Instill Values of Sustainable Living in Students

A change in mindset must occur for this country to embrace sustainable values, and the best place to start is with students.

For the most part, baby boomers did not grow up with a value system that included environmental advocacy. Many of us don’t think twice about how we impact the environment on a daily basis. We drive gas-guzzling SUVs, apply chemicals to our lawns and don’t recycle regularly.

However, since children’s core values are learned at home, in places of worship and at school, we have a huge opportunity. School can become a powerful force in teaching sustainable values. As we plan, design, construct and operate school buildings, there must be a parallel focus on teaching students the important benefits of sustainable living.
 

The focus on green buildings is probably the biggest trend in school facilities in the past decade and may become the most significant change in school construction in the 21st century. Great strides are being made for buildings to achieve LEED certification and other green guidelines. Many of these guidelines call for better use of natural light, more energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, reuse of building materials, improved indoor air quality, water use reduction and utilization of alternative energy sources.
 

Without a doubt, the focus on green and sustainable building has the potential to influence curriculum. In fact, buildings can be designed as learning opportunities. After all, if we want students to embrace conservation, why not design school buildings as textbooks for learning?

The goal should be to promote environmental education as an interdisciplinary approach, not necessarily a subject in itself. For instance, energy-saving mechanical systems can be exposed so students can graph consumption in math class. Green rooftops can include outdoor science laboratories. Alternative energy systems can be part of an engineering program at the high school level. Students can monitor indoor air quality. Competitions can be established to reduce utility consumption, while incentives can be established to share in cost savings.
 

Most of these ideas are not new, but the possibilities are limitless. This is not to say that school designers are now responsible for establishing school curricula. Rather, with additional creativity we have the opportunity to take a good concept and help move it toward a cultural value.
 

In the past 20 years, I have been so impressed by the increased attention to recycling. Most schools already have recycling programs, which include recycling containers in the custodial area. Recently, I have visited schools where the containers are displayed in public places such as cafeterias and common areas. Displaying these receptacles provides students with a much clearer message as well as pressure to recycle.

The same can be said about other green initiatives that are designed into a building. If they are displayed, teachers and students can use these initiatives as learning tools, with the increased probability that these values will create sustainable living patterns for years to come.

Establishing a sense of individual responsibility that benefits the environment as a whole and emphasizes active responsibility is extremely powerful. Schools have that power to instill these values. Our children are the next generation of consumers.

 

DeJong