A new joint publication between Second Nature and the U.S. Green Building Council was recently released that readers of our campus sustainability perspectives blog may be interested in. The publication, “Advancing Education for Sustainability: Teaching the Concepts of Sustainable Building to All Students”  is intended to “explore the critical role of the built environment in educating all students about sustainability”. To that end, the document “provides a set of core sustainable building concepts, examples of institutions that are successfully teaching their students about sustainability, and recommends steps that higher education institutions could take to provide all students with the knowledge and skills to create a just and sustainable future”.

The publication comes at an important time. As Margo pointed out in her recent article, "A Look at the Growing Trend of Green Building in Higher Education" the interest in sustainable design and architecture continues to grow on college and university campuses. As this embrace of green building continues, students must be offered the opportunity to learn about sustainable buildings and design. Regardless of the discipline being studied, an understanding of sustainable building concepts can help solve a variety of complex problems and ensure that the students of today are prepared to meet the sustainability challenges they will be facing after they graduate.

Has your campus involved students in green building projects on campus? Do you know if your campus is offering any sustainable architecture/design courses open to students in any discipline? What are your thoughts on educating all students (regardless of major) on concepts of sustainable building?