Middlebury Study Abroad Going Green
Guide for Schools Abroad Directors
“Every person is the right person to act.
Every moment is the right moment to begin.”
-Jonathan Schell, author, Fate of the Earth
Going Green
Middlebury College is an environmental leader, renowned for its program in environmental studies and for the leadership of our students, faculty, and staff in the environmental arena. Our mission statement emphasizes integrating environmental stewardship into the curriculum and into our practices on campus.[1] Our strategic plan devotes an entire chapter to the environment, including recommendations around the issues of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and land management, energy efficient buildings and more.[2] In April 2007 the Board of Trustees endorsed a plan to become carbon neutral by 2016 and voted that Middlebury become a signatory of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment.[3] In September 2007 Middlebury was one of just four institutions nationwide to win the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)’s Campus Sustainability Leadership Award.[4] Further, Middlebury students are becoming known throughout the nation for their leadership in the grassroots environmental movement.[5]
Middlebury has a student body of 2350 undergraduates and 1200 faculty and staff in Vermont and around the world. Around 60% of our junior class studies abroad each year at nearly 100 universities in about 40 countries on every continent. More than 100 graduate students in Middlebury’s Language Schools study abroad each year at Middlebury’s Schools Abroad, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies, an affiliate of Middlebury, sends students around the world on its International Professional Service Semester and may soon send students to Middlebury’s Schools Abroad.
What does it mean to be green? One definition: To be mindful of and sensitive to the natural environment in one’s daily life.[6] At Middlebury we are committed to being environmentally responsible, and we believe that our study abroad programs should reflect this belief. As a consequence, we are committed to making our programs as green and sustainable as we possibly can. We are also aware that at some of our sites, there is even more attention paid to the environment than there is on the home campus in Vermont, given greater environmental sensitivities outside the United States, and we hope to take advantage of these “best practices” back on the Vermont campus.
Directors and staff abroad play a vital role in encouraging environmental awareness both at our Schools Abroad and in Vermont. We hope that this guide will serve as a starting point to help you identify ways in which your program and you, your faculty and staff, and your students can augment what you are currently doing in this area to engage in sustainable practices and ‘be green,’ and how you might provide new ideas that the Vermont campus might be able to implement. We are certainly aware that at some sites, you are already doing many of the things identified here, and may have further suggestions for this guide, which we would certainly welcome. Many of the ideas contained here are common sense, and may seem overly simplistic (indeed they are); in bringing them up here, we are simply trying to make sure that they are all being discussed. Overall, this guide includes ideas for greening your office and activities you can implement on your program, as well as considerations regarding programming decisions and sustainability. Finally, it has suggestions for educating students about these issues. We realize none of the points in this guide are a one-size-fits-all and that some may not be relevant to your particular site or country (and, of course, you know your site far better than we do!), but the hope is that this guide will inspire you to find concrete ways to incorporate additional sustainable practices into the Schools Abroad.
Greening your office and program facilities
· Reduce, reuse, recycle! If recycling is not practiced at your university or program facility, perhaps you or your students could be motivated to start a recycling program.
· Adopt an office/program policy on green practices. Put your policy in writing and make sure your faculty, staff, and students are aware of it.
· Lighting:
o In the US compact florescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are getting a lot of publicity. If possible, switch lightbulbs to the florescent energy-saving bulbs. This can result in a significant energy/cost savings, and the bulbs last up to ten times longer than incandescent lightbulbs.
o It seems like an obvious suggestion, but turn off the lights when you leave a room, and educate students about this, too.
o Install motion detectors to turn off lights when a room is not in use. These can be inexpensive and easy to install. Consider this option for office space, computer rooms, hallways, etc.
· Office equipment:
o Computers and monitors: In the US it is estimated that if all computers were shut down at night, the nation could shut down eight large power plants and avoid nearly seven tons of C02 emission every year.[7] Make sure all computers and monitors are shut down at night and go into sleep mode when not in use during the day.
o Energy Star® appliances are available in some countries; look into this in your country. Energy Star® certifies that the equipment is as energy efficient as possible.
o Printers: Make sure all your printers automatically print double-sided and that double-sided is the default setting (you may even decide to make student printers only print double-sided as the only option). Make sure printers also have a sleep or standby mode when not in use.
o Copiers: Like other computer equipment, copiers can have a feature that enables them to turn off after not being used for a period of time. Copiers with duplexing capabilities can save lots of paper (and trees!).
o Fax machines: Like other office equipment, faxes use energy even when not in use, and this is not something you typically turn off when you leave the office for the day. Make sure your fax machine is energy efficient and has a sleep or standby mode that uses less energy when not in use (such as Energy Star® models).
· Energy use:
o Heating and Cooling: Turn off/down heat/air conditioning when not in use. You may want to have one person in charge of the temperature control and/or not make the controls accessible to everyone. On the Middlebury campus a decision was made to set all thermostats at 68°F (20°C) instead of 72°F (22°C), resulting in a significant energy savings (an adjustment of a degree or two can cut heating/cooling bills by two or three percent; extending that to three or four degrees can cut bills by ten percent or more!). You may also wish to consider a programmable thermostat that can automatically turn down heat at times when the building is not occupied.
· Paper:
o Although we cannot have a completely paperless office, we can all reduce paper usage and keep electronic copies of documents instead of paper copies wherever possible.
o Draft documents on screen instead of multiple re-prints.
o Share documents by email instead of printing and passing around.
o Use reusable inter-office envelopes.
o Consider buying recycled paper/paper with post-consumer recycled content and unbleached and uncolored paper.
· Water:
o Consider the impact of saving water: in many places you pay for your water more than once: to buy the water, to heat it (hot water), and to get rid of the water (sewage).
o Low-flow faucets in kitchen and bathroom sinks and low flush toilets can cut water consumption considerably.
o Make sure hot water heaters are the appropriate size for the building and that temperatures are not set too high (less than 49°C).
· Chemicals:
o Find out what cleaning chemicals are being used in your office/building and how to encourage the use of non-toxic cleaning supplies.
Resources:
Working 9 to 5 on Climate Change: An Office Guide:
http://pdf.wri.org/wri_co2guide.pdf
Other Green Office Guides:
http://www.egeneration.co.uk/centre/modules/green_office/12_getting_started.asp
http://www.egeneration.co.uk/centre/modules/green_office/
http://www.energyrating.gov.au/library/pubs/greenofficeguide.pdf
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/SUS/docs/Green_Office_Guide.pdf
7 Key Steps to Reducing your office’s Contribution to Climate Change:
www.climatebiz.com/sections/toolsresources_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=39750&Section=Tools%20%26%20Resources
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainable Living Guides for Colleges and Universities:
http://www.aashe.org/resources/living_guides.php
Activities you can implement in your program
· Enact an environmental service day for students, staff, and faculty – plant trees, volunteer for an organization working on an environmental project, etc.
· Challenge students to volunteer for organizations working on climate change, poverty alleviation, social inequity, etc.
· Develop opportunities for students to undertake independent projects, internships, volunteer opportunities that engage them in environmental projects (they may be eligible for a grant through Middlebury). Expand internship/volunteer/service learning opportunities with NGOs and other organizations working on these issues. See the Resource section following for sample student research topics (from Ithaca College’s Global Footprint Grants).
· Encourage students to participate in the Green Passport Program (see the Appendix and www.abroadview.org/green/ for more information).
· Network with faculty at universities in your country who are in environmental disciplines. Investigate opportunities for students to work with these faculty members in some capacity – e.g., independent projects, research assistants, etc.
· Tell International Programs and Off-Campus Study about sustainability projects students are involved in so we can highlight their work on the Abroad View web site.
· Encourage students to write articles, take photos and videos, and make podcasts related to the environmental projects in which they are involved, and submit them to us for the Abroad View web site.
Resources:
Resources for internship/service learning/volunteer opportunities:
www.idealist.org
www.volunteerabroad.com
www.transitionsabroad.com
www.cie.uci.edu/iop/voluntee.html
Independent Projects Sample Suggested Topics:
Ithaca College’s Global Footprint Grant topic ideas:
www.ithaca.edu/oip/OIP%20Global%20Footprints%20Grant%20-%20Intl.pdf
Abroad View: Better Travel for a Better World
www.abroadview.org/green/
Programming decisions and sustainability
· Consider holding teleconferences instead of traveling for in-person meetings if possible.
· Consider travel alternatives and choose public transportation for program-related activities wherever possible.
· Encourage students, staff, and faculty to use public transportation rather than individual cars whenever possible (which is the norm in many of your countries anyway). Better yet, bike or walk. Consider creating incentives for more sustainable transportation choices.
· Buy locally produced products and services and support programs that benefit the local community.
Educating students
· Educate students about reducing their footprint (see Resources Section for more information and articles on responsible travel).
· Find opportunities to educate students about environmental issues in your country/city and how they can be involved.
· Instruct students about the impact on host families with sustainability issues; e.g., water and electricity use in their homestays.
· Consider posting, either on a prominent bulletin board, or better yet electronically in a place they will read it (in language of course!) guidelines for students such as Ethical Traveler’s Guidelines (www.ethicaltraveler.org/guidelines.php) or Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Travel Checklist (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/gi_travelchecklist.html), as well as the information in the point above regarding their water and electricity usage at host family homes. Also post your program’s green/sustainability policy.
· Think about this – educating students now about their environmental impact will have a lifetime effect on the choices they make in regards to sustainability…
Resources:
Abroad View: Better Travel for a Better World
www.abroadview.org/green/
Article: Sustainable Travel and Study Abroad:
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/studyabroadmagazine/2006Fall/sustainable_travel_and_study_abroad.shtml
Transitions Abroad Responsible Travel Handbook:
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/travel/responsible/responsible_travel_handbook.pdf
Ethical Travel Guidelines:
http://www.ethicaltraveler.org/guidelines.php
Sustainable Travel International:
www.sustainabletravelinternational.org
What is a carbon footprint?
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=footprint_overview
Calculating your carbon footprint
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=myfootprint
Footprint of Nations reports:
http://www.ecologicalfootprint.org/
“Travel has become a thorny problem now for environmental reasons. In the last few years, as we've learned about the extent of climate change and global warming, it's gotten much harder to just blithely dismiss getting on an airplane and flying around the world. That one airplane trip to wherever you are going requires the consumption of more fuel and more carbon than most people in the world will use in a year for all the tasks of their daily life—not to be taken lightly.”
-Bill McKibben, Middlebury Scholar-in-Residence in Environmental Studies
(Interview by Sherry Schwarz and Stacey Woody Thebodo: www.abroadview.org/green/)
Appendix: Green Passport Information (www.abroadview.org/green/passport.htm)
Green Passport Executive Summary
ORIGINS OF THE IDEA
Rodney J. Vargas
Assistant Director for Latin America, Africa and the Middle East
Study Abroad Office, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Many years ago, while visiting a national park in Costa Rica I saw a sign that read: “Take only photos and leave only footprints.” The sign was part of a national campaign to prevent visitors from taking home “live souvenirs,” such as plants, birds, frogs, etc., which was a harmful common practice that was depleting the parks of their biodiversity. Since then, I have been very concerned about the impact of the increasing number of students that go to study all over the world.
Then, in 2007 Daniel Greenberg, Executive Director of Living Routes, created the “sustainability abroad” listserve with the idea of exchanging information around the theme of sustainability in study abroad. When I saw the ongoing discussion, the issues were scary and mind boggling: one million students studying abroad, gas emissions, carbon offsets, peak oil, internal vs. external cost, alternative energy, etc. But, I wanted to do something at a smaller scale. I was feeling a bit helpless because I do not have control over what kind of fuel the airlines choose to use or the cost of airline tickets and all of those complex issues. I wanted to have control over something that everyone would benefit from. I was thinking that we would be fine if at least the majority of the students traveling on our programs stayed within some boundaries, which would benefit both the environment and the people in the communities they visited. Then, the idea of creating a Green Passport came to mind. What if we give our students guidelines for respecting and improving the environment wherever they travel and study? What would happen if we help our students to leave the world a better place after they visit? These were the initial questions that I had.