This time of year, thousands of budding young students (and their parents) flock to college campuses across the U.S.
Armed with notepads and college guidebooks, they weave through university grounds on tours, invade dorms on recruiting visits, and congregate in the cafeteria to share impressions and rate what they've seen.
As students and their parents inspect every aspect of the institution with a fine-toothed comb, most colleges have armies of campus representatives strategically placed to answer any question, from "What academic programs do you offer?" to "How good are the parties?"
But another question is now being posed by this new generation of college-bound students -- the answer to which could be a deciding factor for a growing number of applicants: "What is your campus sustainability plan?"
Future leaders know green is here to stay
More astute than ever when it comes to the green agenda, the leaders of tomorrow realize that their careers, the environment, and their overall well-being will be inextricably linked to solving the challenge of climate change.
According to a 2006 MTV/CBS News poll, most Americans aged 13 to 24 think environmental degradation will be the biggest challenge their generation will face in 20 years. Eighty-one percent said that action to address global warming must be taken immediately. This statistic highlights an overwhelming shift in the priorities of college-age students.
Wouldn't it make sense, then, that colleges and universities heed this cultural phenomenon -- not only to be socially and environmentally responsible, but also to increase enrollment in a very competitive market?
Experts at Rocky Mountain Institute think so, and have worked for the past year to not only identify why some universities have not caught on to the multiple benefits of campus sustainability, but how colleges can successfully plan for a low-carbon future. According to their newly published book, "Accelerating Campus Climate Initiatives," there is a big difference between putting recycling bins outside student dorms and a full-fledged campus-wide sustainability program, and students need to know the difference.
The result of a two-year collaboration between RMI and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, "Accelerating Campus Climate Initiatives" is a manual for campus sustainability planning. RMI and AASHE experts visited twelve campuses to assess and address the barriers to reducing carbon footprints at colleges and universities.
How can colleges and universities capitalize on the trend?
Michael Kinsley, project manager, RMI senior consultant, and coauthor of the book, said that both the visible and non-visible evidence that a campus is doing its best to mitigate its environmental impact is essential, but not necessarily equal.
"Students look for visible signs of greenness," Kinsley said. "But beware of the tendency to push for the visible rather the more advantageous, but invisible, carbon reduction measures."
In other words, although efficiency is the best and most cost-effective means to achieving large-scale carbon reduction in, for example, campus buildings or operations, it is invisible. So while students call for campus recycling programs, lobby for locally grown produce in the cafeteria, or raise money for a solar PV panel for the library roof, it is important they don't overlook the large efficiency opportunity in the drafty facilities building.
Kinsley is all for highly visible campus programs that engage students, but said campuses should empower students to put these types of programs into context. Students and sustainability facilitators should not lose sight of the practical, highly effective aspects of campus sustainability, such as installing more efficient boilers and integrating alternative forms of energy, Kinsley said, but there is also the job of raising awareness among staff and students.
"When you see evidence of an environmental commitment, ask what it means," Kinsley advised. "Asking the right questions lets prospective students develop a much more sophisticated perspective of what is needed on their campus."
Do your research
A college's visible commitment to sustainability can often be more a symbolic indicator than an absolute measure. Digging a bit deeper allows prospective students to evaluate the most effective green efforts on the campuses they're considering. Kinsley suggests several questions that prospective students and their parents can ask, including the following:
Have they signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment?
Signed by 660 presidents of U.S. colleges, the ACUPC is a commitment to eliminate campuses' greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves completing an emissions inventory, setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming carbon neutral (within two years of signing), immediately implementing short-term action items that reduce emissions, and integrating sustainability into their curricula.
Have they completed a carbon inventory?
Escalating energy costs and the threat of climate change are both great reasons for a campus to quantify and evaluate their emissions. It is also a strong indicator that a campus is ready to think seriously about its environmental impact, Kinsley said. "Unless they have measured their impact, it is hard to figure out where to start, and tailor an effective reduction strategy."
Have they developed an actionable sustainability plan?
College campuses of any size are complicated systems that include buildings, athletic fields, landscaping, energy systems, financing mechanisms, and people -- each with a specific but integrated role in the institution's carbon reduction goals. A comprehensive plan that successfully addresses the system as a whole is quite difficult but nevertheless essential if a campus hopes to achieve aggressive emissions-reduction targets.
During his work with the 12 campuses, Kinsley witnessed first-hand many of the barriers, both real and perceived, of implementing a comprehensive plan. One surprising barrier was distractions -- resources poured into exciting one-off projects, programs, and events around sustainability.
"It is critically important for campus leaders to understand that success will not only come from making lists," Kinsley said. "It also comes from a different way of thinking about buildings, utilities, perceptions, institutional structures, and all the other components of the system that comprise energy and the campus."
Have they been recognized for their environmental commitment?
AASHE presents four Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards annually to institutions that have made the greatest overall commitment to sustainability as demonstrated in their education and research, campus operations, and administration and finance.
Equipped with the right resources, any prospective student can get to the bottom of what a campus is really doing to green up not only their image, but their impact. Attending a college with a solid commitment to sustainability helps students develop awareness and a long-term commitment to solving the climate crisis -- and to learn about the right tools they can use to pursue the next wave of high-paying green careers.
Clearly, campus sustainability efforts count for a variety of reasons; let's hope that colleges take note.
For more information and a free download of Accelerating Campus Climate Initiatives, visithttp://www.rmi.org/rmi/Campuses.
Kelly Vaughn is a public relations specialist at Rocky Mountain Institute.
