An Environmentally Sustainable Community

Running head: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

An Environmentally Sustainable Community

Lindsey P. Smith

Stark State College of Technology

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AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

Abstract

This research paper explores the challenges of integrating

sustainability into the college culture. It also provides a

solution for integrating sustainability and creating extensions

into other areas of life, such as graduates integrating

sustainability into other communities and their careers.

Examples are given of successful sustainability integrations by

several universities and sustainability program directors. Other

examples provide specific students who have implemented their

knowledge of sustainability into their city community.

Additionally, this paper covers operational changes to university

campuses, and provides research that alludes to cultural

implementation of sustainability as a better approach. Findings

indicate that difficulties in understanding sustainability

contribute to the lack of sustainable behaviors, and indicate

that defining sustainability will help increase student

engagement. This paper ends by stating that a reason to

implement sustainability should be to change sustainable

behaviors, by introducing sustainability, clearly defining it,

and creating student participation. Sustainability will only

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affect surrounding communities if the students have the knowledge

of sustainability and can use it in their every day life.

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An Environmentally Sustainable Community

Sustainability is the very essence of an enhanced quality of

life, and is the center of the “three spheres of sustainability,”

which are a natural environment, economic vitality, and healthy

community. Sustainability is the goal of creating a balanced

community. Donovan McFarlane, a founder and director of The

Donovan Society LLC, and Agueda Ogazon, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of

Business Administration and Management at St. Thomas University,

observe, “that among ordinary citizens, sustainability has little

or no meaning” (2011, p. 83). Introducing sustainability into

higher education to affect our surroundings is a capital way to

ensure a balanced environment. Environmentalists have a deeper

understanding of how to create sustainable behavior because they

have an understanding of sustainability itself. Without this

understanding there is little or no chance to better the

environment. Sustainability can be defined in a multitude of

ways; however, the main focus of this research is to highlight

the integration of environmental sustainability (ES) into a

college community’s culture, and realize some of its long-term

benefits. Integrating ES into higher education has been a

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successful practice, but it is still in its infancy. McFarlane

and Ogazon remind us that it is difficult to implement

environmentally sustainable operations without a complete

understanding of its facets (2011). We can only continue the

journey of creating sustainability within our universities by

truly coming to a thorough understanding of sustainable behavior.

The triple bottom line of sustainability is the environment,

equity, and the economy, and they are of major importance when

addressing concerns that influence our quality of life. However,

the majority of attention tends to lean towards the environment

(McFarlane & Ogazon, 2011, p. 83). Sustainable actions within a

university’s culture could be a student reducing waste by

changing his habits as a consumer. For example, Stark State

College students have access to recycling and therefore, feel no

need to change their unsustainable behavior. Many students

continue to purchase single-use products and forget that one of

Stark’s missions is to reduce the college’s impact on the

environment. Unlimited consumption of these products proves the

lack of sustainable behavior amongst Stark State students.

Perhaps this is because they don’t see the negative effects that

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their actions have on the environment. The challenges of

creating a sustainable eco-system present themselves daily, and

may have negative repercussions that are presented outside the

university campus. These are consequences that the average

college student would have little or no knowledge of. College

communities could have a major affect on their environment if

they choose to accept the various challenges associated with the

creation of a sustainable culture within their universities.

Integrating sustainability into a college can be one way of

accepting the challenges presented by the “unprecedented

environmental, social, and economic crises.” McFarlane and

Ogazon (2011) insist, “our culture and institutions, and

Education for Sustainability is a major approach in responding to

this challenge” (p. 86). The University of Arizona, University

of Colorado at Boulder, and Macalester College in St. Paul, MN,

have accepted the challenge of sustainability integration, and

have begun implementing, not only operational green management,

but sustainable practices and behavioral changes within the

culture of their campuses (“Student Affairs,” 2013).

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In 2013, directors of sustainability programs at the

aforementioned colleges, Joe Abraham, Dave Newport, and Keith E.

Edwards, joined in on a roundtable discussion with moderator

Jamie Devereaux. Throughout the discussion, they gave

suggestions on how to create a culture of sustainability. They

agreed that the best way to integrate sustainability programs

into each of their universities was by first gaining the

endorsement of students. According to Joe Abraham, the students

at the University of Arizona learned to make decisions concerning

the school. Being able to make these decisions enables

sustainability to become a part of the students’ culture

(“Student Affairs,” 2013). The operational side of sustainable

action is where a campus focuses on recycling, electrical usage,

heating and cooling, and an all-around approach to reducing the

campuses environmental impact, but this is only a starting point.

To create a truly sustainable community, there is a

necessity to move beyond the operational aspects. Edwards

expresses that the actions of students can have a major influence

on a community, and could result in whether that community is

sustainable or unsustainable. Their choices are a cause and

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every choice creates an effect. The environment, economy, and

community are all affected by each students conduct, and the

implementation of sustainability into student affairs can create

a balance within the three E’s (Environment, Economy, and

Equity). Joe Abraham believes that students became more involved

in the sustainability initiatives at University of Arizona when

sustainability became a part of student affairs, because student

affairs allows students to make decisions about how things will

be run at the University. (“Student Affairs,” 2013, p. 265).

Newport agrees with Abraham and states, “student affairs is more

on the front lines of the student interface than most divisions

on campus” (p. 266). He also believes that the integration of

sustainability into student affairs is creating support from

students, who are realizing the importance of sustainability.

Pairing these processes into student affairs has peaked an

interest in sustainability because its goal is to create

awareness amongst the students (p. 266). New students exposed to

sustainability may develop good environmental behaviors from the

very beginning. The benefit of having this introduction is that

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as the students’ education progresses, they will build on their

knowledge of sustainability.

Stark State College of Technology has already created some

environmentally sustainable programs within the operations of the

campus. They have focused on campus premises, through lighting,

heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Technological

changes were made such as the replacement of CRT displays with

more energy efficient flat screen monitors (Stark State College

of Technology, n.d.). However, instead of developing a complete

culture of sustainability, the college ended its efforts with the

operational systems. If there has been a campus initiative to

create a culture of sustainability, it is relatively unheard of

except for the occasional broad references mentioned within a

lecture. The professors of Stark College could take the

opportunity through their relationships with their students, to

increase the students’ interest in the topic.

Joe Abraham gives an example of an efficacious relationship

between students and faculty. He discovered that a committee,

comprised of graduate and undergraduate students, and faculty

members, created an opportunity for them to have a working

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relationship. This relationship in essence would allow

progression of the sustainability integration, which resulted in

increased student engagement (“Student Affairs”, 2013, p. 267).

A relationship between faculty and students provides the

necessary path to a sustainable community. Student engagement is

imperative to a successful sustainability program. Newport

stated, “Research has shown that the more students are engaged in

sustainability-related activities, the higher the retention rate

is” (p. 267). One of the difficulties in creating student

engagement is the lack of a clear definition of sustainability.

Students may be reluctant to become involved in something they do

not understand.

The average student at Stark State would probably not have a

true understanding of sustainable behavior or sustainability

itself because of the overwhelming differences within numerous

definitions. Understanding sustainability is one of the

challenges that present themselves when attempting to integrate

it into a college community. This could be the reason Stark

State students do not act with sustainable behaviors, nor do they

stop to realize how their actions affect our environment. An

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example of sustainable behavior is a student spending less money

on food and beverages that are packaged in disposable products.

They are not only reducing waste, but they are sustaining their

wallet. Another sustainable act is reducing water usage (taking

shorter showers, reducing the amount of bottled water purchases,

turning the water off while brushing your teeth or washing

dishes). These are all sustainable acts and behaviors and are

very important for students to learn and implement.

Education and culture are two major factors that affect our

inclination toward sustainability as individuals in a society.

McFarlane and Ogazon (2011) believe that implementing

sustainability into education is a trying task due to never-

ending personal opinions and perceptions of the idea. Both those

who implement sustainability into the university and those who

learn from the implementation will have their own opinion of what

sustainability actually means. The staggering number of

definitions can create a misconception among students who are

introduced to the idea of sustainability. Additionally, education

unintentionally creates unsustainable behaviors. Many times

universities are considered antithetical to sustainability,

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because they often focus on issues only within the economy

(McFarlane & Ogazon, 2011). Many universities have implemented

sustainable operations, however, these efforts have not

transitioned into equally sustainable actions and behaviors from

students. Students simply continue to act with unsustainable

behaviors because they have not been encouraged to change their

habits.

Though Stark State has changed some of the operations of the

college in regards to sustainability, the result did not affect

the students’ perspective. Through observations, it is clear

that very few students at Stark have made sustainable behavior a

part of their daily life. For example, the students continue to

purchase single-use bottled beverages and have an expectation

that recycling is capable of keeping their trash out of

landfills. Recycling can only reduce so much of the damage that

consumerism has caused to our environment, but it cannot restrict

all products from going into our landfills. Recycling is a part

of Starks operational additions, and according to Stark State

College’s website, they received a silver rating by the

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS)

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created by AASHE (Association for the Advancement of

Sustainability in Higher Education), which means Stark State has

done enough to be recognized for their changes in operational

systems. Yet, does this rating prove that the College is

committed to sustainability? Not if their students are left

unaffected by the changes made in the operations. Sadly,

McFarlane and Ogazon (2011) imply that there are far fewer people

than it seems who really have an understanding of sustainability,

which is the driving force of its integration.

According to Dave Newport and Keith Edwards, the integration

of sustainability into student affairs will unlock many doors to

a newly environmentally conscious community, and will continue to

become increasingly popular among other institutions of higher

education. Sustainability in student affairs will enable

students to make a contribution throughout their daily life,

either in continuing their education or at their places of

business (“Student Affairs,” 2013). It is important for students

to learn from programs sponsored by universities in order to

provide them with the understanding and knowledge of what

sustainability actions are and the resultant benefits. They

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graduate with this knowledge and can use it for future profit.

The ability to take advantage of the knowledge of sustainability

could be especially beneficial to new graduates applying for job

positions.

According to Allison Taylor (2012), Vice President of

Sustainability-Americas, businesses will be searching for

employees who have sustainability education, and will not want to

hire sustainability program directors because of the extra cost

in wages. Companies realize a cost savings by hiring a well-

rounded employee who possesses the knowledge of sustainability

(Taylor, 2012), and may be more interested in hiring a new

graduate who has a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of

sustainability. Graduates who possess this knowledge may have a

distinct advantage over other candidates who are unequipped with

the aspect of sustainability education. Some employers may focus

on the future while acting in the present by hiring the candidate

who is equipped with sustainability knowledge. Taylor (2012)

quoted Michael Milkner, who said, “The future of our country is

not found in our boardrooms, but in our classrooms” (p. 16).

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The future of the United States’ environment, economy, and

society is held by how students in universities are educated, and

influenced by the very essence of sustainability in their

colleges. An obvious benefit of sustainability implementation is

that graduates will leave with a thorough understanding of

sustainability, and that their newly founded behaviors may have a

positive affect on others. This could result in a ripple effect,

which could bring about positive change to all surrounding

communities. If the positive attributes of sustainability do not

extend out to other areas of life, these efforts will have been

in vain.

An example of a student who used his knowledge to affect a

city community is Joseph Waltzer. Waltzer graduated from Oberlin

College in 1998, and opened two restaurants in Oberlin, Ohio that

use locally grown products. His future plans are to establish a

grocery store that also sells food grown in the Oberlin area.

Three other people, who also graduated from Oberlin College,

Joshua Rosen, Naomi Sabel, and Ben Ezinga, have been involved in

developing environmental projects. At the time that Carlson

wrote his article, they had already been working on a Brownfield-

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redevelopment project in the City of Oberlin for the prior 10

years (Carlson, 2011, “Community as a teacher,” para. 4). The

goal of a Brownfield project is to focus on increasing the

quality of the environment, economy and the community (U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). David W. Orr, a

professor of environmental studies and politics at Oberlin

College, was instrumental to these students’ actions, and he

believes that the Brownfield-redevelopment project has been the

crux in Oberlin’s green building endeavors (Carlson, 2011).

Although there is no documented proof in Scott Carlson’s article

that Orr specifically taught Rose, Sabel, Ezinga, or Waltzer,

Carlson does indicate that Orr helped to ignite the integration

of sustainability within Oberlin College (Carlson, 2011, para.

2). These four students were a part of the Oberlin College

community, and it is easy to assume that they were affected by

Orr’s inspiration.

Institutions whose actions are noticed by the right people

or group, could realize revenue to further support sustainability

programs. Orr experienced great benefits from his labors to

integrate sustainability, not only into the culture of Oberlin

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College, but into the City of Oberlin as well. Through his

actions to build a green and more sustainable community, he drew

the attention, interest, and finally support from Colonel Mark

Mykleby, a member of the U.S. Marines. Colonel Mykleby expressed

his belief that campus initiatives of sustainability are a

powerful force (Carlson, 2011, para. 8). Orr’s situation proves

that attention from the right place could be tremendously

beneficial to a college or university by bringing others

attention to the sustainable actions. These attentions could

possibly help bring funding to a university through word of

mouth. Funding is very important to institutions because, as the

Department of the Treasury and Department of Education report,

“public colleges and universities have become increasingly

reliant on student tuition as a source of funding” (2012, p. 4).

Without funding, besides students’ tuition, sustainability

programs will be difficult to create, which is why most schools

try to create a “green fund,” which are funds that are used to

enable sustainability programs. Raising funds for sustainability

programs could be an easier task if a community’s action were

made known publically to the right audience. Universities

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typically use green funds for building programs and environmental

aspects. There are some advocates of sustainability who believe

that the actions made by the majority of universities are

shortsighted because they only focus on the environmental

aspects.

James Proctor, a director of the environmental-studies

program at Lewis & Clark College, believes that if universities

only focus on the operational green building side of

sustainability, students’ educational experience will be cut

short (2010). Often how colleges integrate sustainability

decides whether it will be effective or not. Only addressing the

issues that affect how much energy a campus uses, or making sure

students can throw their single-use purchases into a recycling

bin, is not a sufficient way to approach the implementation of

sustainability. According to Proctor, a major mistake is to

limit sustainability to college campuses only. Additionally, he

believes that balanced environmental practices are not only in

recycling and lowering energy usage, but also is in setting a

goal of expanding these practices to other communities (2010).

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Student participation is the very core of creating true

sustainability on a college campus. Which is why it is so

important to introduce sustainability to students the moment they

become a part of the college community. Student affairs, has

proven to be a great way to introduce sustainability to the

students’ culture. That introduction, however, should only be

the starting point. It is important to not only introduce

sustainability but also give it a clear and understandable

definition. Teaching sustainable behavior and integrating

sustainability into the students education and the very culture

of the school, will determine the actual affect that colleges,

like Stark State College, has on the environment. Stark State

graduates will be empowered to create a sustainable future, not

only for themselves, but also for future generations. Their

influence could be the turning point in creating a truly

sustainable environment, economy and community.

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References

Carlson, S. (2011). Oberlin, Ohio: Laboratory for a New Way of

Life. (Cover story).

Chronicle Of Higher Education, 58(12), A1-A11.

Department of the Treasury, Department of Education. (2012,

December). The Economics of

higher education: A report prepared by the Department of the

Treasury with the

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Department of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.treasury.gov/connect/blog

/Documents/20121212_Economics%20of%20Higher%20Ed_vFINAL.pdf

McFarlane, D. A., & Ogazon, A. G. (2011). The Challenges of

Sustainability Education.

Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), 3(3), 81-107.

Proctor, J. (2010). Sustainability Involves More Than Being

Green. Chronicle Of Higher

Education, 57(15), A28.

Stark State College of Technology. (n.d.). Campus operations.

Starkstate.edu. Retrieved from

http://starkstate.edu/green/operations

Student Affairs and the Future of Sustainability. (2013).

Sustainability: The Journal of

Record, 6(5), 265-270. doi:10.1089/sus.2013.9841

Taylor, A. (2012). Exposing Students to Sustainability.

Environmental Forum, 29(4), 16.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2015, March 24).

Brownfields and Land Revitalization.

Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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