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Sustainability is one of Chico State's favorite buzzwords, but some students may be wondering what the term means.
The ideas behind sustainability have different aspects, said Amy Miller, A.S. sustainability coordinator. Most students understand a few, but there are many to grasp.
"Sustainability is huge, broad, all encompassing," Miller said. "There are the environmental aspects, but there also are social and economic aspects."
Chico State showcased the different faces of sustainability this weekend at This Way to Sustainability III, which is the largest conference of its kind in the United States, according to a university press release.
More than 1,000 presenters and eager-to-learn citizens came to the four-day conference.
Workshop and presentation themes included sustainable business practices, global population growth and sustainability across curriculum.
Junior Megan Gonzales said explaining sustainability is difficult because it is such a broad subject, she said.
"I think that you just have to define it as trying to help the environment," Gonzales said.
Thinking and acting sustainable is first a personal responsibility and then a global responsibility, she said. People need a reason and a personal connection before they will work to better the environment.
Fourth-year student Rachelle Daniele defines the buzzword a little differently.
"It's hard to put it into words," Daniele said. "It's not using more resources than we can produce or that we have at our disposal."
The Earth is providing resources to humans who expect these resources to be replenished, and they aren't. Human selfishness will eventually catch up with the population, but it will be too late to make amends, she said.
Daniele knew about sustainability before attending Chico State, but has learned even more because of the university and community's work, she said.
"It has made me a lot more aware of the magnitude of the problem and the urgency that it needs to be treated with," she said.
Gonzales thinks the university could do more to help students learn about and practice sustainable habits, she said.
"Parking and transportation is a big problem for Chico," she said. "The university should do more to educate students and maybe even provide them with more transportation resources."
Regardless of what sustainability means to each individual, the movement does not end with efforts on campus, at work or at home, Miller said.
"Everything deserves respect - all species and ecosystems."
Nicholas Jester can be reached at njester@theorion.com
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