DUT GCI

ct of climate change and what practical
interventions can institutions initiate to design, develop and implement green campus
programs?”
Climate Change Leadership
The African Green Campus Initiative (AGCI) was established with the aim for the promotion
of environmental sustainability/climate change interventions at colleges and universities
campuses in South Africa. The formation of AGCI was underpinned by the belief that colleges
and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by
modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and
the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality.Campuses that address the climate challenge by reducing global warming emissions and
by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will better serve their students and meet their
social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil society. By taking on this responsibility,
these colleges and universities will be providing students with the knowledge and skills needed
to address the critical, systemic challenges faced by the world in this new century and enable
them to benefit from the economic opportunities that will arise as a result of solutions they
develop. It takes the right balance of
administrative, staff, faculty and student input. Even changes made completely off the radar
screen of students are typically made with them in mind, and over the past decades students
have shown that they’re paying attention. From protesting investments with links to abusive
governments and lobbying for sweatshop-free college products to standing up for
sustainability principles and climate-safe campus operations, students at schools large and
small have voiced their concerns—and steered both opinion and policy in better directions. But lately it’s been different. The stakes are much higher. The call for change is both global and
personal. Students have been among the first to realize that leading the way for sustainability is
an investment in their long-term prospects too—in future work, in family and community life, and
in both private and public realms. Students are picking up on the fact that a world safe for
people and wildlife is one that will support not only their own lives and dreams, but those of
countless others.They have long had a voice in what happened around them during their years of postsecondary
schooling. But never has there been an organizing motivation like global warming and the
related urgency to redirect society toward a clean energy future. Colleges and universities exist to educate young people, and what better place to learn the
concepts and skills they will need to thrive in both an economy and society that is rapidly
shifting—by necessity—to a cleaner, greener way of thinking and acting? Many students in
campuses in South Africa and across the world are already engaged in sustainability
leadership, and through their green campus activities they gain valuable skills and practical
knowledge by working on real-world campus projects. Students of every have much to offer
and much to learn from the experience. It is encouraging that in the past few years, there has been a groundswell of individual campus
actions—plus the formation of national groups and organizations that reflect a growing student
movement based, in part, on a determination not to make the same unsustainable choices
that now are the legacy of earlier generations. Institutions like the University of Cape Town,
University of the Western Cape and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have initiated some
of the most successful Green Campus Initiative programs through the leadership of students. Today’s students will see and be required to deal with some of the most devastating impacts of
climate change, which will arise during their lifetimes. To them “the environment” is no longer an
abstraction, but a looming global calamity that has moved many to approach this issue with
passion and resolve.The issues facing the campus, and indeed the world, may be daunting, but students are
nevertheless taking on these challenges, initiating change and working to find solutions. Not surprisingly, the benefits to students due to their involvement in campus sustainability are
many. Not only do campuses (and the biosphere) benefit by having a healthier, higher quality
of life, but students hone professional skills such as teamwork, communication, project
planning, statistical analysis and navigating complex systems. In addition, they may acquire
technical skills like processing biodiesel fuel and measuring electrical consumption. And while students gain a variety of personal benefits, campuses profit as well from the work
they accomplish. The case examples in the 35 campus actions below illustrate the huge
potential for important contributions toward improving campus operations and public relations,
as well as saving significant amounts of money. And because students rarely work in isolation
on campus projects, they bring a greater sense of community to their institution as they work
alongside staff, faculty and administrators. Perhaps more than with any other issue, sustainability and the quest for solutions to global
warming are becoming a unifying force on campuses nationwide.