This year's Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference was held in the beautiful and dynamic city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Similarly to the experience I had at last year's conference, I met brilliant people from around the world, was impressed with the new ideas and innovations of businesses and organizations, and was inspired by amazing presenters. However, because this was my second year attending, I came to the conference with more confidence and a greater understanding of my role as a both a student and a representative of my community. This time I was exposed to a very different approach to the concept of sustainability, and the importance of including social justice in the conversation was undeniable.
Higher education has a crucial role to play in building a more just society. The first day of the conference was the Student Summit and I was able to connect with incredible students from all over the country and discuss ways how we as individuals are integrating sustainability into our own universities. However the pressing issue that was really on our minds was how to advocate for sustainability within America's higher education as a whole. I attended workshops that talked about ways to move closer to a zero-waste campus, how to successfully create a sellable business plan to pitch to your administration, how to find a balance between the career of your dreams and the life you want to live, and most interestingly the power but also the misuse of education in understanding sustainability. As explained by David Orr, a world-recognized leader in sustainability and a distinguished professor of environmental studies and politics at Oberlin University, "Education can equip people to be more effective vandals of the Earth," for the "destruction of the planet is not the work of ignorant people." Students are graduating as part of the problem, not the solution.
We learn how to get a well-paid job after college and how to prove our level of commitment through academics, but are we prepared to tackle the reality of today's societal issues? Are we graduating with the understanding of what it means to be an active and valuable member of society? I am afraid not. We as students don't always question where our food comes from, where our clothes come from, what we should do about the growing pressure of climate change, or if we understand the impact of every decision we make. If we are expected to become the leaders of our world and to save our planet from dire destruction, don't you think at some point in our college careers we should learn how to create real solutions?
I am so frustrated with America's higher education system and the social inequality that is associated with it. However I am even more frustrated that those who do get the privilege of receiving higher education are in fact not learning how to be adequate human beings. Higher education needs to start incorporating sustainability into its values and curriculum for if we do not understand our connection to the earth nor to each other, and if we do not see the consequences of our disposable lifestyles, we will continue to dismiss the horrors of our consumerism and will graduate knowing as much about the problems and solutions of society than we did when we first started college. Only 3% of the world's population will attend a university, but 80% of the business and world leaders receive higher education. [1] It seems to me that the current practices and curriculum of our higher education have not equipped leaders to combat the state of the planet and culture that we find ourselves in today.
Additionally, it's important to ensure that sustainability activists are reflective of society as a whole. Last year I was not as observant of the other attendees at the conference but this year I was shocked when I finally took notice of the lack of diversity. Overwhelmingly both the attendees and speakers were white, middle-aged, middle-class people. I attended a Women Leaders in Sustainability networking session and out of the 65 or so women there, I was one of the few women under 30 years-old and was one of only four women of color. This was so upsetting to me because the concept of sustainability itself is about social equity. Sustainability is about social justice, environmental justice, and economics, so how do we expect to have valid and constructive conversations at this conference if all the stakeholders of our decisions are not present? I went to a powerful presentation by Texas A&M University about the need to include race in our approach to sustainability education. They reiterated that each community faces different issues and challenges within its own realm, and that when we dive even further into an individual level, we as individuals have incredibly diverse experiences based on our race, culture, socioeconomic class, gender, sexuality, upbringing, surrounding environment, and countless other factors. As humans we have constructed social obstacles like racism and sexism that complicate and discriminate against the lives of certain populations more than others. It is foolish for environmentalists to ignore the fact that many people in our nation do not have the luxury to make choices when it comes to purchasing and practicing sustainable solutions. We cannot deny that paying rent, having enough food to eat, and being ensured your rights as a human being comes first. With that being said, social justice and environmental justice activists absolutely must work together.
The environmental movement was born from a combination of both the exposure of horrendous environmental depletion but also the environmental inequities made visible by the fight for social justice. Despite significant improvements in environmental protection over the years, millions of Americans still live, work, play, and go to school in unsafe and unhealthy environments. [2] Environmental protection is a right not a privilege but historically, and currently, those who are victims of social discrimination also face the worst environmental conditions. In order to ensure environmental justice, social justice must also be addressed. To achieve social justice, environmental protection must be enforced as well. These two struggles go hand in hand, and the concept of sustainability is the link between them.
This year's AASHE Conference was wonderful and well worth the inconvenience of missing school. I have gained a new perspective and developed a new purpose for going about my work. My passions for social activism and environmental protection do not have to be separate, in fact they are both striving for the same outcome. Even in last year's AASHE blog post I call myself an environmental activist, but now I feel that my involvement in sustainability has made me so much more than that. To start the transition towards a truly just society, both higher education and the sustainability movement have to change. Diversity must be emphasized and understood when we discuss the ability of people to follow the standards we set for ourselves, and sustainability proficiency has to be mandatory for graduating from higher education. Imagine if the 270 million graduates leaving college had the skills to be part of these solution rather than the problem. Understanding how to overcome social and environmental injustice is the real kind of education we need.
1. National Union of Students of the United Kingdom
2. Environmental Justice in the 21st Century: Race Still Matters by Robert D. Bullard