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Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 1 Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education1 This chapter appeared originally in Sustainability and University Life, Walter Leal Filho ed., published by Peter Lang © 1999. Richard M. Clugston and Wynn Calder Abstract This chapter explor es the evolution of the concern for sustainability in higher education. It describes the origin of the Talloires Declaration as a guiding set of commitments for colleges and universities pursuing sustainability. Critical dimensions of sustainability in higher education are presented as a result of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future's (ULSF)2 Sustainability Indicators Project. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Two case studies of university efforts to "green" their institutions are described in light of these dimensions and conditions for success. Sustainability and Ecojustice A concern for sustainability arose in the early seventies as growing numbers of people realized that the degradation of the environment would seriously undermine our ability to ensure expanding prosperity and economic justice. The most frequently cited definition of sustainability came from the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, in its description of new directions for "our common future." Sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). A series of United Nations' conferences and NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) meetings in the 1990s have provided a major framework in which the meaning and implications of sustainability have been clarified. In these major international events, representatives of governments, business and civil society have met to wrestle with the direction of development. They produced a series of international agreements, including: Agenda 21 from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio; the Vienna Conference Tribunal on Violations of Women's Human Rights; the Cairo Consensus and Action Plan of the International Conference on Population and Development; the Copenhagen Social Summit discussions of equitable, "people-centered" development; the Beijing Commitments regarding Rights and Roles of Women in Development; the Habitat II 1 Taken from Sustainability and University Life (W. L. Filho, ed., Peter Lang, 1999). 2 The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF), located in Washington, D.C., is an international membership organization of academic leaders and institutions committed to the advancement of global environmental literacy and sustainability. ULSF helps colleges and universities build and strengthen institutional capacity to make sustainability a major focus of academic disciplines, research initiatives, operations and outreach. The ULSF Secretariat promotes the 1990 Talloires Declaration and maintains an international network of signatories, facilitating information exchange, providing technical support, and sponsoring conferences that foster organizational and individual capacity to develop sustainable policies and practices. ULSF is the higher education program of the Center for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE). The Center, founded in 1986, promotes the greening of higher education and fosters earth ethics to guide sustainable development. Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 2 agenda concerned with sustainable human settlements; and the Rome World Food Summit. These international agreements, developed with U.S. government participation, set promising policy directions for a sustainable future (Clugston, 1996). Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasizes that human population, consumption, and technology are the primary driving forces of environmental change. This document outlines steps to reduce wasteful and inefficient consumption patterns in some parts of the world while encouraging increased but sustainable development in others. Agenda 21 also states that "education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of all people to address environment and development issues" (Agenda 21 , 1994). Analysts increasingly recognize that poverty, unemployment, community disintegration, and ecological abuse have accelerated globally, despite a seven-fold increase in global GNP since 1950. A major reason is that we have defined our goals in terms of growing economies to provide jobs—a means—rather than developing healthy sustainable human societies that provide people with secure and satisfying livelihoods—an end. David Korten claims that a new agenda must be designed to support the right of all people to a place in society and on the earth with access to the resources required to create a secure and fulfilling life for themselves at peace with their neighbors and in balance with the earth’s natural systems; to build—complementary to the money economy—strong gender-balanced, non-monetized household and community economies able to replenish the social capital that is essential to healthy societies; and create a global system of localized economies that root economic power and environmental responsibility in people and communities of place (Korten, 1994). Definitions of and approaches to sustainability vary depending on the view and interest of the definer, but each emphasizes that activities are ecologically sound, socially just, economically viable and humane, and that they will continue to be so for future generations. Historically, the term "sustainable" arose among those with environmental concerns, and most definitions reflect this emphasis. It is critical, however, to address social justice issues and to know that there can be no sustainable communities and institutions without social justice. So, too, is humane consideration toward the whole community of life an essential part of true sustainability. Fundamentally, a commitment to sustainability implies recognition that the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century are real and they require that the global economic and political order be grounded in different values and practices. A Movement to Promote Sustainability in Higher Education A significant attempt to define the sustainable university was made in 1990 with the Talloires Declaration. Jean Mayer, the President of Tufts, convened twenty-two university leaders in Talloires, France, to voice their concerns about the state of the world and create a document that spelled out key actions universities must take to create a sustainable f uture. Recognizing the shortage of specialists in environmental management and related fields, as well as the lack of comprehension by professionals in all fields of their effect on the environment and public health, this gathering defined the role of the university in the following way: "Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society's institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to increase the awareness, knowledge, Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 3 technologies, and tools to create an environmentally sustainable future" (Report and Declaration of The Presidents Conference, 1990). The following excerpts from the Talloires Declaration describe critical aspects of the presidents' vision of sustainability through higher education: We the presidents, rectors, and vice chancellors of universities from all regions of the world, are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation and the depletion of natural resources. Pollution, toxic wastes, and depletion of the ozone layer threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. University heads must provide the leadership, so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge. We, therefore, agree to take the following actions… ? Encourage all universities to engage in education, research, policy formation, and information exchange on population, environment, and development to move toward a sustainable future. ? Establish programs to produce expertise in environmental management, sustainable economic deve lopment, population, and related fields to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate and responsible citizens. ? Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing programs of resource conservation, recycling, and waste reduction at the universities. (ULSF, 1990) The Talloires Declaration has been signed by more than 265 university presidents and chancellors at institutions in over 40 countries across five continents. This suggests a growing recognition that academic research, teaching, and service must address the sustainability challenge. Undoubtedly, signing the Talloires Declaration for some institutions constituted a symbolic act in the moment. For others, however, the document continues to be an impetus and framewor k for steady progress toward sustainability. With or without the Talloires Declaration as a guiding set of commitments, the obstacles to transforming higher education are daunting. The modern university is the embodiment of the mechanistic, utilitarian worldview that shaped the scientific and industrial revolutions. Cartesian dualism (separating pure from applied, objective from subjective); Baconian method (emphasizing manipulation, control, and quantitative measurement); and utilitarian philosophy shape academic functioning. The academy is also deeply involved in providing expertise for an "unsustainable" world economy. Academic work -research, teaching and service - is organized in disciplines such as psychology, engineering, and theology. It is the responsibility of eminent scholars in each of the disciplines to define what is understood and appropriate to pursue within them. The department is the local, campus -based manifestation of the discipline. The current body of fact and theory accepted by the disciplines largely determines what is taught in these local Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 4 places. Academics move from campus to campus but remain in their disciplinary fields. Promoting sustainability in higher education depends significantly on the active engagement of disciplinary le aders in promoting ecologically sensitive theory and sustainable practices as central to the scope and mission of their fields (e.g. in peer-review criteria for journal articles and in the themes and organization of professional associations). Fortunately, many are engaged in transforming their disciplines at both the national and local (campus) levels. Members of various professional associations have started special interest groups, divisions, or sections focused on environment and sustainability. For example, the American Institute of Architects provides an environmental education program for teachers called "Learning by Design." The American Planning Association and the American Management Association both have formed special interest groups. The American Academy of Religion has an ecology and religion section. Professional journals are emerging, such as the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. This publication provides a forum for critical studies of the literary and performing arts proceeding from or addressing environmental considerations, including ecological theory, conceptions of nature and their depictions, the human/nature dichotomy, and related concerns (Clugston, 1995). Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education What would a sustainable college or university look like? An academic institution committed to sustainability would help students understand the roots of environmental degradation and motivate them to seek environmentally sustainable practices while also teaching the roots of today’s injustices in full integration with modeling justice and humaneness. While the manner in which academic institutions and programs define and approach sustainability varies, we would expect a genuine commitment to creating a sustainable future to be evidenced in the critical dimensions of institutional life (e.g. in its written statements of mission and purpose; academic programs; energy and purchasing practices; outreach; faculty hiring and development, etc.). ULSF's on-going Sustainability Indicators Project has revealed a set of orientations and activities found in colleges and universities fully committed to sustainability. Though approaches to "greening" higher education vary considerably, the institution must be implementing practices in these seven areas to be very far along the path to sustainability: 1. The written statements of the mission and purpose of the institution and its various units express their philosophies and commitments. The descriptions of learning objectives and public relations materials of the various schools, departments, programs or offices thus would express prominent and explicit concern for sustainability. 2. The college or university appropriately incorporates the concepts of sustainability into all academic disciplines and in liberal arts and professional education requirements, as well as into faculty and student research. Likewise, a firm grounding in basic disciplines and critical thinking skills is essential to pursuing a sustainable future. Institutions committed to sustainability prominently feature certain topics in their course offerings, e.g. Globalization and Sustainable Development; Environmental Philosophy; Nature Writing; Land Ethics and Sustainable Agriculture; Urban Ec ology and Social Justice; Population, Women and Development; Sustainable Production and Consumption; and many others. Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 5 3. A major shift from the current academic paradigm lies in a conscious reflection of the role of the institution in its social and ecological systems. Students learn about the institutional values and practices in this context. For example, all students would understand: a. how the campus functions in the ecosystem (e.g. its sources of food, water, energy, endpoint of waste and garbage) and its contribution to a sustainable economy. b. how the institution views and treats its employees (such as student, staff, faculty involvement in decision-making, their status and benefits, etc.). c. the basic values and core assumptions present in the content and methods of the academic disciplines. 4. Since research and teaching are the fundamental purposes of academic institutions, knowledge of sustainability is a critical concern in the hiring, tenure and promotion systems. We would expect the institution to: a. reward faculty members’ contributions to sustainability in scholarship, teaching, or campus and community activities. b. provide significant staff and faculty development opportunities to enhance understanding, teaching and research in sustainability. 5. The institution has an "ecological footprint." In its production and consumption the institution follows sustainable policies and practices: for example, CO2 reduction practices and the use of emission control devices; sustainable building construction and renovation; energy conservation practices; local food purchasing program; purchasing and investment in environmentally and socially responsible products; and many others. Furthermore, these operational practices are integrated into the educational and scholarly activities of the school. 6. Institutional support and campus student life services that emphasize certain practices, such as: a. new student orientation, scholarships, internships and job placement counseling related to community service, sustainability and/or jus tice issues; b. an Environmental or Sustainability Council or Task Force, an Environmental Coordinator or Curriculum Greening Officer; c. regularly conducted environmental audits; d. prominent public, student and staff celebrations of sustainability on campus (for example, lectures, conferences, Earth Day celebrations, etc). 7. The institution is engaged in outreach and forming partnerships both locally and globally to enhance sustainability. The college or university supports sustainable communities in the surrounding region and relationships with local businesses that foster sustainable practices. The institution seeks international cooperation in solving global environmental justice and sustainability problems through conferences, and student/faculty exchanges, among others. This list is an abbreviated version of the questions found in ULSF’s Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire, 1999. Critical Conditions Determining the Success of Sustainability Initiatives Sustainability initiatives meet with various degrees of success. In some institutions, seemingly broad-based and strong initiatives have faded away. In others, significant academic programs and operations policies have been institutionalized. A variety of factors determine the success Critical Dimensions of Sustainability in Higher Education 6 of sustainability initiatives at colleges and universities. Seven critical conditions are noted below. 1. How are the "champions" of sustainability initiatives perceived by others in the institution? Do they have the credibility and the personality needed to promote the initiative or are they marginal institutional actors complaining and promoting their narrow self-interest? Do they persist in the face of resistance, with adaptability and grace, or do they give up or become frustrated? 2. Do the initiatives have the endorsement of key administrative leaders at the institution? Is a commitment to sustainability supported by the President or Chancellor (e.g. by signing the Talloires Declaration), or by other high level and influential figures (e.g. senior managers)? 3. Who benefits from the initiative? Which departments and programs will the faculty and administration perceive the initiative to be strengthening, and which will it threaten? If it is perceived to be the imposition of a special interest group demanding that all faculty understand "Earth Sciences" or embrace a new counter culture or “politically correct” movement, then it is doomed. However, if it promises to empower and strengthen many programs, it will be supported. 4. Does the initiative fit with the institution’s ethos , its saga, and its organizational culture? Each college and university has a particular story that it tells about itself and a particular "niche" that it fills in the ecology of higher education. How well does the initiative conform to this institutional identity? 5. Does the initiative elicit the engagement of the college or university community? Is there sufficient publicity (through awareness events, press releases, articles, etc.) for new policies and initiatives? Is there regular disclosure of progress, successes and failures? Is information made available to ensure accountability on the part of those managing and carrying out the initiative? Finally, is the process for cr