Facts: According to the 2010 Assessing Student Attitudes Toward Sustainability Issues survey, 73 percent of respondents though it was important for N.C. State to be a leader in sustainability. The University is currently among 840 peer institutions in the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in High Education and is among almost 700 academic institutions who have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
Opinion: Although it is another meeting to attend, the Sustainability Strategic Plan Meeting is one of the most important to go to. It is a holistic view of how the University will operate in the future and will adapt with the changes in “green,” sustainable practices. Whether or not students believe in it, there is a demand for sustainable initiatives on campus and in society and they will be harder to deny in the future.
The University moves much slower compared to students who go to class and change every day. Much of the movement for the University happens in meetings and departmental exchanges. However, this process usually bores students and we find it hard to see how it relates to us. This point is moot when talking about the Sustainability Strategic Plan though, and we, as students and future members of working society, need to realize how important this plan is, not only to the University now, but to our future in the workforce.
One of the first points outlined in the Sustainability Strategic Plan is creating a new community for a new culture focused on sustainability. Without input from the community, students, faculty and staff alike, the plan will not accurately reflect the current campus climate and thoughts, and thus cannot be sustainable. We must adapt and embrace this plan so we actually live what we say.
With this in mind, everyone’s major is involved. Whether we are training to be an engineer, sociologist, biologist or statistician, we will be affected by this green revolution that is certainly coming our way. We can choose to ignore it and be left behind professionally, or embrace it and contribute to it. This meeting will not only expose us to the future of the University and allow us to affect how it will move forward, but also show us how to look at other established institutions and make them more sustainable. These values and skills will be critical as we move forward in society.
Not only will this plan make our University more green and more sustainable in the future, it will help cut costs, use our resources more efficiently and establish a culture where we are all socially responsible for our actions. All students, both current and future, know the importance of saving a few bucks. When applied to a university’s budget, a few bucks can equal an entire department. As the state budget continues shrink, this may be the University’s last chance to save some departments from the chopping block. This, in turn, will benefit future students who choose to join these departments.
Students should care about attending the Sustainability Strategic Meeting because this will be the future. Whether we want to admit it or not, U.S. society is moving towards “going green,” and academics are being asked to provide the leadership to pave the way into a sustainable future. There is no career that is untouched by another and we are all interconnected, and this plan will help establish how the University can maintain this balance while also continuing to function in a modern, dynamic society.
