Sustainability Smarts: Applying the Core Principles of Sustainability on Campus

Sustainability, sustainable, green, eco-friendly--these are more than just buzz words. These are words that are now entangled in the daily fabric of life. Kids are learning about sustainability in primary schools, more students are studying environmental concerns in college, and people of all ages are making attempts to be green, from recycling to volunteering to buying hybrid vehicles. As the green movement grew around the world, it also gained ground on college campuses. Student organizations focused on implementing green practices, institutions hired sustainability coordinators, and construction projects started to revolve around the variety of sustainable features. Campuses should begin to consider the core principles of sustainability, often referred to as the triple bottom line--environmental, economical, and social. Only when being sustainable in all three principles is a program, building, or campus achieving the triple bottom line. This publication features three articles, one discussing each aspect of the triple bottom line. Contents include: (1) A Blueprint for Green Design (Elizabeth Stringer); (2) Funding Sustainability Initiatives on Campus (Justin Rudisille and Krista Harrell-Blair); and (3) For the Greater Good: Examining the Growth of a Sustainable Student Leader on a College Campus (Elizabeth Stringer). Individual papers contain tables.