Beyond recycling: Developing “deep” sustainability competence

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to advance a competency framework for sustainability, arguing that sustainability initiatives should move beyond basic awareness to deeper knowledge, including understanding of root causes, and development of political skills. This chapter’s discussion and critique of sustainability competence is grounded in data from more than 500 undergraduate residents’ responses to seven open-ended questions about sustainability initiatives in the residence halls; what sustainability means to them; their environmental values, attitudes, and behaviors. These data were analyzed using qualitative methods to determine students’ understanding and definition of sustainability; their green behaviors; and the impact of perceptions about sustainability on green behaviors. Along the three competency domains (awareness, knowledge, and skills), respondents’ understanding of sustainability was overwhelmingly environmental (recycling, and reducing waste), and skills did not extend beyond individual actions. Sustainability initiatives must not only develop individual-level competencies (i.e. awareness of personal consumption, reduction of personal waste and energy usage), but also equip individuals to act at institutional and structural levels (i.e. advocating for changes in policy and practices). An expanded conceptualization of sustainability competence would be useful for educators to design initiatives that deepen sustainability competence, developing students’ capacity for thinking and acting systemically.