GREENEST CAMPUSES
Role of campuses in Environmental protectionEnvironment protection is one of the most burning issues these days withpeople complaining about the negative effects of various business andsocial activities on ecology. In this connection, green movement activitiesand environmentalists around the globe are urging people to pay closerattention to the consequences of many activities with may even appearharmless on the surface. Urban areas are the special victims ofenvironmental destruction. Orr (19991) writes: "It is becoming increasinglyapparent that our present environmental crisis is evidence of a priorfailure of mind and perception- which is to say, a failure of education.The loss of species, topsoil, rain forests, and impending climate change arenot primarily technological problems or even economic ones. They are firstand foremost about how we think about the world we inhabit". However whilewe do know how cities are contributing to destruction of ecology, we simplyfail to understand how colleges and universities could also be playing aninfluential role in this connection. Noel Perrin in his article on theissue helps us understand this. The author conducted a research on
In his research he found that out of 1100colleges, only 11 were doing anything serious for environmental protectionwhile others were blissfully ignorant of their responsibility. This is because collegesare just a miniature version of cities and whatever policies or programsare implemented here can later be implemented on a larger scale. Perrin presents the examples of the 11 environmentally responsible collegesand focuses on their sustainability programs to illustrate the role ofeducational centers in environment's protection. Here it is important tounderstand that environment and sustainability are to interlinked terms andare often used together. Secondly we also need tocreate more awareness about environmental conditions and there are nobetter places to achieve this than our campuses. Perrin assert that all the top colleges including Yale andHarvard and their educational programs would account for nothing if theyfail to do something to reverse the ecology destruction process ". John Schelhas asserts:"Achieving sustainability involves optimizing the different dimensions ofsustainability within the constraints of existing conditions at a givenplace and time. If they work on smaller level, they are likely toproduce positive rusts of larger scale too. Perrin's research on the subject of greencampuses draws our attention to the role of our educational institutions inthe preservation of our ecological system. Achievement of sustainability is not an overnight process sinceit involves development and implementation of serious programs likerecycling, composting and energy conservation. According to Perrin, it means acting in a manner thatguarantees long-term environmental health of our planet. "[1] Noel Perrin maintains that ignorance of colleges and universitiesregarding their role in ecology preservation can pose a serious threat tothe environment in the long run since these places are usually denselypopulated and lack of sustainability programs here can leave a profoundlynegative impression on the whole environment. Allaspects of universities should reflect environmental concerns, includingtheir location, design, policies and practices, educational programs,research undertakings, and the built environment. These methods of developmentare less abrasive to the physical environment, often promote proceduresthat minimize resource depletion, and support energy conservation tactics. A report on theenvironmental policies and programs of Temple University definessustainability as "meeting the needs and aspirations of the present worldspopulation using methods that will in no way jeopardize the ability offuture generations to meet their own needs.
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