Cash isn't the only Green in Study Abroad...

With so much media coverage of the increasing costs of a Euro-pean study abroad adventure, it is refreshing to see an article in the Yale Daily News covering the other kind of green. This article explores the necessity of extending sustainable, environmentally conscious practices beyond the campuses of our home universities toward study abroad students’ international communities.

In the article, Roman concludes, “The sudden interest at Yale in trying to make study-abroad activities sustainable - both environmentally and culturally - mirrors a similar move within the study-abroad field as a whole. As increasing numbers of American students hop on carbon-spewing planes to exotic destinations, college administrators and study-abroad programs alike have started to focus on what impact these students may be having, both on the environment and on the local cultures themselves.”

One particular expert in this field is Daniel Greenberg, the Executive Director of Living Routes, a study abroad program provider on the forefront of green practices through offerings in eco-villages. Greenberg, who is heading NAFSA’s Task Force on Environmental Sustainability in Education Abroad, recently drafted a report titled, "Sustainability in International Education: Recommendations for Education Abroad Administrators & Faculty." The report poses two underlying questions:

How can education abroad programs be both high quality and low impact?

How can education abroad contribute in general to the movement towards greater environmental awareness?

While carbon offsets are becoming a popular choice for students wishing to reduce the environmental footprint of their international flights (according to TerraPass.com, a website that offers carbon offsets, a flight from Boston to Barcelona emits over 3,000 lbs of carbon), many environmental advocates wonder whether study abroad programs can truly justify such a toll on the environment. Only time will tell whether the study abroad industry will truly alter their practices to model programs like Living Routes that demonstrate how study abroad and environmental consciousness need not be mutually exclusive. Hopefully, as the benefits of “going green” are further publicized, other providers will become “green with envy" and follow suit.