Are Our Schools Green Enough?

Yesterday I attended a lecture at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, on environmentally sustainable campuses as part of their annual Fall for the Book event. Presenter Jim Merkel, former sustainability coordinator at Dartmouth College and author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth, asked audience members to imagine a future in which GMU had become a sustainable campus. (He’s an amazing guy with a great story BTW, I encourage you to check out his website and book.)

Jim asked us to turn to our neighbors and imagine the new sights, sounds, and smells we might experience. Simply put, I was stunned by what I heard: The student sitting next to me had absolutely nothing to say. He had no thoughts whatsoever on how the campus might be improved, changed, or more efficient. I even tried prompting him for possible ideas (I didn’t tell him of my background), to no avail. He was at a complete loss as to how GMU could be sustainable in the future. How is this possible? I was under the impression that from an early age, U.S. school children are being taught environmental education (not like when I went to school in the ’80s!). I figured that by college, these children would have grown into environmentally aware adults.

Now I certainly don’t want to jump to any conclusions based on this one interaction. But then I got this press release from the Go Green Initiative that boasted how over 1 million students and teachers in the U.S. had gone green. At first glance, that looks great. But then you look at the statistics: There are over 45 million students in the U.S. and nearly 3 million teachers according to the NASBE.

I got curious. I found out that my own children’s school in Fairfax County — in one of the largest school systems in the country — does not even have a recycling program in place (yet)! I plan to meet with the PTA about starting the Go Green Initiative there next week.

My point is this: If we are serious about increasing our environmental sustainability as a nation, shouldn’t we be starting in the schools?

Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com

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