The Role of Universities in Promoting Sustainability

By Sanjana Bajaj

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges facing humankind today. In an effort to tackle this important issue facing our planet, universities and other institutions of higher learning are leading the way in conducting environmental research, teaching, and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Many universities have taken significant steps to help combat the climate crisis through various forms of student engagement. Stanford offers numerous courses related to climate change. Their school of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences offers a class on “Pursuing Sustainability: Managing Complex Social Environmental Systems” that explores the roles of various natural and technological resources in supporting sustainability efforts. The acclaimed university also funds research programs to address real-world sustainability challenges. Earlier this year, researchers at The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment developed a machine learning model that detects consumption patterns in utility services, enabling them to develop appropriate conservation plans that effectively reduce water demand and ultimately help prevent another drought in California.

Stanford is just one of the many institutions that offer innovative education and research on the environment and sustainability. Yale, UCLA, Princeton, and Northwestern are other examples of large institutions that conduct vital research towards developing climate solutions. 

In addition to pivotal research, it is also extremely pertinent that universities do their part to reduce their carbon footprint in order to produce a healthy, more sustainable campus. Harvard University in particular is taking steps to go greenhouse-gas neutral by 2050, and in order to be held accountable and continue improving, they release yearly sustainability reports to the public here. 

For the fourteenth year straight, the Sierra Club, an influential grassroots environmental organization, ranked 312 schools according to their “eco bona fides” and environmental commitments. Despite setbacks in sustainability efforts due to COVID-19, many schools showed remarkable resourcefulness in maintaining their environmental operations. Institutions in the top 20 include Seattle University, UMass Amherst, Colorado State, and Stanford. Ranked at the top was the University of California-Irvine not only for their research in energy efficiency, but also for how well and quickly the university adapted their sustainability efforts during distance learning in the spring. Additionally, their Pump to Plug program has helped reduce over 23,000 metric tons of commuter CO2 emissions by incentivizing faculty, staff, and students to shift to using electric vehicles.

It is evident that substantial strides are being made by universities to help combat the climate change crisis that the world is facing today. By raising awareness about the issues and encouraging novel solutions, the institutions have the ability to lead us out of the imminent catastrophe and ensure a better environment for future generations.