The Lifestyle Project

1. The Lifestyle Project Steven EarleMalaspina University-College, Nanaimo, Canada Karin KirkCarleton College and Empire State College, USA Paul WrightSouthampton Solent University, Southampton, UK

2. “We are human because, at a very early stage in the history of the species, our ancestors discovered a way of preserving and disseminating the results of experience.” Learning through experience “But we understand only when, by liberating ourselves from the tyranny of words, conditioned reflexes, and social conventions, we establish direct, unmediated contact with experience.” Aldous Huxley, 1956, Knowledge & Understanding Part 1, Vedanta & the West, Vedanta Soc. of S. California

3. We all know that we need to do something to decrease our impact on the environment, however most of us think that: • it would be difficult to change our habits and still maintain our lifestyles • our individual contribution to environmental degradation and climate change is small • even if we do change, it won’t make much difference, because others won’t

4. In the Lifestyle Project* students are asked to break this deadlockto discover that they can change the way they live. We challenge them to make some significant changes to their lifestyles, and to keep a journal describing how well they met their targets and how they and those around them were affected by the changes. *Kirk, K and Thomas, J, 2003, The Lifestyle Project, J. of Geoscience Education, V.,51, p. 496-99

5. Students are asked to do the following:

6. Students choose three topics.The project lasts for three weeks, and becomes more stringent each week.Students write about their experiences in a journal and submit their journal for instructor-feedback at the end of each week.

7. The Lifestyle Project at: Malaspina University-College: The project is used in two courses with the theme of Energy and the Environment, one a face-to-face course for future teachers, the other an on-line course open to all students. Southampton Solent University: The project is used part way through a first- level undergraduate unit in Global Environmental Issues. It ties in with future units looking at community involvement in environmental issues, and sustainable development Empire State College: The project is used in a distance learning course in Geology and the Environment. The students are typically adults with jobs and families, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

8. Malaspina University-CollegeParticipation in the project is voluntary. The alternative is a term paper (Approximately 90% of students take part!) The project can be started at any time within the 13-week term

9. The most popular topic choices are water and diet, followed by electricity and waste. Since relatively few choose to give up the use of their car, we have now made the transportation topic mandatory for all students who drive to campus. We ask them to reduce their driving by at least 30% in week 1, 40% in week 2 and 50% in week 3.

10. We’ve also asked students choosing the diet option to make a concerted effort to restrict themselves to locally-produced foods.

11. “It was fun, trying and eye-opening. An experience that I will take with me for many, many years and incorporate into my teaching in the future.” Student comments “… I am amazed how fast it has gone … I have been able to influence my landlord, family, friends and most importantly myself.” “I really like walking home. I feel better after I do it.” “I am now used to all the free time in the mornings that I save from not doing my hair; this I thought I could never change!”

12. Many students have commented that the changes were not as difficult as they had anticipated, and that they felt that they could maintain most of them without a significant impact on their quality of life. Student comments

13. End of term survey on the lifestyle project: • 31/34 said that it increased their awareness of the environment • 34/34 thought that it was a useful education experience • 32/34 said that they would consider adapting this project to their own classrooms

14. SouthamptonParticipation is required of all studentsThere is no official assessment, but there is a formative reflective writing exerciseAs this is only part of a unit, the exercise is used for one week only, early in the unit, to introduce issue of personal responsibility

15. Many of our students are local, or rent locally, therefore, driving to the university is rare.Most chose the energy and water saving options, with some claiming they recycle already.No one took the diet option!

16. What the students said“It was more difficult than we thought.”“In a shared house, getting others to allow you to turn thermostats down is difficult.”“I managed to have shorter showers for three days, then I kind of forgot.”

17. Empire State CollegeThe project is offered as one of two options in the final portion of the course. (The other option is a research paper about conservation, using the same topics as the project.)Typically about 2/3 of the students elect to do the project.Project begins with the ecological footprint quiz (www.myfootprint.org)and a series of energy calculations so that students can gain an awareness of how their actions add up.

18. The project runs for three weeks.Journals are submitted electronically at the end of each week.Instructor comments are added to the journal and they are returned electronically within a few days.Students use a discussion board to share suggestions and anecdotes from the project.The instructor posts her project journals to the discussion board, which always seems to generate student interest.

19. Because many of these students are older, and have households to run, the impact of the lifestyle project is very different than it is for young students living on campus.The changes are more difficult because they may need to convince their spouse or children to cooperate.Many are holding down a full-time job while doing the project.On the other hand, the project may affect these students more profoundly because it impacts their entire household.

20. Examples of outcomes:Trying to convince teenage kids to eat vegetables and take shorter showersSetting up carpooling with co-workersConvincing spouse to stop letting the water run when he does the dishes!Bringing lunch or coffee to work in reusable containersEncouraging the boss to allow recycling bins at workSetting up a compost pileRethinking the grocery shopping experience (packaging, processing, imported foods, meat) Setting foot in a health food store

21. Examples of pedagogic outcomes:Creates a closer community in a distance learning environmentCreates teamwork among studentsAllows for a personal connection between instructor and studentsEnds the course on a practical note that they can relate to their “real lives”

22. Summary of outcomes for students: • discovering that ‘talk is cheap’ and that action is far more challenging • a shift in awareness—recognizing the need to think about their environmental impact before they act. • realizing that lifestyle changes have time and convenience costs, but that some changes can save both time and money, and improve quality of life • becoming aware that small changes early in the project are easy, but substantial changes, made towards the end, can be more difficult • most students welcome the break from yet another term paper

23. Other outcomes: • the Lifestyle Project created a strong sense of community and teamwork in an on-line course (the same can be seen in a face-to-face course) • the “take-home” nature of the Lifestyle Project means that its effects commonly extend into the community, to family, friends and beyond • we discovered that the reflective (and especially reflective writing) capabilities of our students were poorer than we thought, and that more training is necessary here • student feedback supports the concept that learning through experience is more effective than many other forms of learning,

24. http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/enviroprojects/lifestyle.htmlhttp://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/enviroprojects/lifestyle.html

25. Thank you For more information: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/enviroprojects/lifestyle.html The Lifestyle Project is featured in the December 2007 issue of Geotimes

26. “I am so aware now that I cringe when I see lights on that shouldn’t be, and when people take more napkins than they need.” “I really dislike having short showers.” “Some are desperate for clean drinking water, yet I have so much that I have to think about not wasting it.” “It gives me hope to see what a difference a small change can make.” “Our family is about to begin our third week using the same thirteen-gallon garbage bag. ” “It has made my lifestyle one that I can be proud of.” “Each time I went to do something, I had to think of how my actions would affect the environment.” “Transportation is a big thing in my life…I drive everywhere.” “I guess I never really do need to wash it every day!” “I really like walking home.  I feel better after I do it.” “Will I always be like this?”