When it comes to sustainability often the media focuses on - and therefore our attention is drawn to - big organizations like massive universities or corporations with a global reach and customer base. One such institution is Dickinson College in Pennsylvania (about 2,100 full time students) which has “been recognized as the most sustainable small liberal arts college in the country for six consecutive years.” In her latest newsletter Katharine Hayhoe talks about her visit to Dickinson and how “ sustainability is part of everyday life” at the college with programs ranging from a free clothing exchange to bike sharing.
There are other emissions-reducing initiatives on campus but “the commitment to sustainability extends into education as well. Each student is required to take at least one sustainability course from more than 50 available options in order to graduate. (The school also offers 130 other courses with a sustainability component.) And many students go beyond the one-course requirement: half of all graduating students have taken four or more sustainability courses.”
Despite all these positive actions and learning Hayhoe found when talking with students on her visit that the most frequently asked questions were, “Where do you find hope?” and “What can I do to make a difference? Because I don’t feel like I can.””
Unfortunately this sentiment is not unique to the students at Dickinson. “Last month, the Lancet Planet Health published the largest climate and mental health survey of U.S. youth aged 16 to 25. 58 percent of respondents said they were very or extremely worried about climate change, and 85 said they were at least moderately worried.”
But at least Dickinson students are channeling some of this climate anxiety into action. Are there small schools, organizations or businesses in your region that could learn from what Dickinson is doing?