More colleges and universities are focusing on sustainability operations and curriculums at approximately 1,000 educational institutions in the U.S., says Paul Rowland, executive director for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Education (AASE). Rowland noted there has been an increase in green activities at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the leadership of the United Negro College Fund and other organizations. However, he said that more than 3,000 educational institutions in the U.S. need to become more engaged in campus sustainability efforts.
Why aren’t more colleges and universities going greener? “There is a misconception that ‘greening’ costs more money,” said Rowland. “Much of that misconception is based on the initial costs and not long-term or life-cycle costs.” He believes a shift in strategy during tight economic times could include moving toward investments with shorter payback periods. “In the greening process, this looks like more efforts in energy conservation, which has a very short payback, and fewer investments in alternative energy production like photovoltaics,” he said.
Green projects at HBCUs vary widely. There are campus gardens and geothermal heating systems. Students have initiated bottled water bans and tray-less dining. “Recently we see institutions looking at their investments and divesting fossil fuel investments,” Rowland said. He believes that almost all institutions are trying to control their energy use, “for economic reasons, if nothing else,” he said. Some colleges focus on transportation to reduce their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. Water conservation efforts are also popular.
However, some smaller HBCUs and traditionally White institutions have few or no green initiatives. “Some of the issues have been financial, but in some cases, it is lack of information about how to go about moving forward on projects,” Rowland said. He added that financial arrangements with third-party providers make it possible for nearly any institution to participate in energy conservation efforts with little or no up-front costs. Policies and practices that give a preference to green purchasing are no-cost ways to have a greener institution, he said.
Delaware State University’s sustainability efforts have garnered national attention. DSU president Dr. Harry L. Williams was elected to serve on the Steering Committee of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC.) DSU was the ACUPCC 2011 Climate Leadership Award recipient and is the only HBCU to receive the honor for excellence in climate education and control.
DSU was recently invited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to become a partner in environmental protection. The partnership’s goal is to strengthen the ties between the Mid-Atlantic Region of the EPA and to promote research, teaching, career development and stewardship in environmental sciences. Last summer the university was named a Better Building Challenge partner, the only HBCU selected. As the recipient of the 2012 Arbor Day Tree Campus USA for the state of Delaware, the Arbor Day Foundation planted 30 trees on the campus.
The university’s “Go Green” Sustainability Committee has now grown to seven subcommittees with more than 80 members throughout the campus, according to Vita Pickrum, associate vice president of development and coordinator of sustainability initiatives. One of its most successful projects is the Green Ambassadors. The student group plans green education and promotions through the student body.
