Planning for Higher Education 15The Critical Role of HigherEducation in Creating aSustainable Future Higher education can serve as a model of sustainability by fully integrating all aspects ofcampus life.by Anthony D. CorteseAnthony D. Cortese is a sustainability consultant and president and cofounder of Second Nature, a national nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts, thatworks to make sustainability a foundation ofall learning and practice in higher education.He was formerly the dean of environmentalprograms at Tufts University and thecommissioner of the MassachusettsDepartment of Environmental Protection.Need for a New Human PerspectiveFor the first time in history, humans are pervasive anddominant forces in the health and well-being of the earthand its inhabitants. We are the first generation capable ofdetermining the habitability of the planet for humans andother species. The limiting factors for future economicgrowth are not labor and technology (Hawken 1997). Theyare, instead, natural capital (the size of the fish stock, notthe number and size of the fishing boats) and social capital(the ability to make market corrections and to govern societyto achieve health, peace, security, social equity, and stability).Envisioning a Sustainable FutureImagine a society in which all present and future humansare healthy and have their basic needs met. What if everyonehad fair and equitable access to the Earth’s resources, adecent quality of life, and celebrated cultural diversity?Imagine future scientists, engineers, and business peopledesigning technology and economic activities that sustainrather than degrade the natural environment and enhancehuman health and well-being. Imagine a future where wedesign our technology inspired by biological models operatingon renewable energy. Imagine a future where the conceptof waste is eliminated because every waste product is a16 March–May 2003raw material or nutrient for another species or activity orreturned into the cycles of nature. Imagine that we aremanaging human activities in a way that restores andincreases the biological diversity and complexity of theecosystems on which we all depend. By doing so, humanscould live off nature’s interest, not its capital, for generationsto come.Imagine that all professionals understand their connections to the natural world and to other humans.What if people truly know where products and services comefrom, know where wastes go, and know the consequencesto humans and other living species and how to minimizethis ecological footprint (our impact on the Earth)?The average American does not know that we consumeour body weight in solid materials daily. For every 100pounds of product produced in the United States, we actually move a staggering 3,200 pounds of material andenergy, over 94 percent of which goes to waste before we ever see the product or the service (Hawken 1997). Our ecological footprint is largely invisible to most of us.We must make it visible to understand our impact.Imagine a future in which we have stabilized the population at a level that is within the carrying capacity of Earth’s ecosystems because we have increased the education, as well as the social and economic status, ofwomen worldwide. Imagine that we have timely and accurate economic and ecological signals: microeconomicsignals for price that reflect the true social and environmentalcost to society, macroeconomic indicators that reflect thetrue well-being of society and the Earth, and ecological signals that we receive in time to prevent or remedy damageto humans or the environment. Current signals are eitherincomplete, highly inaccurate, lead us to a false sense ofsecurity, or are too late to prevent damage.Now, imagine that all current and future generations areable to pursue meaningful work and have the opportunityto realize their full human potential both personally andsocially. Imagine that through our dreaming and doing wehave dramatically reduced resource consumption, pollution,and waste. Imagine we have done this in the developedworld so that there is opportunity in the developing worldand poorer communities within the United States to behealthy and have a decent quality of life. Imagine that communities are strong and vibrant because they celebratecultural diversity, are designed to encourage collaborationand participation in governance, and emphasize the qualityof life over the consumption of stuff. Think of what it couldbe like if globalization is humanized to support democracy,human rights, and economic opportunity for everyone. The vast majority of people would agree with theseideals. So how do we rapidly accelerate these ideas andcreate this future? We need a fundamental, transformativeshift in thinking, values, and action by all of society’s leadersand professionals, as well as the general population. To quote Albert Einstein, “The significant problems we facecannot be solved at the same level of thinking we usedwhen we created them” (Calaprice 2000, p. 317). Higher Education’s Role The change in mind-set necessary to achieve this vision isa sustained, long-term effort to transform education at alllevels. Despite the efforts of many individuals and groupswithin the formal educational system, education for a justand sustainable world is not a high priority. (McIntosh et al.2001). Indeed, it is the people coming out of the world’sbest colleges and universities that are leading us down thecurrent unhealthy, inequitable, and unsustainable path. Only afew architecture schools have made sustainable design a foundation of education and practice (Glyphis 2001). Thesame is true in the education of virtually every intellectualdiscipline and profession. The greatest evidence of theneed to transform education is the state of the world and the tremendous effort being made by thousands ofnongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and schools in environmental and sustainability education to “fix” the traditional educational system.Why is this the case? Several structural aspects of thecurrent system contribute to the problem. Interactionsbetween population, human activities, and the environmentand strategies, technologies, and policies for a secure, just,and an environmentally sustainable future are among themost complex and interdependent issues with which societymust deal. These issues cross over disciplinary boundaries.Higher education is generally organized into highly specializedareas of knowledge and