Sustainability Day at the University became Sustainability Days this year, indicating a heightened focus on environmental issues. The Office for Sustainability showed two films related to climate change issues and hosted a panel Thursday, and held an event called “Hoos Talking Green” Friday, during which six speakers from the University gave short presentations.
As a university, which functions as both a center of intellectual production and as a living space, we can impact environmental justice by generating academic material that contributes to the discussion of the environment, by mobilizing politically and by changing practices as a community. Several University professors recently joined in signing a letter to Gov. Terry McAuliffe urging him to take political action on climate change. About 80 University students participated in the People’s Climate March in New York in September. These are examples of the second method of impact, and students and professors who are concerned and passionate about this issue are likely to take part. But as to the third method — community practices — probably the greatest number of people can and should participate. The difficult question is how to motivate people to do so.
For many people, climate change is not the most pressing issue. It may be dwarfed by other concerns such as the economy, racial injustice or gender inequality. At the University, these broader problems take the form of student movements like the Living Wage Campaign or the push to restore AccessUVa. We also see students pushing for greater racial diversity, combatting sexual assault or advocating for gender neutral housing options.
Comparatively, environmental issues may seem less personal. They may be more difficult to relate to our individual selves or to our community. Many of us personally experience the impacts of economic hardship or identity-based discrimination, but we do not see, first hand, the consequences when another plastic water bottle is thrown into a landfill. But through the efforts of the Office for Sustainability and various student groups dedicated to environmental justice, the University community can become closer to these issues.
Environmentally sustainable practices can have secondary positive effects on individuals. For instance, eating less meat reduces one’s nitrogen footprint and also may be beneficial to one’s health. Buying produce from local merchants at farmer’s markets is often cheaper than buying them from big grocery stores, and buying local reduces one’s carbon footprint because the produce is not shipped long distances, burning large amounts of fossil fuels. Some coffee shops will charge less for beverages if you bring your own cup, and having one reusable cup eliminates waste.
A focus on individual impact may be the best way to encourage people in the University community to live sustainably, because people who are not organically passionate about this issue are more likely to adopt these practices if they get some benefit. And no matter what the reasons people choose to change their living habits, these changes will contribute to the greater cause of environmental justice. Each member of this community has an impact on the health of the overall community and the world. The key to greater participation in sustainable practices is demonstrating how each individual change in behavior can make a difference.
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