Over the past week I posted notes from the two full days of speakers and sessions I attended at the national conference for AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. (For the recaps, click here). As with many conferences, there was a great deal of enthusiasm. Most of the sessions were worthwhile and many of the speakers were both leaders in their field and highly invigorating.

What was the take away message? I attended a few sessions focused on integrating sustainability into the curriculum. Many schools seem to use the Ponderosa and Piedmont Projects originally out of Northern Arizona and Emory Universities, which were faculty led attempts to foster sustainability in courses. Both schools had champions, including a former professor of mine at Emory, Peggy Barlett. Professor Barlett is a facilitator, someone who can listen and bring groups together. In order to achieve sustainability on any level, these types of people are key as they help build consensus and bridge the gaps between stakeholders.

The final presentation I attended, “Is it time for a revolution?”, offered up higher education as the leader for a sustainable future. Schools, all the way down to early childhood education, need to lead in this realm, not just higher education. The time has come to move past high stakes testing and toward a more equitable and integrated approach to learning, one that is centered on sustainability as a unifying theme. We cannot continue to teach as if the disciplines are discrete, disconnected units of content. Instead, educators must be given the opportunity to teach and schools to lead. School infrastructure represents an amazing educational tool. Whether a school is a new LEED certified structure, a converted army hospital (as my high school was), or a traditional building, students can use the grounds to learn, to innovate, and to work in conjunction with facilities managers, not in opposition to them.

AASHE left me wondering how a university, as well as K-12 education, can connect people, the planet, and profits – the vaunted triple bottom line. Schools can and should lead the way. Many presenters argued for the moral imperative. I’m invoking it as well. Schools have a moral imperative to educate for a sustainable future, for what other type of future is there?

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