Campus Sustainability
One of the most prevalent discussions taking place on campuses around the country is the one about sustainability. But the discussion is not whether or not sustainability movements are actually sustainable. Rather, the discussions are simply how to integrate more sustainability actions and education into every aspect of college life. From vehicles and textbooks to lights and English classes, there is hardly an area around college campuses that has not been impacted by the sustainability movement. But if we step back from good intentions, we find that the explosive growth of sustainability initiatives on campuses may not always produce positive outcomes. Specifically, my thesis will express that campus sustainability movements have resulted
…show more content…
From Peterson and Wood, “According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 475 college campuses in 65 states or provinces offer a total of 1,438 academic sustainability programs, ranging from certificates to undergraduate degrees to master’s and doctorate degrees” (2015). Sustainability in education has grown from a simple desire to care for and maintain our natural resources to a full-scale “discipline.” Colleges must return to viewing sustainability as an ideology in order to maintain and encourage an open dialog about environmental stewardship. As Jim Manzi, notable writer on science and technology affirms, “The best available science and the best available economic analysis show that the proposed programs to radically reduce carbon emissions through taxes or regulation are very likely to cost much more than the benefits they provide” (2008). The final background information I will discuss will be the infiltration of sustainability into almost every class, from science to English, undermining the ideals of liberal arts education and replacing it with an emphasis on environmentalism. “Many colleges are embracing something called ‘the environmental humanities,’ which pushes aside the traditional humanities curriculum” (Peterson and Wood, 2015). Sustainability on college campuses may have been envisioned to benefit the environment, but it can often undermine other core
From Peterson and Wood, “According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 475 college campuses in 65 states or provinces offer a total of 1,438 academic sustainability programs, ranging from certificates to undergraduate degrees to master’s and doctorate degrees” (2015). Sustainability in education has grown from a simple desire to care for and maintain our natural resources to a full-scale “discipline.” Colleges must return to viewing sustainability as an ideology in order to maintain and encourage an open dialog about environmental stewardship. As Jim Manzi, notable writer on science and technology affirms, “The best available science and the best available economic analysis show that the proposed programs to radically reduce carbon emissions through taxes or regulation are very likely to cost much more than the benefits they provide” (2008). The final background information I will discuss will be the infiltration of sustainability into almost every class, from science to English, undermining the ideals of liberal arts education and replacing it with an emphasis on environmentalism. “Many colleges are embracing something called ‘the environmental humanities,’ which pushes aside the traditional humanities curriculum” (Peterson and Wood, 2015). Sustainability on college campuses may have been envisioned to benefit the environment, but it can often undermine other core