Universities Are More Green. Sort Of
Managing to turn centuries of conventional wisdom on its head, academia has proved it is sometimes easier done than said, at least when it comes to environmentalism. A report by the National Wildlife Federation says that more universities have shown a greater commitment to sustainability in their operations but have made few gains at integrating the same lessons into their curricula.
University administrators have taken strides in providing more recycling programs, energy efficiency programs, and green landscapes. In 2001, 43 percent of schools had a written pledge to sustainability, while that number is now 65 percent. Similarly, more than 90 percent of those surveyed said they had hired or planned to hire an energy conservation manager, compared with 42 percent seven years ago, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
On the other hand, there are fewer schools that offer degrees in environmental and sustainability fields and fewer students had taken sustainability related courses this past year when compared with 2001. "It is extremely counterintuitive," said an NWF official. Now, some can only hope that greener operations will eventually trickle into the classroom, too.
Tags: colleges | environment
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Reader Comments
Maybe you need to spark student interest
Schools seem to think that students really care about being green, but after doing a little research on it, I'm not so sure this is true. According to this study (http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2008/bs20080115_911253.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_business+schools), MBA students prefer green money over a green environment. So, perhaps schools need to assess the level of interest among their students before trying to force green curriculum down their throat. Don't misunderstand me, I think colleges need to play an integral role in supporting sustainability,and I strongly support their efforts to do so. But in order for it to be effective, perhaps they need to step back and start from the basics first.
Just a thought.
Alternative energy engineering programs
With a lot of the "new economy" based on sustainability and alternative energy technologies (wind, solar, biomass), which universities have engineering programs that are leading in this area? The Colo School of Mines and University of Colo have an advantage with thier close proximity to the NREL, but which other schools are best for this line of study?
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