by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Where do real activists live and hang out? On Campus!

Almost 600 U.S. and Canadian schools are fast becoming the new eco-heroes as they organize campaigns for clean energy, recycling and more. A survey shows that incoming freshman are increasingly concerned about the state of the environment than the future job market. Students are overwhelmingly excited about working in environmental movements. “We see it as the challenge of our generation,” says Rachel Ackoff, a Swarthmore College student and activist in an interview in Sierra Magazine.

Colleges are among the biggest energy users (and employers) in communities and they have the opportunity to create demand for eco-friendly products and clean energy. And this next generation seems ready to put their money where their mouths are. In the largest turnout in school history, students at the university of Memphis voted to raise their fees to pay for renewable energy (Sierra Magazine Nov./Dec. 2007).

More than 200,000 seniors at over 100 colleges have signed the “Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility”, promising to consider sustainability along with salary at any job and to work to improve the practices of any company that employs them (graduationpledge.org).

Is anyone else getting goosebumps? If you want to be sincerely impressed and inspired, read more about the top ten green colleges named by Sierra Club last month. (Number One? Oberlin College in Ohio). Categories measured range from clean energy purchases to eco-efficient building, recycling practices, bike-friendly campus to cafeteria food choices. CFLs are being passed out along with condoms and competitions for lowest water and energy use between frat houses and dorms are all the rage.

The list of campus activism campaigns are growing, becoming more challenging, creative and fun along the way - just the way college should be! Students know how to market their ideals to peers with group names like, RecycleMania, I Heart Slutty Paper (non-virgin), Break The Addiction Challenge and Do It In The Dark events. There’s nothing like school spirit to advocate change.

These influential institutions can hopefully lead us all into the future with optimism, creativity and the willingness to work together for change. If you want to find campus groups in your area, go to Campus Climate Challenge. Go Team.

Tags: activism, community, culture, nature

This entry was posted on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Green Misc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.