Michigan Tech’s Graduate Student Government and the Association of Students for People, Environment and Nature have drafted a sustainability resolution. The resolution aims at promoting care for the environment and integrating environmental sustainability issues into research.
The resolution is based on four principles. These are “demonstrating sustainability leadership, acting as stewards of our natural resources, recognizing the broader social impacts of our decisions, and managing the economic interests of the university to reflect and support those objectives.”
According to the document titled “A Resolution for Action and Engagement in Sustainable Practice at Michigan Technological University”, Michigan Tech is a leader in innovation and spreading understanding about natural resources issues. The resolution, therefore, will enhance the existing efforts of the university.
Apart from conducting research to solve environmental problems, some professors have created courses to engage students in finding practical solutions to environmental problems.
In the department of humanities, for instance, Professor Craig Waddell created a graduate seminar on communication and climate change. This graduate course engaged students in finding practical ways of disseminating accurate information on climate change using the rhetorical and cultural knowledge that students have acquired in other courses. Professor Sarah Green from the department of chemistry is also noted for being a co-author of the controversial 97 percent consensus article and has been a leading figure in environmental advocacy. Last year, the department of forestry organized a climate change game to educate attendants about the current state of the phenomenon. Efforts so far seem to be yielding some results. Speaking at this event, professor Green said little efforts are important to reducing climate change, for instance, “Decreasing CO2 emissions by three percent annually is quite drastic” and that “A three percent cut per year means a cut of 50 percent by 2040.”
According to Hossein Tavakoli, the GSG President, the resolution will soon be presented to the Undergraduate Students Government, members of the GSG, the University Senate, student organizations, academic departments and eventually the Board of Trustees. Tavakoli also stated that, “We created the resolution after several meetings, to encourage MTU to become a more sustainable campus. This is the first step in improving sustainability on campus and will be followed by the creation of a sustainability advisory committee.” Commenting on the future of the resolution, Tavakoli stated, “The resolution will then be modified so that it can be used as a MTU Sustainability Pledge. The Pledge will be distributed to existing and incoming students, faculty and staff. Everyone on campus will have the ability to sign the pledge to support MTU becoming more sustainable.”
Linford Lamptey, member of the academic committee of GSG hopes that these efforts, especially that of the GSG, “help as a constant reminder to us about the roles we all have to play as students, faculty and community to improve upon the health of our environment. Sustaining our environment is a means of sustaining ourselves and the generations that will come after us.”
