Sustainability On Campus

Colleges are making campus buildings and housing greener by retrofitting older buildings and constructing new structures that prioritize campus sustainability. Putting solar panels on buildings to create renewable energy sources helps colleges lower their reliance on fossil fuels. Greywater systems limit water usage, while LEED-certified buildings meet high standards for sustainability.

Cars pour onto many college campuses every day. Colleges can encourage alternative transportation modes to limit emissions. Rideshare programs, free or discounted transit passes, and e-scooters help students commute to campus with a lower carbon footprint. Colleges can also invest in low-carbon transportation for their needs.

Food waste represents a major challenge for campus sustainability. Colleges play a major role in tackling food waste and related issues like consumption and food shortages. For example, colleges can reduce the amount of meat they serve in cafeterias, support local and organic farming, and reduce food waste to make a more sustainable campus.

Increasing recycling and reducing water usage can significantly impact college campuses. Colleges that invest in recycling bins and compost bins can reduce trash waste and build a more sustainable campus. Installing on-campus water refill stations encourages reusable water bottles and limits plastic waste. Campuses can also limit water waste in dorms by implementing greywater systems.

Reyes
In 2014, Pomona’s president and board of trustees pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 (CN2030). Our latest sustainability action plan, SAVE, outlines specific strategies and metrics for achieving CN2030. For example, because two-thirds of our carbon footprint comes from energy usage, we aimed to reduce electricity and gas usage by 30% in 2020 compared to fiscal year 2014 levels.

To keep us on track, we produce annual reports and make recommendations for improvement. We have also committed to leading energy-efficient technologies like installing real-time energy meters in every campus building and retrofitting our most energy-intensive buildings through a $2.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission.

Shrestha
As Nebraska’s land-grant, flagship university, UNL serves as a primary intellectual center, providing leadership through quality education and the generation of new knowledge. Many of the university’s faculty, staff, and students engage in teaching and research regarding societal issues like climate change.

We are committed not only to educating fellow citizens about climate change but also preparing communities around the world to mitigate this change, adapt to the uncertain future, and build resilient communities. Research, teaching, and community service are central to our effort on this front.

Reyes
Colleges play a critical role in tackling climate change because they are leaders with the financial and intellectual resources to make a lasting change. Colleges are responsible for cultivating the minds of students who will become the next generation of world leaders. Students who get involved during college often continue to make a positive impact after they graduate.

Shrestha
Education is one of the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. Preparing the next generation of climate-literate citizens is part and parcel of our educational system. UNL is doing its part to meet the United Nations’ goals by pursuing opportunities to operate as a “living lab” that tests new ideas, programs, and processes.

If successful, society could adopt these efforts. This opportunity and responsibility includes researching new technologies and understanding people’s behavior to take better action on climate change.

Reyes
Our energy consumption makes the biggest impact on the climate. We’re in the process of installing multiple smart meters in every major campus building so that we can analyze energy usage in real-time, identify any inefficiencies, and make quick improvements. We started this process in 2016, and after one year, we reduced consumption by 12%. This is equivalent to taking over 350 cars off the road for a year or growing 43,000 tree seedlings for 10 years.

Transportation makes up the other one-third of our carbon footprint. We promote an eco-friendly transportation culture through programs like our free student-run bike rental shop, discounted EV charging stations, free bus passes, and a $2 bonus for every day faculty and staff commute to campus sustainably. All of these programs combined have led to a 17% decrease in total CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalent, emissions since 2014.

Shrestha
As part of a submission to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the university’s Office of Sustainability found that 31% of our faculty and staff are engaged in sustainability research; 51% of our academic departments conduct sustainability research; 41% of academic departments offer sustainability courses; and 89% of our students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome.

We continue to test ideas that focus on fostering student engagement with environmental action in order to develop future environmental leaders. We also offer multiple environmental student organizations that work on projects that aim to implement direct changes in how the university operates and educate the community on the importance of climate change and pro-environmental action.

One student project conducted by our student government’s Environmental Sustainability Committee led to a ban on the use of plastic foam not only at our university, but also at our system’s three other universities. Another student-led project was instrumental in implementing a bike-share program at UNL and in the city of Lincoln.

Reyes
Pomona’s Sustainability Office employs over 75 students annually to work on sustainability programs and projects. We also have an $8,000 President’s Sustainability Fund that supports student-led campus sustainability projects. Pomona encourages involvement by providing funds so students can pursue unpaid or low-paying summer internships.

Students are also heavily involved in campus clubs and political engagement. A group of students worked with Citizens’ Climate Lobby to launch the Know Tomorrow conference that attracted hundreds of people across the region. The Know Tomorrow documentary series featured one of our students.

Shrestha
Many of our faculty and staff partner to create sustainability-oriented class projects in a variety of courses that encourage interdisciplinary action on sustainability efforts. We also encourage involvement through our academic programming. For example, students majoring in environmental studies must complete an internship relating to sustainability and conduct research to write a thesis.

Multiple student organizations focus on different aspects of sustainability, which allows students to tailor their involvement based on their interests. For example, one student organization works to implement operational changes while another runs grassroots advocacy campaigns to educate the student body.

The university’s Office of Sustainability serves as the clearinghouse for all sustainability-related campus activities. This office facilitates relationships with students, faculty, and staff to drive the university forward in all sustainability aspects. The office also hosts an annual sustainability summit that allows students to learn about what the university is doing and to participate in workshops to further their understanding on various topics.

Additionally, student government collects a student fee and manages a “green fund,” which contains approximately $50,000 to support annual sustainability-related student projects.

Reyes
One easy way is to examine your personal carbon footprint and think about how your small actions are collectively significant. This can be something as simple as dressing for the weather so that you use less heat and air conditioning, air-drying your clothes, riding your bike instead of driving, or eating vegan meals a couple times a week.

When you encourage two friends to join you, and those two friends invite two more and so on, these efforts become exponential. I also encourage you to make institutional change. This can mean writing to your congressional representatives, volunteering for a local nonprofit, or advocating for programs in your college. These changes influence culture, which has a huge, lasting impact.

Shrestha
Students can start by becoming aware of the implications their behavior has on the natural environment. Next, they can strive to adopt behavioral changes relating to their energy and water use, waste-management practices, and transportation behavior. They can also advocate for pro-environmental policy and implementation of programs and changes at their residences and workplaces.

Reyes
I recommend finding a documentary that engages a specific interest of yours. Climate change is intersectional in that if you care about oceans, animals, waste, food, or people, you can find a powerful and impactful documentary that connects these issues.

I also recommend taking a class in your college’s environmental program to learn the breadth and depth of climate change. Lastly, I suggest traveling or volunteering with global organizations so that you can experience the impacts and potential threats of climate change first-hand. Gaining this perspective makes it personal.

Students can join or form a campus environmental group. McDaniel’s Green Life Club started a “turn it off Tuesday” campaign to make sure that lights were off in offices when not in use. Offices received “energy stars” that served as visual reminders for people to make good decisions regarding the environment.

Students can also make sure they always recycle, stay mindful about their water use, and educate others on these issues. If students are aware of the choices they make, they can make a big difference.

The first step is for students to partner with like-minded students at their college to form an environmental student group. I recommend addressing only one or two issues at a time. For example, the Green Life Club started by tackling recycling.

Also, students should not be afraid to approach their administration. Students involved in the Green Life Club work closely with the environmental studies department faculty, as well as finance, physical plant, and grounds and housekeeping staff regarding environmental issues. Using social media has also been a powerful way to accomplish change and garner interest in environmental initiatives.

Change doesn’t happen fast, especially when trying to implement college-wide initiatives that may need board or division approval. Be persistent but also celebrate small victories. Keep in mind that college administration wants to know the ROI. If your proposed change has cost-savings built into it for the college, use that to your advantage. Not only are you helping the institution become more sustainable, but you are also saving money.