Integrating Sustainability

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Integrating Sustainability Into a Learning
Community Kathleen Gardner, Southern Illinois
U-Edwardsville Kathleen G. Kerr, University of
Delaware Jeanne S. Steffes, Syracuse
University Living-Learning Conference October
15-17, 2006 Syracuse, NY
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Presentation Outline

• Overview of Sustainability
• Individual Resources and Perspectives
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education
• Where Do You Begin?

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Sustainable Development Defined
Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs World Commission
on Env. and Development. (1987). Our Common
Future. England Oxford University Press.  
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Social Well-being
Flourishing Environments

Strong Economy
Sustainable Society
Triple Bottom Line of
Sustainability
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The United Nations has declared 2005-2014 a
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
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Education for a Sustainable Society Enables
people to develop the knowledge, values and
skills to participate in decisions that will
improve the quality of life now without damaging
the planet for the future. 
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Why Sustainability Now?

• We are the first generation capable of
  determining the habitability of the planet for
  humans and other species.
• The decisions of this generation are crucial. 

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Why Sustainability Now?

• Human presence on a global scale
• All living systems in long term decline at
  unprecedented and accelerating rate
• Unprecedented growth in population and
  consumption
• Gap between rich and poor accelerating

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Global Perspective
life supporting resources declining
consumption of life supporting resources rising
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Why is Education for Sustainable
Development such a high priority in the U.S.?

• Much of the U.S. public doesnt know that we are
  exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet.
  (www.myfootprint.org)
• All of the life supporting ecosystems are in
  decline (http//www.worldwatch.org/topics/nature)
• The U.S. has approximately 5 of the worlds
  population and is consuming 25 of the worlds
  resources. (Jucker, Our Common Illiteracy
  Education as If the Earth and People Mattered,
  Peter Lang Publishers)
• Public doesnt know we can reduce human
  suffering, environmental degradation and social
  injustice now while building stronger economies
• A rapid shift in mindset is needed and education
  is the key.

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Why is environmental responsibility such a high
priority?

• Freshwater withdrawal has almost doubled since
  1960 and nearly half the worlds major rivers are
  going dry or are badly polluted (New
  Internationalist, no. 329 November, 2000. 18)
• 11 of the worlds 15 major fishing areas and 69
  of the worlds major fish species are in decline
  (State of the World 1998, 60-67)
• Climate change (global warming) exists, a major
  culprit is fossil fuels, and impacts are very
  serious. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
  Change report Summary for Policymakers The
  Science of Climate Change 1995)

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Effects -Climate Change

• Effects on food production
• More extreme weather events
• Disruptions of ecosystems
• Spread of disease to temperate climates
• Submersion of land masses
• 1 to 4 foot sea level rise
• 50 of worlds population lives on the coasts
• (75 in 2050)
• 140,000 deaths per year attributed to climate
  change
• Sources 1-5 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
  Change

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Global Transition

• From
• Fossil powered
• Take, make, waste
• Living off natures capital
• Market as master
• Loss of cultural biological diversity
• Independence
• Materialism as goal

• To
• Solar powered
• Cyclical production
• Living off natures income
• Market as servant
• Increased cultural biological diversity
• Interdependence
• Human satisfaction goal

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Which of these myths do you believe? 

• Sustainability is mostly about the environment
• Sustainability is just another issue, like
  international studies or computer literacy
• Sustainability is secondary to the university's
  core mission and function
• Sustainability will almost always cost the
  university more money
• Sustainability is primarily a scientific and
  technical problem

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Challenges and Answers to Sustainability

• Challenges
• Already busy
• Dont know this stuff
• Issues are complex and systematic

• Answers
• Use national resources
• Learn from other institutions
• Use students and staff nationally to help you
  learn, grow, and implement

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What can I do as an individual?

• Reduce your impact at home
• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a
  compact fluorescent light bulb
• Move your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and
  up 2 degrees in summer
• Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air
  conditioner
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Use less hot water
• From An Inconvenient Truth, http//www.climatecri
  sis.net/

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What can I do as an individual?

• Reduce your impact at home
• Recycle at home
• Buy recycled paper products
• Unplug electronics from the wall when youre not
  using them
• Insulate and weatherize your home
• Buy locally grown and produced foods
• Avoid heavily packaged products
• Buy organic foods as much as possible
• From An Inconvenient Truth, http//www.climatecri
  sis.net/

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What can I do as an individual?

• Reduce your impact on the move
• Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking,
  biking, carpooling or taking mass transit
  whenever possible
• Keep your car tuned up
• Check your tires weekly
• When its time for a new car, choose a more fuel
  efficient vehicle
• From An Inconvenient Truth, http//www.climatecri
  sis.net/

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Potential is Enormous

• 4,096 U.S. Colleges and Universities (1)
• 14.8 million students (1)
• 277 billion annual expenditures 2.8 of the GDP
  (1)
• HE expenditures gt the GDP of all but 25 countries
  in the world (2)
• 1 From 2001 Digest of Education Statistics,
  US Dept. of Education.
• 2 From 2001 CIA World Factbook and Dowling,
  Mike., "Interactive Table of World Nations,"
  available from http//www.mrdowling.com/800nations
  .html Internet updated Friday, June 29, 2001

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• What if higher education were to take a
  leadership role, as it did in the space race and
  the war on cancer, in preparing students and
  providing the information and knowledge to
  achieve a just and sustainable society?
• What would higher education look like?

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Integrating Education for Sustainable Development
Curricula
Research
Mission and Planning
Operations
Purchasing

Professional Development
CommunityOutreach and Partnerships
Student Life
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Goal
From apathy caring
involvement.Students need to know that their
daily decisions affect the quality of life of
people around the globe

• All students engaged as effective change agents
  in our sustainability challenges.

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Key Places

• Student Life
• Residential Living
• Infused throughout curricula
• First Year Experience
• Gen Ed Core
• Curricula Review
• Community Partnerships
• Workforce Development

• Mission
• Strategic Plan
• Budget
• Orientation
• Campus Map and Signage
• Building Policies
• Operations and Purchasing Policies

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ACPAs Presidential Task Force

• Resources - FY Pledge templates for road shows
  ideas for orientation and FYE, etc.
• Professional development - Webpage, e-learning,
  publications, teleconferences and webcasts
• Collaboration with other national higher
  education associations on
• Rating system
• Socially and environmentally responsible
  procurement
• Presidents pledge on climate change
• Higher Education Climate Action Project
• Team building on campus at VP and other levels
  for sustainability
• Student Learning Outcomes to guide practice

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Student Learning OutcomesACPAs Sustainability
Taskforce, 2006

• Each student will be able to define
  sustainability.
• Each student will be able to explain how
  sustainability relates to their lives and their
  values, and how their actions impact issues of
  sustainability.
• Each student will be able to utilize their
  knowledge of sustainability to change their daily
  habits and consumer mentality.
• Each student will be able to explain how systems
  are interrelated.

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Student Learning Outcomes (cont.)ACPAs
Sustainability Taskforce, 2006

• Each student will learn change agent skills.
• Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
  sustainability to their campus and community by
  engaging in the challenges and solutions of
  sustainability on their campus.
• Each student will learn how to apply concepts of
  sustainability globally by engaging in the
  challenges and the solutions of sustainability in
  a world context.

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Integration

• What do our students need to be successful in
  their adult roles of career person, family member
  and community member?
• Making invisible impacts visible
• Practicing sustainability on campus and in
  external communities connected to student
  learning

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Examples

• Systemic integration, including student life
• University of Florida
• Georgia Tech
• University of North Carolina
• Arizona State
• Residence Life
• University of Delaware
• Energy Climate Change
• SUNY Buffalo
• University of California System
• Western Washington University
• University of Minnesota

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Strategies

• Residence hall programs FYE and orientation
  programs campus speaker series bulletin boards
  service and service learning experiences
  curricular and co-curricular collaborations (e.g.
  general education outcome and infusion throughout
  the disciplines - first year community reading
  book) town hall forums study- and
  service-abroad experiences film series speaker
  series media festivals information in campus
  media outlets office of multicultural
  affairs/diversity programming curricular and
  capstone projects, one-on-one conversations with
  student affairs staff members programs sponsored
  by campus faith-based organizations and offices
  curricular projects signage on existing energy
  efficient/renewable energies buildings/
  operations Residence hall, student organization,
  fraternity and sorority, and intramural/club
  sports competitions personal contracts
  community (floor) agreements health safety
  checks with resident feedback campaign by campus
  transportation units sweatshop free bookstores
  and purchasing policies catalyzed by students
  development of educational modules on change
  agent skills to be distributed for use by
  educators involvement in campus leadership
  positions town hall forums conference
  attendance problem based learning in curricular
  and co-curricular settings attendance at
  meetings where policy is discussed and decided
  upon town and gown, city council, county
  council, Board of Trustees.

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Strategies (cont.)

• Participation in political campaigns service and
  service learning experiences modify the
  institutions and student organizations
  practices, mission statements, and constitutions
  utilize student governance structures to request
  compliance with LEED and other sustainability
  standards awareness raising campaigns letter
  writing campaign and implementation project for
  sustainable practices in dining services unit on
  campus work with campus facilities/grounds units
  to assess current practices work with facilities
  and business office to create more sustainable
  operations and standards organization of
  community recycling and reduced toxins program
  environmental impact statements from Residence
  Hall Governments and campus student governance
  groups Walk Dont Ride, Do It in the Dark
  campaigns collaboration with campus
  transportation units Facebook groups curricular
  change projects utilize campus media to carry
  message career services center programming and
  ,counseling graduation pledges or FYE pledges
  (currently Graduation Pledge) that are
  implemented throughout the undergraduate
  experience alumni activities speaker and film
  series service and service learning experiences.

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Some statistics on activities

• 250 sustainability coordinators/offices/
  committees
• 275 campus sustainability assessments
• 300 LEED (green) Buildings
• Greatly increased student activism 271
  campuses for Campus Climate Challenge

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• Professional Development for campus staff
• Upper administration support memo from all VPs
  empowering all staff and faculty to help
  implement sustainability
• Presidential support Tailloire Declaration,
  AACC resolution
• Incentive building via budget use the savings
  to fund the next projects
• Faculty and Staff - Identifying influencers and
  asking for help
• Framing - Connect diversity, global learning,
  international ed, service learning, economic
  development, student life and environmental
  learning constituencies

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Professional Development Strategies

• Internally focus on Education for Sustainable
  Development in higher education staff and faculty
• Externally reach out to professionals (get on
  the advisory committees and accreditation
  committees)
• Keep asking, What are your next steps in making
  education for and practice of sustainability a
  major goal of your institution?

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Possibilities for Next Steps

• Explicitly recognize and include ESD in the next
  round of mission definition and strategic
  planning (e.g. Illinois Weslyan, Lane CC, attend
  SCUP workshop)
• Encourage your strategic planners, purchasing
  agent, facilities director, student life
  coordinators, faculty and students to join the
  national online learning communities dedicated to
  education for sustainable development. (go to
  www.aashe.org and click on Email lists)
• Include sustainable development core competencies
  in the next revision of General Education outcome
  requirements, first year experience, orientation
  (examples at www.ncseonline.org/EFS/DebraRowe.pdf
  , www.aashe.org and http//www.myacpa.org/task-for
  ce/sustainability/ )

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Possibilities for Next StepsCommit to

• Build and renovate facilities using socially and
  environmentally responsible practices (e.g. LEED
  and Energy Star)
• Purchase socially and environmentally responsible
  products (e.g. no sweatshop products in the
  bookstore) (e.g. national initiative from NACS)
• Infuse sustainability throughout the disciplines
  via staff development offerings and faculty
  engagement strategies (e.g. Broward CC and Emory)
• Develop college-community partnerships for
  sustainable development and using those
  partnerships for service learning opportunities
  for students (e.g. Grand Rapids CC and
  Middlebury)

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Possibilities for Next StepsCommit to

• Engage in the Campus Climate Challenge to reduce
  greenhouse gas emissions http//www.campusclimate
  challenge.org/
• Help to create economic policies that support
  stronger economies via the building of healthier
  ecosystems and social systems (e.g.
  http//www.paconsortium.state.pa.us/
• Utilize the media to publicize the positive steps
  your institution takes to both teach and model
  sustainable development.

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Embracing Education for Sustainable Development
Can

• Improved teaching and learning
• Students prepared for citizenship and career
• Attraction of students, faculty and funding
• Save and other resources for the institution
  and society
• Improve the institutions reputation
• Cooperation and satisfaction across institution
• Help improve town/gown relationships
• Fulfill moral and social responsibility
• Improve strategic positioning

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Conclusions

• The U.S. public is not educated enough about
  sustainability issues and solutions.
• We need sustainability literacy and engagement
  for ALL. This is no longer optional for a viable
  future.
• Some exciting developments, too many to report,
  but much more needs to be done.
• We can assist you. Share what you do with ACPA
  and we will share with others via www.heasc.net
• Let our enthusiasm show!

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Acknowledgement

• Dr. Debra Rowe
• dgrowe_at_oaklandcc.edu
• President U.S. Partnership for Education for
  Sustainable Development Co-chair Higher
  Education Associations Sustainability Consortium
  Senior Fellow University Leaders for a
  Sustainable Future Professor, Alternate
  Energies and Behavioral Sciences Oakland
  Community College.

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For More Information

• Kathleen Kerr
• kkerr_at_udel.edu
• Kathleen Gardner
• kagardn_at_siue.edu
• Jeanne Steffes
• jsteffes_at_syr.edu