Much goes into choosing a college, but does sustainability make the cut? Colleges are emphasizing how ‘green’ they are, and students are taking notice.
Sustainability is becoming a deciding factor for students
Across the world, Generation Z is currently filling up lecture halls on college campuses. Known for being outspoken and socially active, it’s not surprising that environmental activism is a dominant issue for them. Furthermore, this generation is worried about the climate state of the world and what it means for their future. According to a global survey in The Lancet, 45% of 16 to 25-year-olds are suffering from climate anxiety. Climate anxiety can be defined as “distress about climate change and its impact on the landscape and human existence.” This makes it understandable as to why the presence of sustainable initiatives on a college campus is starting to influence where students attend college. Growing up, they’ve experienced more extreme climate conditions than the generations before them, and it’s beginning to affect many aspects of their lives and identities.
Initiatives for sustainability on college campuses have grown rapidly in the past decades due partly to the increasing global concern of climate change and environmental deterioration but also due to concerns of students, both current and prospective.
In December of 2022, College Pulse surveyed undergraduate students on their views on the importance of sustainability at their higher education institutions. The survey found that over 80% of respondents considered it somewhat or very important that their university prioritizes college sustainability. Moreover, prospective college students are looking to sustainability rankings as a way to evaluate how sustainable a college campus is. Since 2010, the Princeton Review has been releasing its ‘Green Colleges’ list,The mere presence of these rankings shows that colleges are trying to provide evidence to prospective students to attract them to their campus.
How to factor sustainability into college decisions
There are many ways for prospective college students to factor sustainability into their college decisions. As mentioned before, more and more rankings that measure how sustainable a college campus is are appearing. Two ranking systems are the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. STARS, which has been around since 2007, is a transparent, self-reporting framework for higher education institutions to measure their sustainability performance. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings has been releasing their rankings since 2019 and aims to assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG).
2023, in particular, saw new sustainability rankings for higher education institutions pop up. The QS Sustainability Rankings of 2023 measured universities’ abilities to approach the world’s environmental, social, and governance challenges. Ranking systems can help compare how committed universities are to sustainability. Each system is different, using specified criteria to stack universities up against each other, so it’s essential to understand the criteria and decide to individually place value on the criteria as well. For example, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings four criteria are research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. Each criteria is related to the UN SDG. In comparison, the QS Sustainability Rankings have three criteria: environmental impact, social impact, and governance.
Another way to factor sustainability into college decisions is by doing independent research on each university’s official Office of/for Sustainability. The existence of one shows that the university has shown some commitment to prioritizing sustainability on its campus. Some things to look out for include any goals and deadlines they’ve set for themselves, such as being carbon neutral or reducing their waste footprint; how accessible they make recycling and composting programs; how they let students get involved in their efforts; and if any of their efforts involve the surrounding community. Outside of official offices within the university, the presence of clubs or organizations centered around sustainability is also a good indicator of how dedicated a university is to sustainability. Lastly, looking into what types of majors and classes related to sustainability colleges offer is also an excellent way to see the prominence of sustainability.
When deciding where to go to college, sustainability actually wasn’t at the top of my radar. I lived in a town where sustainability was valued and instilled in the community. My town’s sanitary district awarded schools Green Ribbons for their accomplishments, the school district had annual assemblies on recycling and compost, and sorting our waste during lunch was something we practiced in elementary school. Having never lived anywhere else, I assumed that the rest of the country was similar to how I had grown up. Because of that, I didn’t really think about sustainability when deciding on a college. I knew that wherever I ended up, I would continue doing the sustainability practices I had learned growing up. Coming to UVA, I met a lot of people who had very different experiences with sustainability than I had. So, when I saw that I could get involved with the Office for Sustainability (OFS), I jumped at the opportunity. I found a community that valued sustainability like I do and who also wanted to share it with the student body at large. I am now entering my 3rd year working for OFS and my time here will forever be a highlight of my college experience.
Sustainability at UVA
In terms of sustainability, UVA stands out from other universities. Ranking #49 on the Princeton’s Review Green Colleges list out of 522 schools, UVA has consistently shown its commitment to sustainability. On the previously mentioned STARS ranking, UVA is currently awarded gold, only one step away from the highest ranking, platinum. In particular, the UVA Sustainability 2020-2030 Plan has set 10 goals that commit the University to deepening its leadership in every domain of sustainability: carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel-free by 2050; enhancing sustainability-focused teaching, curricular development, and experiential learning; and partnering with our community to accelerate collaborative initiatives to advance sustainable, equitable, and healthy places for all to name a few.
Many programs spearheaded by the Office for Sustainability (OFS) move UVA closer to each goal daily. For example, UVA holds Green Games during home football games and select home basketball games, where volunteers help keep waste stations clean and ensure that each item disposed of goes to its proper waste stream. Across all Green Games in 2023-2024, 133 student volunteers helped divert 66,100 pounds of waste. Furthermore, UVA continually expands its composting access across Grounds, composting in dining halls, outside dorms, and workplaces, and has numerous zero-waste events.
These initiatives are the tip of the iceberg of the sustainability efforts done at UVA. If you’re a prospective college student, consider factoring sustainability into your decision, and take a good look at all the work UVA has been doing and plans to continue to do to reach its own goals and promote sustainability outside of the UVA and Charlottesville community.
While sustainability was not explicitly a factor for me when deciding a college, I’m extremely grateful that there was a presence of sustainability on Grounds. It has let me expand my own daily sustainability practices and has allowed me to share one of my passions with my fellow peers and community members. UVA has been a great fit for me in so many ways, and being an environmental fit is one of them. I wish the best to all prospective college students, and urge them to consider all aspects of a university when it comes decision time, so they can find the university that fits all their wants and needs, including sustainability.
Aliza Diop is a fourth-year student from Castro Valley, California majoring in Public Policy & Leadership and French. She is starting her 3rd year as a student intern with the Office for Sustainability on the Green Living Team.