I Believe in Being a Role Model

Brian Andrews, Karl Haas, Christina Erickson and Emily Ginter at the annual trash sort last fall.

I believe that we need to model the behaviors we wish to see. My background is in environmental and experiential education and I once had a mentor say to me, “Never ask your students to do something you yourself would not do.” In that case, it meant if I was asking students to intentionally dump a canoe on a mid-September day to learn how to right it again, I needed to do it too, no matter that I had done this more times than I could count. The same holds true for me with sustainable living behaviors.

My job in the past six years has been working with students, faculty, and staff on college campuses to reduce their individual ecological and carbon footprints (and collectively reduce those of the institution) by participating in various behaviors such as riding bikes and walking, choosing to eat local foods, switching off computers at night, supporting thrift stores, and so on. What does that mean for me? That I ride my bike or walk to work, grow and process foods for my family to consume, am ardent at flipping all switches, and have a closet full of clothes gently worn by someone else.

Modeling behaviors is a key concept behind a peer education program that I’ve worked with and studied for my doctoral work. Eco-Rep programs on college campuses, such as the one at the University of Vermont, hire and train students to learn about sustainable living practices. They then model those practices to their peers in college residence halls, encouraging them to follow suit. Student Eco-Reps bring information such as levels of energy use on campus or how much waste is generated annually back to their residence hall neighbors. They then provide ways to actively engage their neighbors through waste sorts, lightbulb swaps, and clothing exchanges.

So does this program work? In a word, yes. My research evaluating the program at UVM showed that students who had an Eco-Rep in their building reported higher levels of sustainable living behaviors. They also reported a higher awareness of how operations and systems on campus worked, such as what can be recycled and that they can ride the local buses free. Eco-Reps programs have been replicated many times since their inception at Tufts University in 2000; now there are more than 50 similar programs at campuses across the country. Additionally, Staff Eco-Rep programs have sprung up, utilizing the same concepts and practices with campus employees. These programs help address the behavioral side of sustainability, which can work in conjunction with technological solutions. This type of program is one that I hope to create at my current position at Champlain College. In past years, Champlain has accomplished some great work in energy conservation and green building projects and is ripe to take off with other initiatives, such as peer education programs.

Changing behaviors is a very personal matter, and there is the chance that tensions can be raised when someone is asked to change. I have learned that top-down approaches can be met with resistance. Peer education and modeling strive to be a more grassroots approach that is more personable. An aspect of training for Eco-Reps is discussing how to talk about difficult topics and create communication strategies that are sensitive to others’ needs while addressing the issues at hand. One aspect of being a thoughtful communicator is learning how to avoid having an “eco-righteous” attitude — something that I try to model for others.

Every person does not have the same life circumstances; but by showing that reasonable alternatives do exist, particularly within peer groups, change is possible. I have seen this with my student Eco-Reps, who have found inspiration to continue with environmentally related work. I have seen this with a co-worker, who decided to raise her own chickens. I have seen this with my parents, who decided that having a compost pile in their backyard was a pretty easy thing to do. My goal is that by inspiring people around me to make personal changes, they will in turn inspire others to do the same.

By Christina Erickson, Champlain College Sustainability Coordinator

This essay originally appeared in the “Burlington Free Press’s” Green Mountain section, a weekly look at sustainable living and the environment.

Sustain Champlain

Opportunities abound

There are many ways to get involved in sustainability activities on campus, from the College’s student Environmental Club, to the Kill-a-Watt Challenge to reduce energy use in the residence halls, to the annual trash sort intendend to monitor levels of recycling. All activities are aimed at helping reduce the College’s impact on the natural environment, encourage students to live more sustainably, and create positive change for the earth.

ECO-REPS

This fall, Champlain College will launch an Eco-Rep program in the residence halls. The program trains student leaders to model and promote environmentally responsible behaviors in the residence halls by educating their peers.

Community Garden

A new 20-plot community garden will be available next to Rowell Annex for the first time this summer for Champlain College staff, student, and faculty use.

ONLINE Community

Sustain Champlain keeps the campus in the loop with regular e-bulletins containing announcements, upcoming events, and opportunities. You can find info on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Blogspot.