How Universities are Moving towards a Sustainable Future

    I'm a student at RIT. We're one of the largest technology schools in the country, and as such, we create the most waste of any tech school in the country. Our student population consists of more than 18,000 grads and undergrads. In recent years, our school and many others have instituted extensive recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills. Colleges and Universities are pioneering programs to reduce the waste stream of populations numbering in the tens of thousands (student populations). The programs are what we need to help build a sustainable future. However, there are issues with nearly all of these sustainability programs; Local government. Right here in Rochester, New York, we are limited in the spectrum of our recycling and sustainability program by the local government. Monroe County, New York has a recycling program that RIT must follow. Unfortunately, that recycling program only encompasses #1 and #2 plastics. The county collects these, because they there is a large market in the economy for recycled #1and 2 plastics. They have found a buyer for the plastics. There is a market for all recycled plastic. The problem is finding a dependable buyer in the industry. All populations create waste consisting of plastics 1-7. RIT is not an exception. No University is an exception. By Limiting the type of plastics admissible to the program, the local government is limiting the progress of our programs. Universities across the country face problems that limit their sustainable options significantly. 

    RIT chose to sign the ACUPCC, because the administration felt that every university should be responsible for driving progress in all fields of research. By making a formal commitment towards a sustainable future, the University (and all Universities that signed the agreement) are sending a message to government and society.

    On April 22, 2009, President Destler signed the ACUPCC (see above) and made a commitment along with many other college across the United States to move towards a more Carbon Neutral Future. This means that within 2 years, Colleges and Universities across the United States must develop an institution action plan for becoming Carbon neutral. Two or more tangible actions must be outlined to reduce carbon emissions. This formal agreement between Colleges and Universities is a great first step, but it must take on the same credibility as an international treaty. Each institution is a country looking to reduce their carbon and greenhouse emissions.

    As a student at one of these institutions, and as a student who will be here when plans are put into action, I am very excited for the near future. This agreement shows that the Colleges and Universities of this country are heading in the right direction. The Institutions of Higher learning have always led the way in the areas of research and experimentation, so it is only natural that they all take on the challenge of emissions reduction and sustainability. My area of study is in this field, and i look forward to working on large scale projects such as the ACUPCC. All of this is movement in the right direction, but carbon and greenhouse emissions are not the only problems Colleges and Universities should be addressing. All colleges and Universities need to lobby the public to demand more extensive municipal recycling and sustainability programs. The Colleges and Universities of this country needs to work with the public and government towards building a sustainable future. The academic institutions should do the research and the local governments should implement and experiment with the ideas and findings that come out of that research. The College environment is a microcosm of society.