Don't like the idea of graduating from college and becoming another listless, jobless statistic in a shaky economy with nothing to show for it other than thousands of dollars in student-loan debt, an impressive-looking wall decoration and a great new way of opening beer bottles without an opener? Need a little more?
If you want to really do something for yourself and our environment* while in college, besides meticulously recycling your empty beer cans, or attending any one of the several "green" colleges with strong campus sustainability programs, try enriching your college experience by doing any one, or all, of the following:
1. Educate: Learn something. You are, in fact, in college to get an education. Sure, the world needs experts in hotel and beverage management, pre-anthropocene basket-weaving and even business Latin, but it is all too easy to choose a major for the wrong reasons. So think long and hard about your choice and go with your gut. And if your gut tells you to start building your educational portfolio around a vocational pursuit that benefits a social or ecological good, then now is the time to do it.
Beyond the obvious choices of environmental majors in engineering (eg. hydraulic, environmental and electrical engineering) and the and the hard sciences (eg. hydrology, marine biology, climatology) there are environmental niches in the social sciences (e.g. environmental politics, sociology) and humanities (e.g. environmental ethics, environmental literature). In fact, there are environmental programs in virtually every scholarly discipline as well as interdisciplinary 'environmental studies' programs that usually have a broader scope of academic coursework. Be creative, and if it doesn't appear as though your particular area of research or academic interest doesn't have an environmental angle, bring it one!
2. Associate: Join something. Colleges and university campuses have long been places where clubs, groups and associations all flourish. It's quite likely you will be exposed to a greater diversity of interests coalescing into small groups than you ever have in your whole life. If you are at a particularly large school, there are hundreds of groups and associations -- join one, two, or ten of them.
Research published by Harvard Political Scientist Robert Putnam suggested that when people join in associations, they are more likely to build trust with others and networks of reciprocity, thereby contributing to a society's wealth of 'social capital'. According to Putnam, having lots of social capital creates positive externalities for society, cleaning-up a stream or volunteering to do trail-clearing). In non-social science jargon: people are more likely to do good if they do it as part of a group -- and often more effectively.
3. Recreate: Get outside. I'm talking about doing a bit more than heading out to the oval and tossing the Frisbee with your buddies every once in a while (although that does have benefits of its own), I'm talking about going outside and taking as many opportunities to explore both the neighborhoods right out your front door, but also the areas within a couple hours drive.
Have a bike? Explore the neighborhood and the streets, houses and parks around it. Get to know the local scenery, flora and fauna. Learn when certain trees change and flowers bloom -- and the good places to see them. Don't have a bike? See if your school has a bike sharing program.
Every once in a while you may just need to get away and blow off some steam, preferably off campus somewhere -- and preferably somewhere no one will hear (or care) if you scream at the top of your lungs. Most colleges and universities have outdoor or outing clubs, hiking clubs, ski clubs, etc. If you don't want to join a club and you just want to grab a ride into the country, you might try carpooling with some friends for a weekend camping trip. Also try your school's "ride board(s)" to see if there's anyone going in your direction, or, conversely, to see if you can take anyone along in your car. Depending on where you live, you may also be able to access a lot of this via public transportation, look into that at your student center.
4. Cultivate: Grow something. Having a lush, verdant garden of your own may not be very likely if you are living in a dorm, apartment or other shared student housing, but that doesn't mean you can't grow stuff. Why is that important? We have all read about the benefits of gardening and growing your own vegetables.
In terms of the health benefits of the actual activity of gardening, its stress-relieving properties and the delicious products of your work, planting and caring for a garden can be rewarding, fun and delicious -- and you can even do it on the cheap! From growing the smallest of tomato plants (even those upside-down ones) to taking care of the larger and more formal student-run organic farms, cultivation is something that is easy to get hooked on. Feeling super-adventurous? Try raising chickens in your backyard.
5. Demonstrate: Protest something. The modern environmental movement has its roots in student-run activist groups of the 1960s and 1970s. The larger the school, the better chance there is that something is being protested by somebody at sometime.
The scale of the protests will vary, whether you get involved with a specific day of action for an environmental cause like the upcoming 350 day of climate action on October 24, or you have something much smaller in mind (I don't know, say, protesting the use of pesticides on campus, or your school's purchasing of coal power). Sure, protesting isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I understand that. But let your voice be heard about something... anything.
6. Orchestrate: Organize something.
Organize a useful group project, activity, or program with your peeps (dorm, hall, club, etc.). This can be something simple, perhaps a one-time event like a stream or park clean-up, or a fund-raiser for a local environmental group. But this could also be something with a little more staying-power, like a new recycling program for your dorm or college. No one knows and sees the gaps in recycling better than you. If you see gaps, try to find ways to fill them.
Start small, think big, and always include the administration. At the very least, you want some props (or permission) from the administration for doing whatever you are doing. More ambitiously, you could be getting some funding or other assistance from the school to make your project rock even more. Can't hurt to ask!
7. Elevate: Sit-in on something (that you don't have to).
One thing I didn't do as much of in college as I did in grad school was take advantage of the many talks and guest lectures given by faculty, visiting scholars, artists, foreign dignitaries and leaders from the public and private sectors. In addition to the free coffee and/or food often available, I found the vast majority of these talks to be plenty entertaining and incredibly interesting.
Students at larger universities usually have the upper hand when it comes to the diversity of opportunities available, but even small colleges have guest speaker series' and lectures given by in-house faculty. Take advantage of this stuff as best you can, because in all likelihood they won't be free for much longer.
This article was contributed to Celsias by Timothy B. Hurst
Be Informed, Take Action on Climate Change - www.Celsias.com.
