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November 12, 2008, 07:40 AM ET
Can Colleges and Local Governments Work Together on the Sustainability Agenda?
Raleigh, N.C. — The closing panel at the national conference for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education grappled with the ways that sustainability advocates can work with local governments to push sustainability efforts.
Jim Elder, the director of the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, was the panel’s moderator. He opened the discussion by saying that sustainability offices at colleges and universities are largely underfunded and marginalized. He asked the panel how higher education can help government and how government can help colleges.
Harvey Ruvin, the clerk of the courts from Miami-Dade County, Fla., said that he looked to local professors for expertise on how to deal with climate change in south Florida. He has sought information from professors of urban planning and geology, who research how to urban areas will deal with rising seas, a big threat in his region.
Kevin Foy, the mayor of Chapel Hill, N.C., said that his city, with its zoning authority, had played a role in guiding the University of North Carolina to sustainability. “The university at times has been more like a developer that needs to watch the bottom line,” he said. “The fact is that there was a time when they needed some prodding.” The city’s zoning, he said, has helped the university grow more sustainably. At the same time, he said, he has relied on the political power of the university to push projects, like getting more efficient streetlights.
Debra Rowe, a professor at Oakland Community College who is famously involved in countless sustainability organizations and efforts, said that many campus career offices don’t tell students about the sustainability jobs that city governments will need to fill in the future. Sustainability advocates, she said, should use that potential demand to push sustainability education on campus.
She also said that students should be engaged in projects and learning opportunities in local communities to improve their education. That kind of hands-on learning would not only help the local community but also provide more vital lessons for students.
“Cities can get students out of these dumb assignments where we have students jump through hoops,” she said. —Scott Carlson
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