We are often told that we aren't doing enough for the environment, that we need to make changes. But how are we supposed to incorporate change into our hectic college lives in a simple manner? It feels like a recipe saying that you need ingredients that you don’t have—time, finances, a well rounded understanding. A lot of us in this situation will just give up. Not because we don’t want to make the recipe, but because we’re just overwhelmed and uneducated. So how can universities help to simplify the idea and process of environmental change for students? Here's how…
Being in college isn’t usually an easy transition. Most students are entering college straight out of highschool, where they lived at home with their parents and likely had fewer responsibilities. Once you're on your own for the first time it becomes a balancing act of priorities that you never really thought about before. Things like money, time, stress, and academics, start to take over and leave little space for you to be thinking about your daily impact on the environment. In fact, in 2015 Ohio State University conducted a survey revealing that “70 percent of…students [were] feeling stressed about their finances” while another “32 percent of students [were] neglecting their studies…because of the money they owed” (Scholarship America, 2019). If students are feeling this stressed about finances, then there's a slim chance that any of them will be willing to make the switch to purchasing eco-friendly products, which typically come at a higher price.
Aside from finances, it’s also hard for college students to find the time to learn about environmental issues outside of their usual studies. The typical college student schedule will include at least one class per day spanning around 1-3 hours long, followed by a part time job, completing homework, and time consuming studying. Then if lucky, they will have some time over the weekend to socialize. Now, that’s not even factoring in any outside factors or challenges that can have an impact on any human being's schedule, so how can we expect students to use their limited free time to research these things? It’s just not reasonable. That is why universities need to find a simpler, more effective way to teach environmental practices so that everyone can benefit in the future without adding more stress now.
Thanks to technology and social media, Universities have more ways than ever before to engage with their students and increase environmental awareness.
Before social media, the norm for getting the word out about something was to put a poster on a wall and hope that people will read it. Nowadays, the likelihood of a poster gaining the attention of a large number of students is very slim. So if not a poster, then what else? Well, what if universities began lightly, almost subconsciously, integrating environmental sustainability into students’ daily campus life.
Circling back to what I was saying in my second paragraph, finances are a high priority for students. So instead of expecting students to pay more for eco-friendly products, help them pay less when choosing to eat plant based while conserving energy by doing so.
Another integration could be ensuring that there are clearly labeled and easy to understand recycling bins in more locations than just the dining halls. This may seem pretty self explanatory, but you might be surprised to hear that the recycling rate amongst all U.S. universities stands at a low 24% (2). Even incorporating images on or around the bins of what is able to be thrown inside can help in terms of cross contamination with other forms of trash.
What about surveys with an incentive? Send out a mass survey to all enrolled students asking them simple questions about the environment, acts of change, current issues, and what it is they may or may not already be familiar with. This is a simple yet effective way to really gauge what it is that needs to be taught and/or implemented the most and by adding an incentive such as a gift card, there is a much higher chance of the survey being completed.
But out of all of those ways to incorporate sustainability into campus life, there is one that definitely has the highest chance of success, and that is to simply use social media platforms like instagram to truly engage and spark the attention of students. College aged young adults practically live in the world of social media. So if you really want to grab their attention—ring their digital doorbell. Many students follow their university’s instagram, which makes it the perfect place to share whatever message or tips it is you want to get out to a large number of students. Tapping through instagram stories is already engraved into most college student’s daily routines, so why not take advantage of that?
I remember being in either middle or high school and seeing a post that had been circulating around instagram, being shared and reposted by all of my peers. It was a video about the animal cruelty going on at FairLife Farms, the milk brand. But what was different about this video that really caught my attention, as well as everyone else's who had seen it, was how raw and unfiltered it was. There was absolutely no sugar coating what was happening behind those barn doors and although it was deeply disturbing and sad, it left a lasting impression on me and so many others. We were young, but that 30 second video opened a lot of our eyes to the harsh realities going on in the world and sparked conversations of animal cruelty that we had never had before then. I say this, to express how universities can do the same as a way to spark conversations of climate change and open up eyes to the realities going on that most students are unaware of. Sometimes it takes breaking that third wall to really motivate and inspire change, especially in today’s world where some of the most important things can be drowned out by whatever’s trending next.
In conclusion, universities have many different opportunities to make environmental change louder and more accessible for students, and they can do so by using social media and subtly integrating environmental sustainability into campus life. That way, we can stop scolding the younger generations for not doing enough and instead educating, inspiring, and creating long lasting habits to benefit our future. Let's make that recipe!
Credits:
Sources https://scholarshipamerica.org/blog/financial-stress-prevents-college-students-from-graduating-what-can-we-do/ (1) https://checksammy.com/blog/7-back-to-school-waste-statistics/ (2) Images by Studio-FI - "Aerial view of three wind turbines in the early morning fog at sunrise in the English countryside" • vegefox.com - "wallet broke" • Freedomz - "Education, teaching, learning concept. High school students or classmates group tutor in library studying and reading with helps friend doing homework and lesson practice preparing exam to entrance" • kerdkanno - "Ingredients for the healthy foods selection. The concept of healthy food set up on wooden background." • sawitreelyaon - "Close up hand holding empty bottle into the trash" • carballo - "group of young people with mobile phones on the street"