Integrating Sustainability Into a Learning Community Kathleen Gardner, Southern Illinois U-Edwardsville Kathleen G.

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2. Presentation Outline: Overview of Sustainability Individual Resources and Perspectives Student Learning Outcomes Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education Where Do You Begin? JSJS

3. Sustainable Development Defined: JSJS

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5. The United Nations has declared 2005-2014 a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development JSJS

6. 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.�� JSJS

7. 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.� JSJS

8. 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 JSJS

9. Global Perspective: JSJS

10. Why is Education for Sustainable Development such a high priority in the U.S.? Much of the U.S. public doesn�t 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 world�s population and is consuming 25% of the world�s resources. (Jucker, Our Common Illiteracy � Education as If the Earth and People Mattered, Peter Lang Publishers) Public doesn�t 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. JSJS

11. Why is environmental responsibility such a high priority? Freshwater withdrawal has almost doubled since 1960 and nearly half the world�s major rivers are going dry or are badly polluted (New Internationalist, no. 329 November, 2000. 18) 11 of the world�s 15 major fishing areas and 69% of the world�s 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) JSJS

12. Effects -Climate Change: JSJS

13. Global Transition: From Fossil powered Take, make, waste Living off nature�s capital Market as master Loss of cultural & biological diversity Independence Materialism as goal JSJS

14. 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 KGKG

15. Challenges and Answers to Sustainability Challenges Already busy Don�t 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 KGKG

16. 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.climatecrisis.net/ KG Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we�d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! Move your thermostat down 2� in winter and up 2� in summerAlmost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Install a programmable thermostatProgrammable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill. Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.KG Most emissions from homes are from the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity and heat. By using energy more efficiently at home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30%. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we�d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! Move your thermostat down 2� in winter and up 2� in summerAlmost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Install a programmable thermostatProgrammable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill. Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

17. 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 you�re 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.climatecrisis.net/ KG Make sure you�re recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area. Buy recycled paper products It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. Unplug electronics from the wall when you�re not using them Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year! Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home. Buy locally grown and produced foods The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community. Buy organic foods as much as possibleOrganic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we�d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! Avoid heavily packaged products You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.KG Make sure you�re recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area. Buy recycled paper products It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. Unplug electronics from the wall when you�re not using them Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year! Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home. Buy locally grown and produced foods The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community. Buy organic foods as much as possibleOrganic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we�d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! Avoid heavily packaged products You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

18. 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 it�s time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle From: An Inconvenient Truth, http://www.climatecrisis.net/ KG Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possibleAvoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Keep your car tuned upRegular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. Check your tires weekly to make sure they�re properly inflated Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference! When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicleYou can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! KG Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possibleAvoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Keep your car tuned upRegular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. Check your tires weekly to make sure they�re properly inflated Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference! When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicleYou can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid!

19. 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 > 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 KKKK

20. 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? KKKK

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22. Goal: All students engaged as effective change agents in our sustainability challenges. KKKK

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24. ACPA�s 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 President�s 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 JSJS

25. Student Learning OutcomesACPA�s 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. KKKK

26. Student Learning Outcomes (cont.)ACPA�s 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. KKKK

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29. 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. KKKK

30. Strategies (cont.): Participation in political campaigns; service and service learning experiences; modify the institution�s 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 Don�t 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. KKKK

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39. Acknowledgement Dr. Debra Rowe dgrowe@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.

40. Kathleen Kerr kkerr@udel.edu Kathleen Gardner kagardn@siue.edu Jeanne Steffes jsteffes@syr.edu For More Information JSJS