CAMPUS PRACTICES

Photos by Erika Nicosia

Many in the academic community are calling for universities to be models of sustainability in all aspects of their functioning. In 1994, the national President's Council on Sustainable Development brought together educators from throughout the nation to discuss the principles of sustainability and to set an agenda for incorporation of these principles into higher education. The group defined education for sustainability as "a lifelong learning process that leads to an informed and involved citizenry having the creative problem-solving skills, scientific and social literacy, and commitment to engage in responsible individual and cooperative actions that will help ensure an environmentally sound and economically prosperous future." Several months later, participants in the follow-up Essex Workshop on the Principles of Sustainability in Higher Education reasserted the moral responsibility of institutions of higher education to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills and values needed to create a just and sustainable future. They posited, "higher education will play a critical role in determining whether we as a species will succeed or fail in the race to save our planet and our communities." These findings were in response to recommendations advocated in the "Talloires Declaration of University Presidents for a Sustainable Future," a policy statement developed at Tufts in 1990 and since signed by more that 270 institutions, including URI, from 42 countries. This declaration charges institutions of higher learning to ensure that all students receive a strong foundation in the basic tenets of ecological and social literacy.

Most recently, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) sponsored a national conference in December 2001 on "Sustainable Communities: Science & Solutions." Conference participants again concluded that higher education must take a lead in defining the vision for a sustainable world. Several recommendations relate specifically to the University serving as a model of sustainable practice:

• Universities should be models of Sustainability in all aspects of their functioning, including curriculum, research, operations, and outreach as well as monitoring and reporting.
  
• Universities need to serve as leaders for establishing regional, national, and international sustainability policies and programs.
  
• Higher education institutions should become more effective resources for their communities and help educate citizens about the local regional, national, and international dimensions of environmental problems facing environmental decision-makers.

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