“Practical Sustainability” is an experimental student-led course, taught under the supervision of Professor Paul Kehle, that explores the world of personal initiatives to adopt green practices. In light of the rising popularity of “green” practices that aim to reduce individual ecological footprints, students of “Practical Sustainability” make personal commitments to greening their lives. The main feature of the course are four experiments in which students choose a green practice to fully integrate into their lifestyle for two-weeks. During that time period, students actively face many social, economic, personal, and institutional obstacles that make living green difficult. The experiments are supplemented with course readings and discussions about ecological, philosophical, practical, and spiritual theories about sustainable living. The entire experience is meant to make these practices “practical” for their lives and to adopt strategies to sustain their commitments to reduce their individual ecological footprints.
Although these practices sound easy on paper, in reality “it’s not that easy being green.” As the students learn, many environmentally-friendly practices aren’t just one time actions; they are lifestyle changes. Installing a compact-fluorescent light bulb is an environmentally sustainable practice, but after it’s installed you’re done. However, finding ways to reduce the trash you produce requires constant thought. There are times in each of our lives when it appears impossible not to be wasteful, like when we eat at the Café where food is served to us on plastic unrecyclable plates. Being green can also be socially hard because new behaviors might put you out of sync with friends. Kaitlyn VanNostrand (WS ’08) experienced social obstacles when she committed to not drive or ride in a car for two weeks. It was a challenge for her to stick to her commitment when many of her friends and teammates encouraged her to join them in driving to Saga; she chose the short walk.
Despite, or perhaps because of the challenges involved in being different, these students found that they were teaching their friends about green living and that they had become role models for their friends and peers. For example, Molly Chudleigh (WS ’08) reduced her water use by taking shorter showers and showering less frequently. She convinced her housemates to also take shorter showers because it would save them money on their water bill. Mike Ellis (H’10) committed to picking up every piece of trash he saw on campus. Although he was worried he may have looked weird to the people who saw him picking up trash that wasn’t his, Mike hopes that he influenced other people to pick up their trash. The students believe that if their friends see them living green, more people will be encouraged to also adopt such practices.
Another aspect of the course deals with living a simpler life in the midst of the abundance of material goods in our lives and in American Society. Many people do not realize how much energy, natural resources, and waste are involved in manufacturing the material goods we consume. Moreover, the attachments people develop to these material goods further disconnect us from the natural world that must sustain our lives as well as provide material luxuries.
Beyond being more sustainable, reducing the amount of material goods we consume in our lifestyle can result in a simpler, more fulfilling life. Alix Coursen (WS ’09) explored these issues when she gave up her cell phone for two-weeks. When people questioned why she gave up her cell phone, she told them about the harmful chemicals that are inside cell phones and why they are unsustainable. She also enjoyed the freedom of not carrying around a phone and worrying about if it was safe.
In the end, students often found that living green was not so hard once they developed strategies for sticking to their commitment. Kaitlin Eisenhut (WS ’08) became a vegetarian for two weeks and discovered that she really didn’t miss meat much. She also realized not eating meat was more healthy not just for the environment, but also for herself.
The goal of the course is to enable students to become more conscious of their impact on the environment so that they can reduce their footprints. In realizing the personal benefits of adopting these practices, the students have made life-long commitments to sustaining these practices in their own lives.
The course enables students to develop practical and methodological skills needed for sustainable living throughout their lives. The four experiments explore these skills for college life, but students have also strategized how they can live sustainably when they buy their first apartment and even later when they settle down in their careers and family. A major project has been analyzing their dream home and then modifying that home into their “Green Dream Home.” The students will compile these plans for sustainable living, as well as reflections on the experiments, into individual “sustainable toolkit” portfolios which are meant to remind the students how to stay green when they leave Hobart and William Smith.
This course has been completely student led from its conception. The course was first envisioned by Nathan Taxel (H ’07) when he was a student in Professor Paul Kehle’s “Teaching for a Sustainable Environment” course. For the final project in that course, students have to create a project that raises awareness of environmental sustainability issues on campus. Nathan designed the curriculum for the “Practical Sustainability” course as his final project, but then had the opportunity to teach the course to six students as his Senior Integrative Experience in Environmental Studies in Spring 2007. Christine Moskell (WS ’08) was a student in Nathan’s course. It was so successful, that Christine agreed to teach the course in Spring 2008 to support other students who wanted to explore the same issues. The approach of Nathan’s course also inspired Christine to pursue an Honors Project in which she committed to eating locally grown foods for an entire academic year and to analyzing the local foods movement in light of her experiences.
Five students are in the student-led course this semester and they wanted to share memoirs from their own green-living experiences in the hope of inspiring other students to also “go green.” These memoirs can be found below.
Professor Paul Kehle has been so impressed with the work taking place in this student-led experimental course, that he decided to incorporate much of it in his Teaching for a Sustainable Environment (EDUC 360) course next fall. By including personal sustainability experiments in that class, more students will have an opportunity to study their own ecological footprints. Of course, you don’t have to take any course to start your own experiment in green living—we challenge each of you to begin one today!
Molly Chudleigh, WS ‘08
Water Conservation
Water scarcity is an issue that this country, or at least this part of the country, is not dealing with yet. However, fresh water is a limited resource and we are not cleaning and re-generating or re-using it as fast as we’re consuming it. With the motivation from our Practical Sustainability class I chose to find ways to conserve water. In this class, we have had the opportunity to actually live what we learn in school. After learning a lot of about water use and issues, I chose to find ways in my own life to conserve water and then to decide whether or not I by myself can really make any difference.
Before my experiment began, my normal shower routine used nearly 182 gallons a week. For the experiment I focused on 1)showering less frequently (every other day if I could), 2)turning off the water while I was in there to use soap or shave, and 3) I rinsed off for less than two minutes if I could not go a whole day without showering.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency water use statistics, a 5-minute shower uses about 15-25 gallons of water (depending on water pressure, leakage, etc.)
In an entire 7 day week I’m in the shower almost 45.5 minutes, which is actually considerably less than a lot of people I know. At an average time of 5 minutes a shower, this means I am having about 9.1 showers/week. 9.1 showers and at 20gal/shower, that’s 182 gallons of water a week I’m using, in showering alone!
In week one, I showered every third day but I wasn’t working out as I normally was so I used week two as a more realistic indicator of how much water I could really conserve. On week two, I showered Tuesday, Friday, and Monday with an average shower time of less than five minutes and I rinsed off for a minute or two on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In week two I took about 4.5 showers (4.5 x 20 gallons) which turned about to be less than 90 gallons of water in a week—half of what I used before!
Without drastically changing my lifestyle (i.e. I was still exercising and sweating daily) I could still decrease my weekly shower-water use by 92 gallons!
92 gallons is a lot of water so I concluded in this experiment: one person can really make a difference!
We really do not realize how much we are consuming until we consciously try to reduce or alter our use or consumption of any given thing. Conserving water is something our generation is going to have to take very seriously sooner or later, as there are already severe water stresses and increased tensions in water use in the west. Like many other environmental or sustainable practices issues: we need to do something now, and change some bad habits if we plan on caring for the future of humanity on earth. Although I personally care deeply about our scary dependence on oil and other non-renewable sources for energy, I think if it is not just as important it is increasingly important to raise awareness and encourage personal/societal practices of the conservation of water.
Kaitlin Eisenhut, WS ‘08
Vegetarianism
Why eat meat? More importantly, why not eat meat? Recently I undertook a personal challenge and cut meat out of my diet. This may not seem challenging to some, but personally, it was a quite an undertaking since I grew up in a house in which meat was the staple and center of our dinner table. A meal without meat was quite simply not a meal. Once in this mindset it is difficult to think differently. I did so by becoming educated about what is required to feed me and what impact that has on the environment.
A quick lesson in what it takes to get the meat from the pasture or most likely a CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) to the juicy hamburger that is about to be your dinner: The cow that was butchered to make your hamburger most likely grazed for a year on private land in the Midwest. That cow and the previous grazing cows have left almost ten percent of the land desertified and useless (Durning pp.53-7). It then had a crowded journey in a cattle car that polluted the air to a large-scale feedlot where it and other cows consumed 70% of the grain and 60% of the corn harvested in the United States each year. Once at the feedlot, it was injected with antibiotics to protect it from the numerous diseases that spread at feedlots since the animals are in unnatural close proximity to each other and their living quarters are often filled with fecal matter.
When the cow became large enough, it was shipped off in a crowded cattle car, which again emitted carbon and toxins into the air to a slaughterhouse. It was then shipped in a refrigerated truck to a packing plant that ground and packaged the meat. After packaging, it was shipped to a warehouse and then distributed to fast food restaurants and some grocery stores. This piece of meat has most likely traveled more in its lifetime with the sole purpose of becoming your dinner than you have traveled in the past year.
I completed my personal challenge and surprisingly, did not starve or have hunger pains. I felt happier and healthier from my dietary decisions and since have cut back on my meat consumption because I have become educated about what I consume. I suggest that next time you consider purchasing meat, think about the birth, feeding, killing, and how it gets to your dinner plate.
Durning, Alan T., and John C. Ryan. Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things. Seattle: Northwest Environment Watch, 1997.
For more information about the things you use everyday, how they are made, and what impact that has on the environment, I highly suggest reading Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Alan, T. Durning and John C. Ryan.
Alix Coursen, WS '09
Cell Phone Usage
“Hey it’s Alix, I can’t answer my phone for two weeks because I am doing an experiment in Practical Sustainability. So, if you need to get a hold of me email me, or send me a letter, something, anyway talk to you soon!”
So it is actually possible to survive without a cell phone. I did it for two weeks, our parents did it their whole childhood and our grandparents managed without them for most of their lifetime! Cell phones were practically nonexistent in 1983, now in 2008 there all well over a billion cell phones in use worldwide (High Tech Trash, Elizabeth Grossman). You may read that at first and think Great!, look how far and fast our technology is improving. But what are the environmental impacts of using one billion cell phones?
Most phones have a planned life of only about two years after which time the cell phone companies usually convince you that you need the shinier, newer, upgraded version. Approximately 125 million phones are discarded each year, the majority of which end up in landfills with all of their toxic materials (i.e. lead, arsenic, mercury) able to pollute the environment. You may think that cell phones, as small as they are now cannot possibly produce that much waste. The EPA estimated at the end of 2005 that cell phones would account for 65,000 tons of waste, “Miniaturization is not dematerialization!” (High Tech Trash, Elizabeth Grossman). If the phones are recycled, they are more than likely being shipped to China for dismantling and recycling. Most international recycling processes are not environmentally friendly and the toxins are still released into the air and water supply.
Cell phones do not just have a large impact on the environment because of their disposal though. The battery has to be constantly recharged. One billion phones recharging daily is an enormous amount of energy. Most people do not know that by leaving a phone charger in the socket they are still using energy, unplug your charger when your phone is not charging!
I found it quite easy to “survive” without my phone. In fact it was nice to not be constantly tied to my phone having to remember where I put it, if I had it with me before I left my room and remembering to charge it at night. I am not asking you to give up your phone forever, I don’t think many people would, but in an effort to live and be more sustainable I ask you to think twice about buying a new phone when your old one is perfectly useable, unplug your phone charger when you are not using it, turn your phone off to save the battery when you are in class or at night when you are asleep. If we all used our phones just a little less and were more conscientious about the energy used we would have a profound effect on the environment and be a step closer to being more sustainable.
Mike Ellis, Hobart ‘10
Reducing Waste
Did you know that, unless it’s been incinerated, every piece of plastic ever made still exists? So what, right? Well consider that the U.S. alone produced about 83 billion pounds of it in 2007. Now do you have any idea how much of that is recycled and how much ends up in places where it was never meant to be? I do. As an experiment for our Sustainability class, I spent three weeks here on campus picking up every piece of trash I came across—mostly plastics—and it was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve had at HWS. I still think that our school is one of the cleanlier ones, but there is trash everywhere! What’s more, most of us don’t even notice it! Even I didn’t have a clue just how bad the situation was until I started picking up all the garbage that crossed my path.
Perhaps equally scary is the fact that most people won’t spend the little time or effort it takes to recycle or throw away all this trash. Even more people refuse to pick up the rubbish they encounter. Why is that? How many people have you seen walking down the street and picking up litter? Not many, I bet, and probably far less than people doing the actual littering. When I first started picking up other peoples’ trash, I felt extremely self-conscious for no good reason, and I’m sure other people feel that way too. Why else wouldn’t they spend the two seconds it takes to reach down and put that trash where it belongs? In today’s world, more and more people seem to be embracing the environmental movement, so it’s a shame that litter is as big a problem as ever. If we all spent a little more time making sure our trash was properly disposed of, we wouldn’t have problems like “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Look it up, and open your eyes. Maybe it will convince you to spend that little extra time and effort.
Kaitlyn VanNostrand WS '09
Reducing Driving
For two weeks I gave up cars and I survived. As my first personal experiment in Practical Sustainability, I was happy to practice what I preach as an environmentalist, by not driving to class, to the gym, or to get food. This is my third year at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and I continue to be part of half of the population of students who does not have a car on campus. During the course of the two week experiment, I talked to my classmates, teammates and friends about how it’s not necessary to have a car on our small campus. However, it was not extremely easy. I had problems with the weather, my social life and people’s attitudes. But looking back I was happy that I did it.
Since I do not have a car on campus, it was not a huge inconvenience to my normal academic day not to get into a car. In the warmer months I usually ride my bike to class or the gym. Now that it is the middle of winter, my method of transportation is walking. During the two weeks, I did have to trek through the snow, ice and rain a lot. I gained a new respect for those who walk to work everyday. But, I was and continue to still be happy to walk everywhere, as it is better for my health and for the environment. One of the times I am most at peace with nature is walking through a fresh snow fall. The world seems to stand still as everything is very quiet, covered by a blanket of white. I think our campus is beautiful when all the trees, buildings and quad areas are covered in snow.
Another interesting thing I came across was how many students drive from their residence hall to class or a meeting. I had an interesting encounter when leaving a team meeting in Winn Seeley Gymnasium, where I was going to have dinner at the pub after the meeting was finished with friends. We had a race. They drove from Winn Seeley, to their house parking lot on St. Clair Street and I walked to the pub. I made it there first. This was a re-occurring theme I noticed during my two weeks. Many students believe it’s faster to drive from Odell’s to Stern, for example, but by walking you don’t loose any time. Try it, because it works!
