER FULL DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SUSTAINABILITY
University students interested in sustainability should have the opportunity to pursue a degree in sustainability, whether it be an undergraduate or graduate degree. Universities should be working, if they have not already, on establishing full sustainability programs and seeking out qualified faculty for their programs. These programs also should not be one dimensional and offer education in a variety of topics related to sustainability for students to cater their education around.
California State University, Northridge offers a Masters in Sustainability.
CSUN now offers a masters in Sustainability starting Fall 2022, with students having the opportunity to choose a concentration in either Environmental Science, Water Resources, and Technology, Community Well-being and Social Justice, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, or Sustainability Leadership and Public Policy. More information about the program can be found here.
Maharishi International University offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Sustainability.
MIU offers a Bachelor’s specialization in Sustainable & Regenerative Living, a BA in Sustainable & Regenerative Living, and a MBA with a specialization in Sustainable Business. More information about the programs can be found here.
TRUE EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS
Many schools have climate goals of reaching carbon neutrality by 2025, including the UC school system. However, this is not enough. Instead what we need is a rapid decrease of carbon emissions, converting to an economic system that sustainably reduces and compensates carbon emissions. The way this is done is through reducing energy use through improved efficiency, shifting energy demand to electricity and away from all combustion of fossil fuels, and shift entirely to zero-carbon strategies. Economic growth must therefore be decoupled from growth in carbon dioxide emissions.
University of California, San Diego pushes for decarbonization
UCSD is leading the way through their UC Green New Deal San Diego Chapter. They are currently one of the biggest emitters in the UC system (>300,000 tons of CO2 per year). They concluded that “carbon neutrality by 2025” is not an accountable, realistic or moral solution for UCSD. UCSD has urged the Chancellor and the UC Board of Regents to replace their natural gas co-generation plant to 100% renewable energy. In 2021, the UCSD Chancellor awarded 250,000 towards this goal. Read more about the steps UCSD has taken here.
UC system demands a new policy
The whole UC system is also taking charge in decarbonization. In 2021, members of the UC system and UC Green New Deal Coalition created a petition to enact a UC Green New Deal Policy Platform that addresses decarbonization for energy, transportation, development, food and waste. These policies implement potential solutions for each campus to reach true decarbonization, not just carbon neutrality. The summary for their policy platform can be found here.
@UniversityClimateAmbassadors
@UniversityClimateAmbassadors
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