5. Education

Education and awareness

Campus sustainability is a product of engineered solutions and behavior change. The policy and planning framework mentioned earlier provides a foundation for the operational and cultural changes that are needed to mainstream sustainability.

In an addition to technical and infrastructural upgrades, there is also a need to identify issues that may actually be blocking meaningful changes. For example, environmental infrastructure (recycling bins, air conditioning controls, reporting procedures of environmental problems) must be easy to use and procedures well understood by the community.

The community needs to understand the environmental impact of individual and corporate decisions and how alternative decisions would substantially improve that performance. Various strategies can assist in building this awareness including annual reporting, direct access to online information about energy use and hardcopy and electronic media (posters, websites, published papers etc.).

An informed and ecologically literate campus community will support and even drive institutional change. The intent is to go from making community members aware of environmental issues to educating them about how they can influence environmental performance through their own behavior. An ecologically literate community also understands the holistic nature of environmental issues and therefore the variety of impacts that come from simple decisions related to purchase, travel, technology and personal comfort.

STEP I. Develop strategies for creating an aware and ultimately educated community.

How can relevant information be transmitted to the university community?

Assess the current level of campus eco-literacy
Staging of community activities (sustainability fairs, swap meets, days celebrating sustainability, ride-to-work days, etc.)
Include sustainability briefings in induction programs
Create formal (and informal) education programs for staff (ranging from role-specific workshops to postgraduate studies in campus sustainability)
Public reporting on university environmental performance and achievements against set goals and making this information comprehensible and easily accessible

STEP II. Develop strategies for improving participation of the campus population in environmental sustainability.

How can the Sustainability Team encourage individual involvement and action?

Create a recognizable image for the Sustainability Team (through a logo, etc.) to brand material released by the office thus increasing legitimacy for the initiatives
Distribute information about ways to minimize energy use, water consumption, waste, etc.
Advertise sustainability initiatives effectively through social media, emails, posters, etc.
Set up direct access to hardcopy and electronic resources
Acknowledge success through awards, internships and public recognition