Sustainable Living (short)
I. Introduction
- Introduce ourselves & office (Name, major, why you personally care about sustainability)
- SPROUT: Sustainability Peer Resource OUTreach
- Icebreaker (if group is small): A lot of people find a connection to sustainability based on a positive experience with nature. What experiences do you have? Introduce yourselves with Year and major. Pay attention to what they say about their majors!
II. What is sustainability?
- Brainstorm, what falls under that umbrella
- Meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of the future generation.
III. Why we should care?
By making energy efficient choices, MU saves $6.6 million each year on their energy bill. This is the equivalent of 5 MU degree programs or $241 of tuition savings per student.
- Social justice: low income families and developing countries are hit hardest by environmental toxins and climate change.
- Increases in flooding or drought. Causes higher rates of malaria.
- What we do here has global effects.
Economics and business
- Local benefits
- Stronger community
Health
- Local foods- healthy foods, less pesticides and potentially harmful chemicals.
- Air pollution
(Relate it back to their major.)
V. Practical Tips
- Conservation Tips: Ask what people in the group are already doing. Discuss why each one is beneficial.
- Hand out the checklist for everyone to look over and take home.
- Make it fun! A lot of activities can be made more sustainable by doing them in groups: studying together or in public places saves electricity, carpooling saves gas, have group events outdoors, choose board game nights over watching TV.
