NASA discovered two new worlds last week. The planets are the most Earth-like bodies astronomers have found so far in the outer cosmos. Their orbits position them in a temperature zone suitable for liquid water.
Last week’s discovery is not the only recent development in the search for a second Earth. Near the start of April a group of New Zealand scientists proposed that a planet-hunting strategy that combined gravitational microlensing with the use of NASA’s Kepler space telescope could lead to the discovery of 100 billion Earth-like planets.
Finding a second Earth could be just a matter of time. But as our galactic horizons expand, our planetary horizons shrink. And as of now, this planet is all we’ve got.
Earth Day, held April 22 each year since its start in 1970, aims to expand possibilities for Earth’s future — in face of environmental degradation and the prospect of dire fallout from human-induced climate change — by demonstrating support for environmental protection. The University, like many other communities, makes a week out of it. The school’s environmental enthusiasts are hosting picnics and eco-fairs from April 20 to April 26.
Spring is not silent in Charlottesville. The town’s low-rolling hills and blossom-laden trees make it hard to ignore the abundance and dewy-green beauty of the natural world. And the University, founded by an avid naturalist, has a special responsibility when it comes to environmental stewardship.
Our school faces a number of environmental challenges. Its operations consume copious amounts of energy, water and space, and its already-ambitious educational goals leave scarce room for ensuring its graduates are prepared to be ecologically responsible citizens.
But the University, with its ample intellectual capital, is also poised to make great strides in environmental protection. The school has already taken some notable steps. In February 2011, the University launched an interdisciplinary minor in global sustainability. A few months later, the Board of Visitors approved a commitment to reduce the University’s annual greenhouse gas emissions to 250,000 metric tons by 2025 — a figure 25 percent below 2009 levels.
Sustainability is a principle that underlies the mission of higher education. Universities, after all, nourish social sustainability. By developing leaders and thinkers, universities play a key role in sustaining economic, political, civic and intellectual institutions and practices. In the absence of ecological health, however, civic health cannot survive long. Environmental citizenship is a logical outgrowth of what universities seek to accomplish.
Whether in recognition of the formative role universities can play when approaching environmental problems, or as a branding attempt to attract bright students, it has become more common for universities to weave environmental objectives into their identities. Sustainability has become one of many factors prospective students consider as they shop for an ideal educational experience. An aggressive commitment to sustainability suggests that a school is conscious of its impact on the external world, and also correlates with academic opportunities, such as programs in sustainability or environmental engineering.
Ecologically minded high school students now have more reason to direct their attention to the University. The school made the Princeton Review’s “Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” an unranked list released last week. The Princeton Review commends the University’s alternative transportation options, and notes that the school is using 13 percent less water than it was 15 years ago.
This year’s Earth Week has the potential to be more than a friendly showcasing of how the University’s various units operate sustainably. Given the school’s interest in environmentally conscious institutional change and its potentially burgeoning reputation as a green school, students and University leaders should continue to integrate environmental stewardship into the University’s identity. Sustainable practices are a part of good citizenship. Any 21st-century update of Jeffersonian ideals requires a nod to environmental protection. As the University grows older, it must also grow greener.
Read More
LETTER: Medical students stand in support of transgender youth
By Rachel Rezabek , Russell Hawes , Ishaan Rischie , Elianna Dunster , Kaile Maske , Zain Ahmad and Zoe Ziff | 4 hours agoAs future physicians, we cannot remain silent, especially since U.Va. Health is one of the most comprehensive gender health centers in the country.
HUYNH: The Supreme Court must support civil rights litigation in Virginia and beyond
By Viet Huynh | 9 hours agoThe Supreme Court must prioritize protecting the litigating power of the people against potentially tyrannical laws by their government.
EDITORIAL: U.Va. Health lets fear trump its mission to do no harm
By Editorial Board | YesterdayIt is high time to resist these authoritative and dangerous actions before there are no federal avenues left for resistance.
