Guest editorial

Citation

Judy Walton, D. (2009), "Guest editorial", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2009.24910caa.001

Guest editorial

Article Type: Guest editorial From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 10, Issue 3

About the Guest Editor

Judy WaltonExecutive Director of AASHE. She was the founding Executive Director of Education for Sustainability Western Network, a regional organization that transitioned to AASHE in 2006. Her interests in sustainability and higher education are long standing. As a Faculty Member at Humboldt State University, she played a key role in campus sustainability efforts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Prior to that she worked at a green building consultancy in Washington State, when “green building” was a new field. She has delivered presentations to campuses and businesses across the USA and Canada, assisted campuses with strategic planning, and organized national and international events on sustainability and higher education. She holds a PhD in Geography from Syracuse University, an MA in Geography from San Diego State University, and a BA in Political Science with a minor in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.

Confronting the threat of global warming is one of the biggest and most pressing of all societal challenges. While the response of national governments across the globe has been decidedly uneven, other sectors are stepping up to the plate and showing leadership. Higher education as a sector is increasingly being looked to for leadership and knowledge as the sustainability transformation takes root. This special issue of International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education examines campus climate planning efforts in two countries – the USA and Canada – spotlighting just a few of the many initiatives underway in each nation.

The examples selected illustrate geographic and institutional diversity as well as variety in type of project – from an academic course to a university-wide initiative to a nation-wide survey of student climate initiatives.

A few themes emerge from this collection of articles. One is the critical role of student involvement in climate actions on campus, whether in conducting necessary research, leading climate campaigns, or participating in greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories. A second is the importance of community-building, engagement, and collaboration efforts in climate planning, and a third is the vital role of learning at all levels throughout the process.

A fourth and significant theme is the strategic impact of initiatives such as the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) that have ripple effects throughout the higher education system. Without commitments, such as the ACUPCC (signed by 615 presidents and chancellors as of this writing), it is exceedingly doubtful that at this point so many GHG inventories would be reported in a central place, and so many campuses – including non-signatories and even Canadian institutions – would be working on climate plans. The friendly competitions that emerge among peer groups pressure all to take action on global warming, whether or not one is ready to commit to climate neutrality as one's target goal.

The first article in this special issue, by Stacy Swearingen White, analyzes the characteristics of institutions that became “charter signatories” to the ACUPCC. While no consistent profile emerges, the author notes an even more important finding: that climate change generally serves as a focal point for a wide array of new initiatives on campus.

The second article, by Christopher W. Wells, Suzanne Savanick and Christie Manning, examines the practical realities of using a college seminar (in this case at Macalester College) to conduct the carbon inventory required for ACUPCC signatories. It describes the advantage of the class approach as an educational and practical tool, and presents research findings identifying valuable student learning outcomes. Similarly, Richard Johnson's special feature in this issue presents a successful curricular-based approach to implementing the ACUPCC at Rice University. Johnson points out that well-directed student projects can often provide the impetus to move environmental initiatives forward. “Knowing that a recent GHG inventory had already been prepared for the university by students with oversight from faculty”, he writes:

[…] made the short-term obligations of becoming an ACUPCC signatory seem less onerous. The conversation was able to begin with how to manage what had already been measured, rather than how to measure the problem.

The articles by Makena Coffman (University of Hawaii at Manoa), Charles E. Button (Central Connecticut State University) and Sara M. Cleaves, Brett Pasinella, Jennifer Andrews and Cameron Wake (University of New Hampshire) examine sustainability and GHG reduction efforts at each respective institution, and highlight the value of partnerships and institutional commitment in achieving success. These campuses consider themselves to be leading by example, and wish for others to learn from their successes and failures. Likewise, authors William Riddell, Krishan Kumar Bhatia, Matthew Parisi, Jessica Foote, John Imperatore (Rowan University) share a model of energy flow they developed that can help campuses move toward a zero carbon footprint in a sensible and cost-effective manner. The model assists users in identifying and predicting the effects of efficiency and conservation measures on campus.

The last article, by Anjali Helferty and Amelia Clarke with the Sierra Youth Coalition, provides an overview of student-led, climate change initiatives at institutions in Canada, with details on specific cases. It documents the various roles students have played, and suggests that other institutions can easily replicate these initiatives. The authors identify eight types of student-led campus climate change initiatives, with varied degrees of support from other stakeholders.

After reading this collection of articles, one cannot help but be inspired and heartened at the climate action achievements of so many campuses in the USA and Canada. Initiatives such as the ACUPCC will continue to spur further action, and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education will be there to record results, monitor progress, and provide support to any school wishing to address climate change. Institutions in the USA and Canada do not wish to miss the narrow window of opportunity for meaningful action on global warming, and are leading by example.

Dr Judy WaltonGuest Editor