GREEN YOUR EDUCATION

The Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) is a student and youth run national network whose mission it is to build a network of diverse grassroots struggles that transcends current fabricated, oppressive constructs by sharing stories, skills, knowledge and radical analysis to dismantle destructive systems, and replace them with sustainable communities of resistance and collective liberation. We define the environment to include the physical, economic, political, and cultural conditions in which we live  - seac.org    

Also see Energy Action Coalition 

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Recent news:

August 2011: Small community college in MA goes zero carbon. “We’re one of the few campuses in the country, and perhaps the world, that is approaching zero net energy and zero net carbon, and that’s without buying green energy from another source,” said Ed Terceiro, a former school official who helped lead the wind turbine project at Mount Wachusett Community College in Central Massachusetts. With electricity bills approaching $800,000 annually, school officials decided to reinvent the institution as one focused on renewable energy. Two Vestas wind turbines will power 97% of the school (video link). 

July 2011: Preparing for climate change.  On a five-acre patch of land on the Kentucky’s Berea college campus, a group of students and staff is calmly preparing for the apocalypse. They are taking small steps to prepare for a slow-motion catastrophe they say has already begun as economic and population expansion outstrips the global supply of resources and creates a warmer, stormier climate. “We're locked into an economic system that requires infinite growth, and we happen to be on a finite planet,” said Richard Olson, a Berea professor and director of its Sustainability and Environmental Studies. “It's only a question of when our ever-increasing use of resources hits those limits.”  link    

The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is a pledge to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions on campus over time. Universities from all 50 states have signed on to the pledge and many have already made significant strides toward achieving this goal. link  As of February 2010 close to 700 presidents representing 40% of the nation's undergraduate population have pledged to work toward making their campuses climate neutral. Furman University in South Carolina, for example, has a master plan to become carbon neutral by 2026  pdf

June 2011: First grid-positive college in U.S. Butte College in California this week becomes the first college in the history of the United States to go ‘grid positive,' meaning that it will generate more electricity from its solar arrays than it consumes and will deliver power back to the electric grid. Butte College, located 75 miles from Sacramento and resting on a 928-acre wildlife refuge, will see significant cost savings from its solar arrays. The college estimates that it will save between $50 million and $75 million over 15 years, even after accounting for project costs and interest. link

October 2010: Award for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Morrison Residence Hall on the campus of has won the first-ever EPA National Building Competition. The competition launched in April 2010, challenged teams from 14 buildings across the country to measure their energy use and work off the waste with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. The Carolina team reduced energy use by 36% in just one year, saved more than $250,000 on energy bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use of nearly 90 homes for a year. link

April 2011: A poll from Yale University showed teens had serious misconceptions about the causes of and solutions to climate change, which led some of them to doubt its occurrence, humanity's involvement in the process or to understand its causes and solutions. In many ways teens showed less understanding of climate change than did adults. Only 25% of American teenagers receive a passing grade on their climate change awareness and understanding, and only about half of teens accurately believe climate change is occurring. Overall, 54% of teens received a failing grade, compared with 46% of adults. Only 6% of teens polled have an A or B level of understanding of climate change, while 41% have C or D grade. link

April 2010: Smarter sudents for a smarter planet -  IBM and Columbia University announce a new initiative called Smarter Students for a Smarter Planet aimed at addressing the growing need for training in more highly skilled positions for green jobs, everything from building engineers who understand energy efficiency to chemists who can help come up with new and more sustainable materials.  link

October 2009: $24 million to universities to develop wind research projects. The U.S. Department of Energy will invest $24 million in three university-led wind energy research facilities. Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Maine and University of Minnesota will each receive up to $8 million for projects which will focus on research and development on land-based and off-shore turbine performance reliability. The projects are also expected to create career and educational opportunities for students in the wind sector. link

College life may look different in the not-so-distant future with announcements of cost-cutting programs that help sustainability. Hundreds of colleges and universities are turning down their thermostats to save on heating, in programs like “Chill-Out” at Davidson College in North Carolina which also saved $10,000 by switching from bottled water to tap at most college events. Colleges are also installing low-flow shower heads and energy-saving light bulbs and holding contests to see which dorm can most reduce its electricity costs. link

Mississippi University partners with SmartSynch Inc to lower campus power     consumption. SmartSynch Inc., a smart grid infrastructure company using Internet protocol via public wireless networks, is partnering with the University of Mississippi to reduce the power  consumption of campus buildings while publishing real-time results for the general public on Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds. SmartSynch is working with UM to design an online dashboard for SmartSynch SmartMeters, which will enable the university to monitor, analyze and report on energy utilization among its campus buildings in real time to social networking  Web sites. The program is part of the university's "Red, Blue and Green" campaign. link

Nov. 29 2010: They're about 50 feet high, whirl like pinwheels and instill an excitement in students. Wind turbines spreading around the West in schoolyards under the Wind for Schools project. Currently 11 states take part in the program, but eventually 35 states are expected to participate. link

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WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Many of the ideas listed on the What Can You Do? page are things that the average college or university student can easily do as an individual.  But collectively students are in a unique and powerful position to influence the decisions of their institution's leaders and make significant changes on their campuses, as shown by the examples above.

There are many ways students can make a difference. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Join your campus’ environmental group or start your own.  The Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) is a national grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups fighting environmental injustice.  To see if a SEAC chapter is present on your campus or for help starting a new one check out www.seac.org.

Encourage your school’s president or chancellor to sign on to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.  If they haven’t already signed on (to check click here) work with your campus environmental group to get them to!  If they have signed the commitment, find out what steps have been taken to achieve carbon neutrality on your campus. You can start by contacting your Sustainability office, if there is one, or Facilities Management.

Green your transportation.  If you live on campus or nearby, ride your bike, walk, or take public transit as much as possible.  If you commute to school consider carpooling, or start a campus carpooling program if one does not already exist.

Make smart paper choices.  Students use massive amounts of paper.  Buy recycled paper and notebooks, and recycle papers you no longer need.  Print only what you need to print, and whenever possible print on both sides of the sheet.  Save sheets that have only been printed on one side to use as scrap paper or for printing on the other side.

Write to your school or local newspaper.  If there is something you want to change, or an effort you want to praise, write about it!  This is also a great way to publicize what your group is doing on campus and attract new members.  Here are some tips for letter writing. 

Reduce waste on campus.  This may seem obvious but campuses produce lots of garbage that ends up in landfills.  Reuse or recycle everything you can!  Use reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water.  Push for more reusable items in dining halls, such as reusable bags, cups, and plates.  Avoid styrofoam and plastic and if you must use disposable products, opt for those made from paper.  Push for a campus composting program for leftover food.

Buy used.  A great way to save money and the planet is to buy used.  Textbooks are much cheaper if purchased used from the school bookstore or online.  But don't stop there!  Look for good used furniture, appliances, and clothes at thrift stores or on sites like Craigs List. Sell or trade your stuff when you're finished with it instead of throwing it away.  Organize a yard sale at the end of the school year.

Unplug appliances when not in use.  Your cell phone charger is consuming energy even when your phone isn't plugged in.  Your computer is hogging energy while you're asleep.  Put appliances on a power strip that you can turn off at once if you have trouble remembering to unplug each one.  For more on conserving energy check out the Conservation page. 

Be involved.  Probably one of the best ways you can make a difference is to be involved on your campus and within your community.  You can meet others with similar interests and promote awareness of environmental issues.  Stay informed of what is happening in your community.  Volunteer at a local elementary school or help clean up a stream.  You are making a difference!  Check out volunteer opportunities in your area here. 

If you have any ideas or success stories to share, I would love to hear from you!  You can email me at becky@thinkglobalgreen.org.