Bryant University Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies - Spring 2020

The Center of the World Chris Fryer Abstract A body of water is often seen as a serene place of relaxation, but just under the surface, aquatic life bustle around. This creative narrative will spark your imagination into having you believe that you are placed in the shoes of a wandering student as you encounter this great entity, known as the . This journey will allow you to free your mind, and let it wander as you get lost in your own imagination. Have you ever wondered how certain things came to be, such as out-of-place objects in an environment that could have naturalistically been put there, but has a very small probability of actually being real nature? The Bryant Pond is located at the center of the university campus, and is an eyecatcher as you meander around. The pond acts as a waypoint for students, allowing them to navigate the campus with ease. Surrounding the pond are various forms of the environment, ranging from trees, to grass, to weeds and reeds around the perimeter of the pond. Since the pond is a secluded area inside of the campus, how did aquatic marine life come to be in this sort of environment with no connecting bodies of water?

This would allow nothing to get in or out, unless an outside factor was to come into play.

Fish swim around in the pond, and that draws the question on how they got there since there are no bodies of water connecting. Birds could have been the primary individuals that caused the influx of these marine creatures through transporting eggs in their feathers, or us humans could have planted them there to reconstruct a replica pond.

Knowing and “Understanding the way that fish are dispersed in remote bodies of water is important for the maintenance of biodiversity” 1, and it can expand the wildlife that lives on Bryant’s campus. Maybe the bigger question is, what relationship do we have with the environment, and what do we do to appreciate what it has provided for us?

Key Terms Bryant pond, Creative fiction, Bryant campus, Nature, Environment

1

“Dispersal of Fish Eggs by Water Birds – Just a Myth?” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, February 19, 2018. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103258.htm.

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Introduction Taking a drive down Douglas Pike and enjoying the scenery, you approach the stop light in front of Bryant University; the entrance to a magnificent campus awaits you. You slowly turn onto the long road passing the Bryant University totem on your left, right before the entrance to the campus. As you drive along, you pass the President’s house on your right, President Machtley’s home, and as you continue along the road you notice all of the tall oak and pine trees that are dotted along either side of the road creating a smooth carving in and out of campus. A Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer sits in the booth in the middle of the road and gives you a friendly wave as you journey onwards up the road, driving yourself deep into the heart of Bryant. The townhouses dot the beginning of the campus leading into the heartland where all the action is occurring. You find a spot to park your vehicle, and begin to walk around the Bryant campus, taking in the beauty that lies before you.

Students rushing to and from class, chatting and causing a stir is what campus life is all about, excitement and knowledge-driven young adults. As you continue to pass the Douglas and Judith Krupp Library on your left and the Chase Athletic Center on your right, 7

you see it…you see the magnificent pond lying right in the middle of the campus. Little do you know; you have feasted your eyes upon the “Center of the World” of the Bryant University Campus. You slowly make your way down the narrow gravelly path and pass a student who gives you a friendly smile, then you make your way over to a worn-out wooden bench and take a seat. You allow your eyes to wander around and observe everything around you, and you let your imagination run wild with all the things that are going on around you. A small gentle breeze swirls around you and you feel the rush of wind scurry by you and cause the arms of the tall oak trees to do a little dance and shake what leaves they have left. As you sit on that bench, all stress and emotions you are feeling are immediately gone, and you feel at peace and very relaxed just from sitting on a bench and letting your mind relax for a moment.

A bird chirps a melody across the pond inside of its nest in a tall tree, and that causes you to snap out of your trance and take a glance over to see where the noise is coming from. You shift your position on the bench, and look around the pond to what else is going on in the section you are currently fixated on at that moment. Small reeds line the rim of the pond and your eyes get drawn to a little section of the pond just below the bridge that has a small out-cove that could perhaps be a home for some type of aquatic marine life creature. As the sun beats down on you, trees unable to protect you due to all of their leaves being gone, you look around and notice something out of the ordinary.

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Based on the topography of the area, it seems a little unusual. To have all of these trees lining the pond just so perfectly, a bridge going across the middle, creating two separate sections of the joint pond, and the pathways around the pond. It all seems to surreal to have been placed there by “coincidence”, but that doesn’t stop you from appreciating the beautiful landscape you are relaxing on. The gravel softly crunches under your shoes as you relax again, and let your mind open up to everything that is going on around you. The tall reeds happily dance as the wind gently pushes them to and fro, and you happily watch them bounce back and forth. They are tightly packed along the lining of the pond and create a potential home for some type of aquatic animal.

As the time

goes on, you notice a little motion going on near the bank of the pond, just opposite from where you are seated. Little ripples in the surface emerge, and you catch a small glimpse of what looks like to be a fish! As the mysterious creature darts away underneath the depths of the surface, you now become more alert and visually scan to see if you can spot this creature once again, to have it reveal its identity. Some while later, you see the creature re-emerge from the depths of the pond, and this time you are ready. As you move about from the bench to get a good look at the creature, you notice it is only a big mouth bass swimming about keeping to itself, and it swims back off to carry on his adventure. Finally, you settle back into the bench, and take a nice long look around the pond, seeing if you can spot any other kinds of wildlife that could possibly inhabit the pond.

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Pond scum and reeds could make a nice home to some kind of amphibian such as a frog, or some type of small insects. But wait, it would seem plausible that a frog could have a home on the pond, but how did the fish get there? You glance around and notice that the pond is a still body of water not connecting anywhere else, so how could these fish have gotten here?! Maybe the pond was not made to fit the campus, and the campus was built around the pond and the fish have inhabited it ever since. Many different questions race through your mind as your try to relax once again on the creaking worn down bench. After a while, you come to be at peace once again, letting all your emotions slip away as you begin to feel yourself relaxing and admire the wonderful naturalistic scene.

You notice a little gray squirrel scampering across the green lawn seeking safety from an influx of students walking along the path. Your eyes track the squirrel as it makes its way up one of the large oak trees to its nest. The bark appears to be very warn down and tired, as the branches hang faintly by the trees side as well. You look at some of the other trees to see what they are like as well. Some of the trees are being held up, bent out of shape, by thick metallic wires, to prevent them from falling over. “Now that’s not very naturalistic” you think to yourself, getting back to the squirrel. Once you lose sight of the furry creature, you look down at your watch and see it is time to get going. Your creative imaginative journey has come to an end and, you finally have to get on with your day.

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Snapping out of your daydreaming like trance, you stand up, do a little stretch, and start to slowly walk away, hearing occasional crunching of leaves under your feet.

Some final questions start to come to your mind as you depart from your resting spot, “Why do we take care of the pond in the middle of the campus?”, “What purpose does the pond have for us? Is it so other kids can come here and unwind just as I did? Or do we have a purpose for the pond?”, or yet “What do we do to show appreciation for what the environment and nature has done for us?”. This will forever keep us questioning ourselves, what was the

like before? Even if the campus had been

built around the pond, what was the terrain and the environment like? These questions will always ponder us, and keep us wondering, what the great mystery of life was like in the

.

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Literature Review Looking at a more realistic perspective, the Bryant Pond as we know, it serves a greater purpose than being a physical attraction on campus. What is the bigger picture we should be looking at, when we think of the

? What does a creative

narrative have anything to do with how we as humans are affected, or we affect the pond.

Eco-poetry is one start to why the poem had anything to do with the environment.

A well-known man for his works of art in the ecopoetic world is Jonathan Skinner. He worked on the Cornell Society for the Humanities for two years, 2011-2012, and founded and writes/edits the ecopoetic journals. According to Jonathan, from the eco-poetry.org website, he talks about eco-poetry as “the making and study of pastoral poetry, or poetry of wilderness and deep ecology” 2. Eco-poetry goes in depth into the ecological ideas of how the wilderness and the environment can be worked its way into poetry. It is about how poetry can shape ecological movements in a community or environment. Why is this

2

Skinner, Jonathan. “What Is Eco-Poetics?” Ecological Poetry, Literature and Graphics of Climate Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.eco-poetry.org/what-is-eco-poetics-.html.

Crisis.

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important, you may be asking yourself? People do not find regular articles or websites about problems such as environmental crises to be as entertaining, so reading something similar to an eco-poem, could spark some interest or conversation. This could be an easier way to talk about natural disasters, or issues we are facing in the world today, without the harsh non-sugarcoated way the media displays it.

Just like in the narrative, it is very descriptive about the sights and sounds about what you are seeing and hearing, and for the most part it sounds very pleasing and relaxing; but does the landscape look the greatest? Some things are out of place and do not seem to fit in very well with the beautiful campus surrounding it. Having things placed in a naturalistic environment can really “ruin the mood”, because while you think you are looking at nature, you are really looking at a fake scenery of what humans WANT you to believe nature is like for attraction.

A common term that always came across my research was

. What is

it? What does it mean? Is it relevant to the story? According to the Placemaking Chicago article, “What is placemaking?”, “placemaking is the basic idea of observing, hearing, and asking questions to suit the needs of people who live in a particular area to satisfy the needs and wants.” 3 Placemaking is not always a bad thing, its original intention was to help bring communities and areas together under a new building or area being created in

3

“What Is Placemaking?” Placemaking Chicago - A neighborhood guide to placemaking in Chicago. Accessed October 29, 2019. http://www.placemakingchicago.com/about/.

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an open area of nature. Was the Bryant Pond

in the middle of the campus? Where

all of the trees and pathways formed around the pond for observation and decoration? The Chicago article also talks about how placemaking can bring new benefits to the area of the people who would use the recreation. It’s not supposed to be this terrible thing that ruined perfectly good landscapes or open areas of nature for human use, but it is meant to muster the idea of a happy space people can go to in order to relax or leave their woes behind and escape from reality, such as a beautiful calming pond.

When you look at the area around the pond, it doesn’t seem to be all that natural.

Carved pathways filled with gravel pebbles, wooden benches drove deep into the ground which create a relaxation spot for students, trees being held up by wires because they have grown old and have started to lean over, or the stonewall surround a large portion of the top bank of one edge of the pond. Why is the area like this? Why did we leave it as is?

The Bryant Community created the landscape this way, so students could enjoy a nice relaxing time away from the books, freeing their mind, and letting go of stress or worries.

All of these ideas were

in the landscape to provide a calming state of mind for

people as it provides a feeling of relaxation and bonding. The environment was created for US, and made to suit our best interests.

A well-known phrase that is used to talk about the well-being of an area is . Dana Lovelady defines environmentalism as “a social movement or an ideology focused on the welfare of the environment, environmentalism seeks to protect 14

and conserve the elements of earth's ecosystem� 4. She talks about how the idea of environmentalism works to protect and save the natural resources of the ecosystem. Dana also talks about topics dealing with environmental issues such as the depleting resources on Earth, and mainly global warming. This is a fair way of saving the environment from companies or people who are depleting our resources such as trees or minerals, even animals. The term

has been around for quite a while, and early

movements began around 1960-1970, despite our dependence and irrational thinking had been in motion since the beginning of time. While primarily small to medium sized groups of people gathered together to form groups for protests and they were known as .

These groups of people protested all over the place to prevent companies and organizations from destroying our environment. One club, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt in 1892, was the

, created the

.

Unfortunately, due to two World Wars and the Great Depression, these greatly surpassed the environmental issues, and the club dispersed. Following these great disasters, as technology advanced, that led to more destruction of our environment for military or industrial use. Acres of forest and land outside of cities were bruised down in order to create suburban neighborhoods, factories, or just to have them cleared. The mid-to-late

4

Lovelady, Dana M. “Environmentalism.� Environmentalism | Learning to Give. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/environmentalism.

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1960’s were known as the era of cultural movements and protests. Most of these activists were young adults, and went to very extreme, as well dangerous, measures to try and prevent the destruction of our environment.

Some people even went as far as tying themselves to trees in order to stop bulldozers or chainsaws, dumping oil into a large Oil Companies pool, or even bringing dead fish to protests to prove how dangerous the waters are for creatures. In the beginning of 1970, president Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act, and created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA was responsible for protecting land and the environment through research, and the preservation of nature. Just like the EPA, us students, as well as members of the Bryant community, must come together to protect and preserve our campus, as well as the

.

As well as maintaining a well-rounded campus, Dana also talks about urban sprawl, which is “the expansion and development of land outside of cities” 5. She talks on the idea of expanding infrastructure on untouched areas on land, thus destroying the “natural” bond between the area and its history. These demands by humans are sort of the reason why a widespread idea that we have to constantly keep expanding to keep up with the development and technology of that developing community. Unlike Bryant, we do not really expand much on campus, but what we do expand upon, we make sure to make up

5

Lovelady, Dana “Environmentalism.” Environmentalism | Learning to Give. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/environmentalism

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for what we have taken down. Such examples could be: replanting new trees, planting flowers and bushes, cleaning up dirty sidewalks and pathways, and many more.

As we narrow our focus more to on the Bryant Pond itself, it begs the question as to how the pond came to be. Was the pond and all its contents there? Or was the terrain altercated to fit the needs of the wildlife living in, or around the pond. Birds have inhabited the tree branches, squirrels made themselves at home in tree burrows, but one creature that stood out was the fish. How could fish live in the pond, let alone be in there to begin with? The pond is a solid body of water with no connecting branches, so how could fish made their way in here? It could be possible that we had placed eggs in the water to create a diverse environment for the pond.

by Water birds by the Universität Basel is a short article about how birds could possibly transfer certain eggs from a larger body of water to a smaller one with no connecting bodies, in order to create new wildlife. A conclusive study has come to be that certain eggs can survive for a duration of time outside of water, and thus giving a higher chance of a bird picking them up by their feet or feathers and transporting them, a more plausible explanation. Being conscientiously aware, and “Understanding the way that fish are dispersed in remote bodies of water is important for the maintenance of biodiversity. The knowledge of how species colonize new habitats forms the basis for the preservation of refuges and targeted reintroduction and also helps

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prevent the spread of invasive species.” 6 By allowing these fish to live in the pond, possibly brought by some type of water bird, we are preserving the species of fish that lives in the pond, and can reproduce and live in the pond for a while. In order to allow this fish to live and inhabit the pond, we have to take care and maintain the environment around it. We have to be appreciative, and aware of what we are doing on campus, in order to make sure we do not harm to these marine creatures.

Kendra Heffelbower is a teacher at an elementary school in Washington D.C., and she is teaching her students all about taking care of the environment. We do not have to do these extraneous tasks in order to save the environment, but even little acts of kindness can go a long way in the long run. For example, Kendra's first grade class adopted a tree, and named it Slim Shady. She then goes to comment, “My first graders voted to get mulch as a birthday gift because it would not only dress the tree up, but would also prevent runoff, helping Slim Shady get the necessary water and nutrients in its concrete urban setting in Washington, D.C. What I learned from my first graders that year is that, as long as I can help my students feel invested in their environment, they’ll take very good care it.” 7 From doing this small act of kindness, the tree will be protected, and able to stay healthy for

6

“Dispersal of Fish Eggs by Water Birds – Just a Myth?” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, February 19, 2018. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103258.htm.

7 “Q&A: Teaching Students to Appreciate, Enjoy, and Save the Environment.” edCircuit, April 19, 2018. https://www.edcircuit.com/teaching-students-appreciate-enjoy-save-environment/.

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many years to come. Not only would we be attempting to protect the fish that live in the pond, but any other potential creatures that made the pond their home.

There could be a possibility that some kind of worms have burrowed themselves deep under the dirt, or some type of bacteria feeding off other bacteria. “Ponds are teeming with both animal and plant life. Some animals live in the water (fish, crayfish, tadpoles, etc.)” 8 Many different types of sea critters could possibly be living below the surface of the water, but we are not really sure what lies below the depths of the pond. We can always be imaginative of what the Bryant Pond can be like, whether it’s from a relaxing standpoint, an environmental view, or even someone who wants to be a good citizen and try and preserve it!

Rachael Carson is a writer that expresses much interest in imaginative world of opening up your mind, and subjecting yourself to her creative narratives to get you in the mindset as to where, and what she is talking about.

is a wonderful

example. Right off the bat, Carson says “The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place.” 9. We have no idea what the edge of the sea is like. It is constantly changing from the waves, humans changing it, and other natural factors. We can admire the edge of the sea for the natural beauty it is, providing a divider between two worlds, one of the land,

8

Pond Life Animal PrinoutsEnchantedLearning.com. https://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/pond/pondlife.shtml.

Accessed

October

30,

2019.

9

Carson, Rachel, and Sue Hubbell. The Edge of the Sea. (page 1) 1st Mariner Books ed. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

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and the other the ocean. For being such a simple comparison, Carson explains how well the two clash against each other, and what animals or creatures live in these regions, what the terrain could be like, or even using silly stories to go in depth of the two separate regions. Just like the edge of the sea, Bryant has its own edge, the bank, between the pond and the walkways we take every day. Much can be said about the two different worlds that are being lived. One from the marine life, and one from the human life. All this can be said, is what goes on, inside the

.

Conclusion While humans are socially accepted into the world, what about animals and creatures of the aquatic variety? These creatures need a home to live, just as much as we do, so why not allow them to live in the

, or the Bryant Pond for short.

Whether it is trying to create a stable environment for them to live in, maintaining that environment, or creating a future environment for the next generation, it is our duty as humans to appreciate nature and all it has done for us. No matter what the landscape or environment was or like, we should be civil citizens and take care of this sacred pond, not only because it is an important symbol to our campus, but it provides a place of safety, and relaxation. Not only does the pond serve and important part of our lives, but in return we must cherish and take care of it as well. Else, we should be taking care of all of the environment, not just what looks the best. For example, if we were actively conscious of what we were doing to our campus, such as putting toxic chemicals into the air or ground.

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Students tend to leave garbage around the ground, and it could blow into the pond and begin to pollute it or harm the marine life. Another example would be being aware of what we do with our trash and recycle. We have a bad tendency of putting one item in the other bin or just the trash because we are too lazy to figure out which bin the item goes in. If us humans work together to take care of, and maintain our environment, then the environment will do its part and take care of us.

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Bibliography “Dispersal of Fish Eggs by Water Birds – Just a Myth?” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, February 19, 2018. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103258.htm.

“Pond Life Animal Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com. Accessed October 30, 2019. https://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/pond/pondlife.shtml.

“Q&A: Teaching Students to Appreciate, Enjoy, and Save the Environment.” edCircuit, April 19, 2018. https://www.edcircuit.com/teaching-students-appreciate-enjoy-saveenvironment/.

“What Is Placemaking?” Placemaking Chicago - A neighborhood guide to placemaking in Chicago. Accessed October 29, 2019. http://www.placemakingchicago.com/about/.

Carson, Rachel, and Sue Hubbell.

. 1st Mariner Books ed. Boston,

Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Costanza, Robert. 1997. . Cheltenham, UK: E. Elgar.

Lovelady, Dana M. “Environmentalism.” Environmentalism | Learning to Give. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/environmentalism.

Skinner, Jonathan. “What Is Eco-Poetics?” Ecological Poetry, Literature and Graphics of Climate Crisis. Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.eco-poetry.org/what-is-ecopoetics-.html.

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Environmental Connections: The Interactions Between the Work Environment and Green Spaces Jared Wu, Jason Butler, Ben Barnhart Abstract Work environments in both the student’s mindset along with the professional working mindset share common values: workplace productivity, mental health, and psychological mindset. These values are created through the working cultures that people exist in. This research illuminates the connections presented between nature and the working environment. This paper sheds light on the inner psyche of workers and students, their business mindsets, along with their mental health effects. Additionally, it further analyzes how the businesses conduct themselves through daily tasks and evaluating the employees’ state of mind while comparing it to a various work environment. Through past research, green spaces have been proven to increase morale along with worker productivity. There will be an evaluation of how Bryant University implements types of green spaces into its academics and an analysis on the effects they have on students. A potential plan will be presented for Bryant University and how they can improve aspects of implementing green spaces into the campus culture. The use of these green infrastructure improvements can be used in many other college campuses and work environments, hopefully improving the mental health and morale of these communities.

Key words Environment, Mental health, Green space, Morale, Efficiency

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Introduction Issues surrounding mental health and the sustainability of the environment are not so easily divided. Often when the environment is in an unhealthy state, it affects the mental health of the people within the environment. By determining individual factors in a community that influences a person's mental processes, one can discover what should be invested in to maintain a healthy environment for their employees or students. These factors may include distributed green spaces which are areas that are beneficial to the biological communities. Research conducted on students in various stages in their education process have analyzed factors that influence the student’s well-being and satisfaction. The research carried out has demonstrated a relationship between green policy, urban green spaces, and public health in areas ranging from classrooms to urban communities. Connections can be made between these environments due to productivity being connected with one’s mental state. This essay will illustrate that green spaces can strengthen one’s mental health and prevent diseases in cities across the United States.

Biological impacts from Green Spaces

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Green spaces have been demonstrated to have a connection with improving mental health in city-like environments. There is a concept that consistently resurfaces called “biophilia.” 1 Biophilia is the notion that we are naturally connected with nature, and our disconnect from it can lead to problems. 2 Two basic ideas help support that green spaces improve mental health.

The first idea is that green spaces lower stress levels with the intention of relaxation. In one study done by Roe and others, “There was a steeper decline in cortisol (a stress hormone) secretions in people exposed to high levels of stress followed by extended periods of time spent in green areas.” 3 When people are exposed to green spaces, their decreased stress levels allow for them to live a more balanced lifestyle. A theory that expresses this idea is Kaplan’s Restoration Theory. This theory states that natural settings are rich in stimuli that invoke automatic attention, which can lead to lower levels of mental fatigue when one is viewing nature. 4 The above evidence supports that green spaces are essential for urban communities and lower stress levels.

The second idea is that the addition of green spaces has a social benefit to the community and results in stronger mental health. With more green space, there is more room for more social interactions, such as meeting new people along with engaging in

1

Boylan, Anna, "Urban Green Space and Health in the U.S.: The role of green policy in improving public health outcomes" (2019). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 1929, 8.

2 Boylan 8.

3 Boylan 9.

4 Boylan 9.

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activities. Places such as natural parks, tree covered areas, and trails allow more of these interactions to occur. 5 In a study done by Zhou and other writers carried out in 2010, they discovered that building a community with strong bonds between community members lowered the social gap and improved mental health. Also, this study resulted in people having a lower risk of a mental illness, such as depression. 6 There should be no surprise that more of these urban places should have more green spaces to benefit the community’s social capital.

Green Spaces connected to disease avoidance Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most prominent diseases in the United States. In her research paper, Boylan states, “Risk factors for CVD include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol.”' 7 From this information, to reduce CVD, individuals have to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In addition, individuals must make life changes such as exercising more and lowering stress. Green spaces can reduce the risk of CVD by “potentially increasing physical activity, alleviating psychosocial stressors, increasing social interaction, and reducing exposure to air pollution and noise.” 8 In a study from Kim and other writers,

Boylan 10.

Boylan 10.

7 Boylan 10.

8 Boylan 10.

5 6

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high blood pressure decreased when exposed to green spaces. Furthermore, the study depicted that people are more likely to participate in physical activity. 9 Urban communities In , Victoria Houlden, Scott Weich, and Stephen Jarvis test the effects of green spaces in context to urban residents in England. According to their findings, mental health has two different aspects, hedonic and eudaimonic. 10 The hedonic dimension of mental health relates to happiness, life satisfaction, and pain avoidance of mental health which compliments the human, allowing them to relax and think in a positive, growth mindset. The eudaimonic dimension of mental health includes self-realization, how one questions their purpose in life, and their psychological state. The eudaimonic stage can be beneficial and harmful to one's mental health. When reflecting, people could think positively or negatively of themselves, as every human has a different perspective on their self-image. 11 When studying the effects of mental health in the cities of England, it was noticed that green spaces had a positive impact on the people of urban communities. In the city, green spaces are usually associated with public use, as green spaces are less abundant

Boylan 11.

Houlden, Victoria, Scott Weich, and Stephen Jarvis. “A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Green Space Prevalence and Mental Wellbeing in England.� BMC Public Health 17, no. 1 (May 17, 2017): 460. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4401-x. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=136385554&site=ehost-live.

11 Houlden, Weich, Jarvis 7.

9

10

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in cities full of tall buildings. It is essential for people living in urban communities to find green infrastructure, allowing them to relax and escape the city life for short periods.

Houlden mentions that when people visit green areas, they often connect themselves to nature, giving them a positive mindset.

The study was conducted to figure out if green spaces are related to any mental health correlations. Urban and suburban people were tested on factors such as the abundance of green spaces, living situations, and health conditions. The results concluded that green spaces were much more abundant in suburban areas, as families often had backyards rather than people in cities often living in tall buildings. There was a slight increase in mental health issues in the town where there were fewer green spaces available for people to live in. 12 In all, it was concluded that the amount of green space one has for themselves is not the issue, but instead, having a green space for each person to easily access is needed for a better overall mental health state and mindset.

Green infrastructure not only brightens up a person's short-term mood but also helps them out in the long run.

Adolescent connections to nature Being exposed to outdoor environments and nature has potential connections with mental health symptoms. At a young age, an adolescent mind is greatly influenced by the environment they are in. The child's brain is still in its early learning stages and is

12

Houlden, Weich, Jarvis 7.

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constantly absorbing any information it has access to. A national analysis of Canadian adolescents has been made to explore how exposure to nature can be connected to a prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms.

A weighted sample of nearly 30,000 students aged from 11-15 were used to collect data on their exposure to the outdoors. More specifically, the research focused on the interaction with nature and the “unique psychological benefits for young people”. 13 Questions were asked about how long students would spend their time outdoors, observing if they showed any psychosomatic, or stressful, symptoms. The results were telling. Out of 20,697 students who were asked how much time they spent outdoors, outside of school hours, 1,775 had said they spent 0 hours outside weekly. 14 The percentage of students that displayed psychosomatic symptoms of that sample group was 40.1%. 15 This was then compared to a sample group of students who stated that they spent between 7 to 13.5 hours outside weekly. 16 Their percentage of high psychosomatic symptoms was only 26.8%. 17 This represents a 13% difference of who showed high stress mental attitudes based on the amount of time spent outdoors.

Piccininni, Caroline, Valerie Michaelson, Ian Janssen, and William Pickett. 2018. “Outdoor Play and Nature Connectedness as Potential Correlates of Internalized Mental Health Symptoms among Canadian Adolescents.”

Preventive Medicine 112 (July): 168–75. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.04.020. http://bryant.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=129735291& site=ehost-live.

14 Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 168.

15 Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 168.

16 Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 169.

17 Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 171.

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Another question was asked pertaining to how important the students considered their connection to nature. The 1885 students who had answered “Not Important” showed the high psychosomatic symptoms at 44%. 18 This is compared to the 12,196 students who considered their connection to nature to be “Important.” 19 Their high stress mental states were very low at 24.3%, compared to the 44% of other students. 20 The results demonstrate very clearly how perceptions of nature can influence a person's mental state. These students were especially vulnerable to the effects due to their continued brain growth. It also highlights how being aware of nature's connections to humans can play a part in how healthy a person's state of mind can be.

Club influence At many colleges and high schools, there are sustainability or environmental clubs that encourage students to learn about and act upon environmental issues. To what extent does membership in an on-campus environmental group shape students’ proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors? 21 To answer this question, there is a specific study that came from the Survey of Students’ Engagement with Social Issues (SSESI), a cross-sectional survey designed to examine undergraduate students’ pro-environmental

18

Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 171.

Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 172.

20 Piccininni, Michaelson, Janssen, Pickett 172.

21 Pizmony-Levy, Oren, and Jessica Ostrow Michel. “Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in Higher Education: Investigating the Role of Formal and Informal Factors.” Academic Commons Colombia, 2018. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9442/d4c98f49862e10432ae7e65b674ed4c27101.pdf.

19

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attitudes and behaviors. 22 The specific research collected the data from October to December 2009, surveying 539 people. The dependent variables included: care for the environment, environmental concerns, private, and public environmental behaviors. The independent variables gave an opportunity to learn about sustainability topics and the membership of an environmental group on campus. 23 What was found in the study was that students reported medium-high levels of care for the environment. Furthermore, more than half of the sample expressed a high level of care, and only a small fraction of the study revealed a low level of care for the environment. The study illustrated that students care more about the economy, education, and healthcare than they care about the environment. On the other hand, the participants care more about the environment than they care about international relations and national defense. 24 Also, students tend to participate in light pro-environmental behaviors that have little to no challenge in their daily routines. This pattern is shown in students’ responses to the concluding question in the survey. They were asked to suggest environmental activities that they would like to participate in to make the campus more sustainable or environmentally friendly. The answers to the final questions were mainly tied to waste management. 25 The solution to the overall problem is that

Pizmony-Levy, Oren, Michel 7.

Pizmony-Levy, Oren, Michel 9-11.

24 Pizmony-Levy, Oren, Michel 13.

25 Pizmony-Levy, Oren, Michel 15.

22 23

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membership in an environmental group is, in fact, associated with more involvement with private pro-environmental behaviors. In other words, they are more likely to be involved in helping the environment in their own lives. Finally, pro-environmental activism is more likely among students who were taught about environmental and sustainability issues in the classroom and students who were members of an environmental group. 26 What higher level education districts are doing for students?

Universities around the world are starting to investigate factors that students look for as they apply. These factors are important in competitive educational districts that are developing strategies to attract prospective students. The classroom environments, along with qualities schools hold themselves to, determine a student’s satisfaction at the end of their studies. Students are starting to value physical components of the classroom environment to determine what is required to maintain a high satisfaction during their studies. How the components are integrated into the environment is a crucial factor in having student satisfaction. A study that took place in South Korea analyzes the student’s satisfaction with their education environments and determines what factors play the biggest roles.

South Korea has faced increasingly competitive markets throughout their higher education institutions. They have had a “remarkable decrease in the number of high

26

Pizmony-Levy, Oren, Michel 17-18.

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school students… from 1.944 million in 2011 to 1.538 million in 2018…”. 27 Strategies are being developed onto how to bring students back into educational institutions. To counteract these numbers, universities have worked to enhance the quality of the education they provide, along with the actual physical settings related to education. The people in charge of operations carry out various attempts to increase student satisfaction with their courses. For them to be successful, instructors need to understand their students and what they must do to keep their students actively engaged.

The factors that have been determined to make up a physical environment span across different elements. These elements include “ambient conditions, such as temperature, air quality, noise, music, odor.” 28 These dimensions have been connected to students’ “cognition, affect, satisfaction, and future behaviors.” 29 By setting guidelines on how to determine a student’s attitude towards a specific factor, the directors and instructors can make key decisions on what to include and exclude from the physical classroom productivity. Focusing on what the students require to have a successful educational experience will increase productivity output by the students while increasing enrollment rate. This is due to qualities required by students being met by upper level management within the education districts.

27

Heesup Han, Hyeongeun Moon, and Hyerin Lee. 2019. “Physical Classroom Environment Affects Students’ Satisfaction: Attitude and Quality as Mediators.” Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 47 (5): 1–10. http://bryant.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=136385554&site =ehost-live.

28 Han, Moon, Lee 2.

29 Han, Moon, Lee 2.

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When choosing a college, many people look at the surroundings of the campus to help them determine whether it is a place they can live for the next four years of their lives. Once those college students graduate, that same thought process is used to figure out where each person feels comfortable starting their long-term career. Scientists Steve Cinderby and Sue Bagwell conducted research together to explore the benefits of urban green infrastructure improvements on businesses and their workers. By surveying managers from a diverse selection of companies, they were able to come up with a correlation between the use of green spaces and worker productivity.

When interviewing businesses, one variable they studied was that green infrastructure could help with workers well-being while they are on the job. Of the people surveyed, 72% of workers utilized a green space during the break hours on a weekly basis. 30 Also, 86% of workers had a positive reaction to the green spaces at their workplace. Workers were then asked about the importance of green infrastructure in business campuses. 31 In 2014, many of the workers rated the importance of green spaces at a one, meaning very important, with 57% of the vote. When asked if they felt happier with the presence of green spaces, 67% of workers chose one, meaning they strongly agree. 32 A vast majority of workers utilize green spaces to their advantage,

30

Cinderby, Steve, and Sue Bagwe Improvements for Businesses and Workers’ Wellbeing.� Area 50, no. 1 (March 2018): 126–35. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=128210e.052&site=ehost-liv.

31 Cinderby, Bagwell 19.

32 Cinderby, Bagwell 19.

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which increases their productivity and morale at their job. When the same test was done in 2012, the number of people choosing very important and strongly agree had risen by 16 percent and 13 percent, exemplifying how societal trends have focused on the presence of green infrastructure. 33 Green infrastructure is essential and a worthwhile investment for companies to make. Not only will they be preserving the environment, but also increasing efficiency with their worker productivity and in turn, saving money.

Bryant has a bounty of green space, however, there can be a way to better preserve the land and use the green infrastructure as an outlet for student’s stress.

A company, no matter the size, must accommodate their employees. Executives of bigger corporations must deal with hundreds of branches that are composed of thousands of workers. To maximize productivity, the upper management operators must understand what factors influence their workers' performance. An employee opinion survey was conducted on a major U.S bank. This survey included 193 branches to consider whether there were workplace components that makeup employee attitudes.

These attitudes would then be compared to the performance output for these branches and be used to determine whether they influence each other.

One of the tests conducted focused on the connection between employee attitudes and workplace components. The psychological aspects that make up an employee's attitudes dictate their productivity output. Results from a test that involved

33

Cinderby, Bagwell 19.

35

questions about employee attitudes revealed that “branches with positive employee attitudes are significantly more likely to have a higher sales performance�. It also works the other way; branches with lower employee attitudes would generally have lower sales performance. This highlights the importance of a deep understanding that should exist between the upper management of large corporations and the branches that work for them. With these understandings of what makes up a healthy work environment, whether it be the neighborhood they are in or the physical components of the office space, companies will be able to maximize their output while supporting their employees.

How has Bryant incorporated Green spaces?

Bryant University has made efforts to integrate green spaces into the student environment. From building sustainable initiatives through student-led clubs to tracking each tree existing on campus, steps have been made to lead a more environmentally friendly campus. These efforts work in tandem with the student's mindsets. This is demonstrated when the students use their voices to speak out against unethical practices. When these practices are discontinued, Bryant is one step closer to a more sustainable university. Based on the research conducted on this topic, we have learned that Bryant has plenty of opportunities to become a cleaner campus. One way they had already committed themselves was when SustainUs, a student led club, incorporated recycling bins into the new academic building, the Academic Innovation Center. Going

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further on their initiatives, we believe that Bryant can take additional steps to make Bryant green spaces an area for people to escape the stresses of daily life.

Conclusions Environmental studies have incorporated a multidisciplinary attitude that has been determined to be beneficial for the students of Bryant. We have learned that Bryant struggles in keeping a student's mental wellbeing as a top priority. Since the workplace environment betters itself with the presence of green spaces, it would be within reason for Bryant to promote unity among students and faculty. If the presence of increased green spaces can both strengthen students' productivity while developing one's life mindset, it will also enhance the reputation of the University. It is suggested that green spaces have helped many people with mental health issues. Furthermore, it helps the social aspect of the university. Green spaces provide more social interaction, leading to an increased social life. If directors of Bryant made efforts to understand the students more and realize what is needed to help them thrive in this environment, student success rates would soar.

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Bibliography Bartel, Ann P., Richard B. Freeman, Casey Ichniowski, and Morris M. Kleiner. “Can a Workplace Have an Attitude Problem? Workplace Effects on Employee Attitudes and Organizational Performance.”

18, no. 4 (2011): 411–23.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2011.01.008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092753711100025X. Boylan, Anna, "Urban Green Space and Health in the U.S.: The role of green policy in improving public health outcomes" (2019). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 1929. https://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/1929.

Infrastructure Improvements for Businesses and Workers’ Wellbeing.”

50, no. 1 (March

2018): 126–35. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=128210e.

052&site=ehost-liv.

Heesup Han, Hyeongeun Moon, and Hyerin Lee. 2019. “Physical Classroom Environment Affects Students’ Satisfaction: Attitude and Quality as Mediators.”

47 (5): 1–10. http://bryant.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=136385554&si te =ehost-live.

Houlden, Victoria, Scott Weich, and Stephen Jarvis. “A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Green 38

Space Prevalence and Mental Wellbeing in England.”

17, no. 1 (May

17, 2017): 460. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4401-x. http://search.ebscohost.com/login .aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=136385554&site=ehost-live.

Piccininni, Caroline, Valerie Michaelson, Ian Janssen, and William Pickett. 2018.

“Outdoor Play and Nature Connectedness as Potential Correlates of Internalized Mental Health Symptoms among Canadian Adolescents.”

112 (July): 168–

75. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.04.020. http://bryant.idm.oclc.org/login? url=http://search.ebsc ohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=129735291&site=ehost-live.

Pizmony-Levy, Oren, and Jessica Ostrow Michel. “Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in Higher Education: Investigating the Role of Formal and Informal Factors.” , 2018. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9442/d4c98f49862e 10432ae7e65b674ed4c27101.pdf.

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Investing in a Green Future: Universities and Renewable Energy Tommy Kimmell, Philip Kimmell, Matthew Sorensen, Cameron Ruggiero, and Ben Coit Abstract This paper explains how the implementation of renewable energy is a favorable energy choice and explores the growing trend of investing in a green economy. The report begins by providing some context as to what renewable energy is and explains why it is a favorable energy choice. The first section outlines the energy industry and deciphers between the two forms of energy currently making up the sector. Breaking up the industry into two separate sectors, being renewable energy and nonrenewable energy, provides an understanding on which form is currently dominating the market. Moreover, the outline describes the concept of investing in a green economy and illustrates an emerging trend that suggests a continuation of growth. Next, we analyze the three key drivers responsible for the expansion of this industry, further explaining why this sector is a smart investment and seeing significant growth. We provide a complete overview of both energy sectors and create an overall investment thesis and provide a portfolio analysis of a fund currently investing in renewables. The section concludes with a report on the analysis’ results and findings, confirming or disproving the created investment thesis. The paper then explores the advantages of implementing renewable energy on a college campus and describes why a college campus is a suitable venue to utilize this energy. Specifically, the section will look into three New England universities that have already begun making the transition to renewable energy. To conclude, the final section includes a case study that analyzes Bryant University's current sustainability efforts, as well as the potential for implementing on-campus renewable energy sources.

Key Words Finance – Green Investment - Energy - Sustainability - Carbon-neutral

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Introduction Colleges are dominant energy users in the United States, spending nearly $14 billion on energy costs each year. 1 With the high spending on energy each year, it is crucial for not only Bryant, but all colleges across the country to invest in renewable and green energy. In doing so, these universities will be benefiting the environment, their general health, and save money in the long run as renewable energy is far less expensive as it comes from sustainable resources. 2 While implementing this energy source within college campuses is environmentally conscious and eco friendly, investing in this sector can be beneficial as well. Although the benefits of investing in this sector will be further explained later in the paper, it is important to provide context as to why this sector is a smart investment. The large majority of companies being invested in today do not have renewable energy practices. Conversely, they rely on resources such as oil and coal to operate their businesses and fail to acknowledge the fact that these are finite resources and will eventually run out (see figure below). With more national attention and

1 2

“Renewable Energy 100,� Environment America, March 2017. Accessed on October 31, 2019. ibid.

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awareness supporting the harsh realities of our current environment, companies engaging in renewables and practicing sustainability will continue to see significant growth and prove to be a smart investment. When analyzing the uses, benefits, and costs of renewable energy one needs to first gain insight into exactly what renewable energy entails and what it looks like on a college campus.

What is Renewable Energy?

Environment America and Frontier Group recognize renewable energy as the decline of the use of fossil fuels and the global economy recognizing the change from big oil to sustainable, yet profitable practices. Renewable energy should be gathered from natural resources that are safe, pollution free, and regenerative (solar and wind) as there would not be a limited supply, like there is for oil or coal. Types of renewable energy such as wind, solar, tidal, river and geothermal energy for heating and cooling all prove to be 42

extremely effective and have recently outperformed some of the big oil companies.

When looking into renewable energy and providing an explanation for making the switch from fossil fuels, it is useful to look at why carbon-based energy methods like crude oil, coal and natural gas are no longer a viable or sustainable option for energy production.

A

article written by Lauren Silva Laughlin, a senior columnist who

specializes in subjects relating to energy and corporate finance, outlines the rise in the financial benefits of renewable energy as well as the hardships of carbon-based energy companies. Laughlin’s article provides insightful statistics pertaining to these two methods of energy production, “Exxon’s return on invested capital was 25% in 2011, and less than 10% last year, according to FactSet. Chevron’s metrics look similar.” 3 Potential causes for these diminishing returns might include how the future of the auto industry is likely to be challenged by the rise in production of electric vehicles which in turn decreases the need for oil. Laughlin goes on to comment on the success of companies in the renewable energy sector, “Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark has seen its ROIC go from negative-5% in 2011 to an average of 22% over the past five years.

Canadian Solar, a big solar-panel manufacturer, posted an ROIC of almost 15% last year versus negative-16% in 2011.” 4 The recent contrasting performances of these industries strengthen and encourage the current national urge to globally shift the

3 4

Laughlin, Lauren. “Green Investments Are in the Black.” The Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2019 ibid.

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economy towards complete renewable energy and sustainable practices that are not only economically advantageous but also replace the harmful effects of carbon-based energy.

Fuel of the Future:

The Energy Industry has been, still is, and will be one of the biggest and most vital components in the world’s economy. The industry is made up of various renewable and non renewable forms of energy. Even though both types reside in the same industry, differences between the two split the industry into their own respective sectors.

Renewables, or clean energy, makes up a smaller portion of today’s energy market when compared to nonrenewables, or fossil fuels. Despite non renewable energy’s current dominance in the industry, investors are speculating a decline in the sector and rise in the renewable energy sector. This prediction is attributed to the negative environmental impacts stemming from the use of fossil fuels, as well as the increasing amounts of scientific studies and innovative technologies associated with renewable energy.

Although the reign of fossil fuels is still very apparent, the growth of the renewable energy sector has many expecting an upcoming change in the industry.

In this section we will investigate this battle of energies from a financial standpoint. Much like how a car runs on gasoline, an economy and its industries run on 44

the flow of funds supplied in their respective markets. The more funds allocated to an industry the more potential for economic growth and expansion to take place in said industry. The best way to effectively observe and track the allocation of these said funds is through a financial analysis. This analysis provides evidence for an investment thesis by examining current market trends and overall performance in an industry. If supported by compelling and relevant data, the investment thesis bares a likely prediction on where future funds will be allocated. In general, a financial analysis on the energy industry provides an optimal way to decipher which form of energy will fuel the future and which will be a thing of the past. The first step in this process is defining an investment thesis to examine. The investor speculation stated before, favoring renewable energy, gives enough reason to conjure up an investment thesis worth exploring.

As the number of environmental issues stemming from the use of fossil fuels, as well as the number of supporting scientific findings and advancements in technology regarding renewables escalate, the renewable energy sector will be on the rise as the nonrenewable energy sector will be on the decline. The number of consumers and investors will dwindle from nonrenewables and their harmful effects and migrate to renewables and their sustainable and innovative properties. Clean energy products such as wind turbines and solar panels will increase in demand, while fossil fuel products such as coal and gasoline will decrease in demand.

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There are three apparent key drivers for the expansion of this industry, emerging policies, expanding investor interest, and advancing technologies. Emerging policies by the U.S. government have positively impacted the renewable energy sector. Federal tax credits are being given to companies that are implementing renewable energy, influencing firms to make the clean energy switch. Furthermore, forms of renewable energy are becoming more economically viable, attracting consumers and influencing them to embrace these new technologies. This can be attributed to decreasing tariffs on renewable energy imports, allowing companies to obtain the required raw materials at a lower cost. Expanding investor interest in the renewable energy sector is a result of the sustainability goals set by firms. From big corporations to small businesses, these firms are switching to renewable energy and reaping the benefits. Due to this influx in businesses pursuing sustainability, investments in the sector are increasing in numbers and value, reducing the risk of said investments. Recently, asset managers have been putting together renewable energy portfolios, which have been gaining popularity among investors. Economies of scale are produced by the pooling of these securities, reducing the transaction cost of these investments and increasing their overall returns.

Finally, advancing technologies are boosting the value of renewable energy investments.

These new technologies increase the effectiveness and efficiency of renewable energy, generating new markets and business opportunities.

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Aside from positive driving forces in the renewable sector, the nonrenewable sector faces a multitude of risks, which in turn is gaining popularity for its sustainable substitute. For example, growing concerns over carbon dioxide emissions have peaked the interest of many individuals and companies, promoting self-awareness of carbon footprints. This of course pushes consumers and businesses to do away with the harmful non renewables and the switch to it’s cleaner counterpart. Due to this gain in popularity for renewables, the U.S. nonrenewable energy sector has experienced significant declines in growth, losing said profits and funds to renewables.

The renewable energy sector faces two major risks stemming from opposition from the fossil fuel sector and the vulnerability of supply chains for rare earth elements.

Since the current energy market is heavily dominated by fossil fuels, corporations in the sector have much leeway with various politicians and influential media personnel. As a result those in the sector have used this said influence to spread misleading information about climate change. The industry has been aware of the risks of global warming since the 1970s, according to researchers, but has responded by funding climate disinformation campaigns. These campaigns are aimed at casting doubt on both climate change and renewable energy. Despite scientific consensus, climate action remains a highly partisan issue in Congress, complicating efforts to move from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. Supply chains in the renewable energy sector face a major threat.

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Critical and rare metals are vital for renewable energy technologies. For example solar panels, an important material to make the product is tellurium, one of the rarest elements on Earth. The amount of rare metals required for production isn’t enough to raise concerns about shortages. However, production of many essential elements is concentrated in just a few countries. China in particular, mines 93 percent of the world’s rare earth elements. If China’s ports were impacted by a natural disaster, for instance, world trade and the global economy would feel the repercussions. Also this grants China a near monopoly on crucial elements. When a conflict arose between Japan and China in 2010, for instance, China halted all shipments of rare earth elements to Japan, which the country needs to manufacture hybrid cars and electronics.

Renewable energy firms have recently demonstrated exemplary performance overall, while non renewables seem to be falling behind. The renewable sector is primed to endure a new phase of growth driven largely by increasing customer demand, cost competitiveness, innovation, and collaboration. Reflecting this, for the first time ever renewable energy outpaced coal in regards to US power generation. According to Marlene Motyka, a principal of Transactions and Business Analytics, “Renewable energy produced 23 percent more output when compared to coal’s 20 percent share in the market.” 5 More specifically this growth is evident in the performance of wind and solar 5

Motyka, Marlene. “2020 Renewable Energy Industry Outlook.” Deloitte, October 23, 2019

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power. “Wind and solar together accounted for approximately 50 percent of total US renewable electricity generation.” 6 This exhibits improvements in operations and displays an upward sloping trend in profits, further proving an increase in market power for clean energy.

Declining costs and rising energy capacity factors of renewable energy sources brought about growth to the sector. Motyka adds that, “In the first half of 2019, levelized cost of onshore wind and utility-scale solar declined by 10 percent and 18 percent, respectively, while offshore wind took a 24 percent dip. The greatest decline was in lithium-ion battery storage, which fell 35 percent during the same period.” 7 This gradual drop in prices for energy capacity has begun to add value to renewables, showing that wind and solar power has been increasingly more and more competitive with traditional non renewable energy sources.

The renewable energy sector saw significant increases in demand from most market segments as overall consumer sentiment remained favorable to renewables and hurtful towards fossil fuels. Motyka states that, “Renewable energy consumption by residential and commercial customers increased 6 percent and 5 percent providing a positive relationship, while industrial consumption declined slightly, by 3 percent, through June 2019 compared with the previous year.” 8 Here trends suggest an upward

ibid. ibid.

8 ibid.

6 7

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slope for renewables and a downward slope for non renewables in regards to consumer interest. Taking into account the data provided on current values and trends in the market, the energy industry’s performance seems to be suggesting a gradual but apparent change towards clean energy dominance.

The evidence and data provided thus far regarding trends, business operations, and overall public perceptions on both sectors provides enough support to back the investment thesis provided. This relatively thorough analysis on the energy industry gives a good enough reason for the pursuit of possible investment strategies that coincide with said investment thesis. The thesis provides investment opportunities for both a short and long position for investors to follow. The predicted rise of clean energy suggests taking a long position in companies residing in the renewables sector, which yields profits to investors through positive economic growth that increases the market value of said sector. The anticipated fall of fossil fuels suggests taking a short position in companies residing in the non renewables sector, which yields profits to investors through negative economic growth that decreases the market value of said sector. More simply put, this prediction suggests investors can benefit from investing in renewable energy and divesting in non renewable energy. As stated before industries run on the flow of funds they are allocated. Since funds are predicted to flow from fossil fuels to

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clean energy its safe to say the energy industry will endure a renewable energy revolution, bringing an end to the long reign of fossil fuels.

This section will provide an analysis of a mutual fund that invests in companies engaging in renewable energy practices, sustainability and more. The analysis will include the funds overall performance, average returns, risk and conclude with a prediction as to where the fund is heading in the future. The fund that will be assessed in this section is the Fidelity Select Environment and Alternative Energy Portfolio, a fund “Investing primarily in companies engaged in business activities related to alternative and renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution control, water infrastructure, waste and recycling technologies, or other environmental support services.� 9 When measuring the performance of a mutual fund it is necessary to compare it to a given benchmark, this can differ from fund to fund according to certain factors such as the size of the fund. 10 In regards to the fidelity fund being analyzed in this section, the S&P 500 will serve as its benchmark and its performance will be judged according to how it performs against the S&P. However, before benchmarking the fund it is important to note that it has yielded positive average annual returns for its 1,3,5 and 10 year averages (see Figure 1). In regards to the funds performance against the S&P 500, the fund underperforms in

Fundresearch.fidelity.com. (2019). FSLEX - Fidelity ÂŽ Select Environment and Alternative Energy Portfolio | Fidelity Investments. [online] 10 Investopedia. (2019). Average Mutual Fund returns. [online] 9

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comparison (see Figure 2). However the discrepancy between the two is minimal and it is quite difficult for actively managed funds like said mutual fund to beat the market. Due to the funds niche in the stock market, investors do take on some risk when investing in this mutual fund. The environmental sector is quite volatile and subject to price changes in stocks as many outside factors can influence the companies within this sector. 11 According to fidelity's assessment of the funds risk, “The environment and alternative energy industries can be significantly affected by government regulations and subsidies, changing supply and demand for traditional energy sources, and availability of funding for remedial cleanup efforts or the development of new technologies, and can be subject to risks associated with hazardous materials�. 12 As discussed extensively throughout the report, the renewable energy sector is growing and will continue to experience growth.

Due to the increased media attention directed towards the vulnerable state of our environment and emerging government policies being put into place, we believe that the fidelity fund will continue to grow and yield even greater returns in the future.

Figure 1.

Fundresearch.fidelity.com. (2019). FSLEX - Fidelity ÂŽ Select Environment and Alternative Energy Portfolio | Fidelity Investments. [online] 12 Ibid.

11

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Figure 2.

Renewable Energy on College Campuses

Although the benefits of renewable energy can be seen almost anywhere, college campuses can be great places to implement renewable energy for a number of reasons.

According to Environment America, “college and university campuses are great places to

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transition to 100 percent renewable energy.” 13 In 2012, educational buildings, which include colleges and K-12 schools, consumed 10 percent of all energy used in the commercial sector. As colleges are major energy users in the commercial sector, their use of renewable energy can have huge impacts. Also, colleges are known for their technical training and innovation, making them great for developing, testing, and deploying new clean energy technologies, all while educating students in the process. The students who attend college tend to be “climate-conscious and tech-savvy,” so colleges that use clean energy can attract these students, which may make colleges more inclined to implement clean energy. Aside from transitioning to renewable energy, Mitchell Thomashow sees a college or university as “an ideal venue for addressing the global climate crisis.” 14 According to Thomashow, former president of Unity College, colleges are ideal for addressing the climate crisis because of their ability to engage both students and employees. Colleges educate people to help them understand the potential impacts of climate change. Through educating these people, colleges mobilize a shift in their awareness and demonstrate the relationship between knowledge, commitment, and action. 15 Many colleges in the United States seem to agree that their campuses are good

Abigail Bradford, Johnathan Sundby, Bronte Payne, and Jake Taber, “America’s Top Colleges for Renewable Energy: Who’s Leading the Transition to 100% Renewable Energy on Campus,” Environment America, April 2019 14 Mitchell Thomashow, and Anthony Cortese, The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus (MIT Press, 2014), 2 15 Thomashow, The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, 3 13

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places for renewable energy, and have begun setting goals toward implementing clean energy technologies.

Throughout the country, there are countless colleges and universities that have ambitious renewable energy goals that are leading the way in making the transition to renewable energy systems and creating sustainable campuses. Three New England schools, Harvard University, Brown University, and Boston University, have ambitious goals, and can serve as examples for other schools hoping to transition to renewable energy and a more sustainable campus. Through reducing energy consumption, shifting to renewable electricity, repowering buildings with clean energy, and/or adopting sustainable transportation methods, these schools are taking the necessary steps toward more sustainable campuses. 16 Beginning with Harvard University, the school has established two goals to make their campus more sustainable. The first goal is to become carbon neutral by 2026. In order to achieve this, the school plans to drastically reduce energy consumption, invest in renewable energy projects, and purchase offsets for their remaining emissions. Harvard’s second goal is to completely stop using fossil fuels by 2050. To eliminate the use of fossil fuels on campus, the university will purchase 100 percent of electricity from renewable

16

Bradford, Sundby, Payne, and Taber, “America’s Top Colleges for Renewable Energy”

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energy sources, make the switch to emission-free campus vehicles, use fossil-fuel free energy sources to obtain building energy needs, such as heating and cooling, and purchase goods and services that minimize the use of fossil fuels. Harvard has already begun implementing processes geared toward achieving their goals, including a competition to encourage students and employees to turn off the lights and close the fume hoods in research laboratories, in an effort to conserve energy. Harvard has already started seeing some results from their sustainability efforts, experiencing a ten percent decrease in campus-wide energy use between 2006 and 2016, even as the campus grew. Not far from Harvard University is Boston University, another New England school leading the transition to renewable energy. 17 At the end of 2017, Boston University (BU) became a local leader in sustainability among colleges and universities, committing to creating a more sustainable campus by adopting the BU Bold Climate Action Plan. Through this plan, BU committed to purchasing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources beginning in 2020, and becoming carbon neutral by 2040. BU has already taken the necessary steps to purchase 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, announcing the construction of a South Dakota wind farm in 2018. The school plans to purchase the amount of electricity that it uses annually for 15-years. Instead of using the electricity, the school will then resell the power for use in the Midwestern United States, where the 17

ibid.

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power grid relies more on fossil fuels. 18 Unlike some other schools, BU is looking at the bigger picture and trying to have an impact on places outside of their campus.

Massachusetts-based schools have demonstrated significant goals and progress toward renewable energy solutions, and the same can be said for colleges in Rhode Island, particularly, Brown University. 19 In 2019, Brown made a commitment to build a more sustainable campus. By 2025, Brown hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by reducing energy use and transitioning to 100 percent renewable electricity. By 2040, the university plans to switch to renewable energy sources for campus heating and cooling, in an effort to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for those activities. Brown has made great progress toward implementing systems to achieve their goals, finalizing agreements for two renewable energy projects that are expected to provide enough power to offset all electricity use on campus. The first project involves transforming a 240-acre former gravel pit into a solar farm, creating “Rhode Island’s highest capacity contiguous solar generation project.” 20 The second project is a wind power project in Texas that is expected to offset Brown’s electricity use not already covered by the solar project. 21 Although not all colleges have made such significant goals and progress regarding

ibid. ibid.

20 ibid.

21 ibid.

18 19

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renewable energy, the lesser goals and progress of other schools, such as Bryant University, cannot be discounted.

Bryant University has been pursuing a more sustainable campus since the early 1990s. Recently, in 2015, Bryant’s sustainability committee set three goals for energy use on the campus. First, the university has committed to reducing electricity consumption by 10 percent by fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2020. Next, Bryant would like to reduce natural gas use by 10 percent over the same time period. The third and final goal is to explore the potential for renewable energy, both on- and off-campus, to cut costs, specifically solar and geothermal potential. Beyond these three goals, as expected from a school pursuing sustainability for nearly 30 years, Bryant has already made progress toward a more sustainable campus and implementing renewable energy technologies. 22

Like these New England schools, higher education institutions throughout the United States are making significant goals and progress toward more sustainable campuses. The National Wildlife Federation issued a report in 2008, outlining the environmental performance of United States colleges and universities. The report found that nationwide, 53% of these institutions were keeping up with setting and reviewing goals regarding sustainability (see Figure 3). Of that 53%, more than half of the

22

Bryant University Sustainability Committee, “Bryant University Sustainability Plan,� Bryant University, 2015

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institutions consistently set and review goals regarding energy conservation, the environmental performance in the design of campus buildings, and reducing solid waste and maximizing recycling. 23 While these statistics are important when reviewing the sustainability performance of higher education institutions, they are outdated.

Figure 3.

Currently, there are 984 institutions registered to use the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS), a program from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). 24 AASHE’s mission is to “inspire and catalyze higher education to lead the global sustainability transformation,” 25 and 664 of the institutions registered to use STARS are AASHE members. 26 STARS

“Campus Environment 2008: A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education,” National Wildlife Federation, 2008 24 “STARS Participants and Reports,” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2019 25 “Mission, Vision & Commitments,” The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, AASHE, 2019 26 “STARS Participants and Reports,” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2019 23

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gives a rating for each reporting school based on “the percentage of points it earns by pursuing relevant credits across the four main categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration.” 27 The STARS report remains valid for three years. 28 Of the 331 institutions with valid reports, 6 received a platinum rating, 125 received a gold rating, 141 received a silver rating, 54 received a bronze rating, and 11 were labeled “Reporter,” schools that do not wish to receive a rating (see Figure 4). 29 Beyond the STARS rating, there are 180 schools that report their renewable energy data to AASHE, 91 percent of which are using some amount of renewable energy. Although many institutions in the United States are using or pursuing increased sustainability on campus, most have a lot of work to do to catch up to the 40 that currently obtain 100 percent or more of their electricity from renewable sources. 30

“Help Center,” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2019 28 ibid.

29 “A Global Sustainability Standard,” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2019 30 Bradford, Sundby, Payne, and Taber, “America’s Top Colleges for Renewable Energy” 27

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Figure 4.

Case Study: Renewable Energy at Bryant University

Currently, Bryant University’s stake in regard to sustainability is similar to that of other colleges. Bryant’s Sustainability Plan reflects the University’s commitment to becoming a more sustainable campus community that values the environment and acknowledges the moral and financial benefits the use of renewable energy bares. It defines sustainability and provides a template for implementing said sources of energy.

The plan seeks out measurable goals to guide campus initiatives, all while aiming to mitigate adverse impacts and amplify constructive practices while using these innovations on and off campus. Along with many other universities, Bryant’s sustainability program recognizes the wide range of complex challenges we face as a society that threaten the future prosperity of our local and global communities. Bryant’s Sustainability Plan is intended to generate integrated solutions that respond to economic, social, and environmental issues that are affecting our way of life today. Aside from the 61

plan for sustainability, Bryant has already taken a course of action. On campus, Bryant has incorporated a heating system that runs on geothermal energy in two of its buildings. The implementation of said energy has not only reduced costs but has substantially reduced the output energy for these two buildings. Along with this, the sustainability program actively manages the campuses’ overall consumption of energy and influences the university to revise its allocation and overall amount of energy. Overall Bryant’s efforts towards becoming a sustainable campus is very apparent and has even earned the university a STARS Silver rating in recognition of said achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Bryant University has demonstrated a good effort in creating a more sustainable campus, but they can, and certainly should pursue greater efforts toward the cause.

Bryant’s 2015 sustainability report cites electricity as the university’s largest energy expense and shows electricity accounting for the second-largest amount of energy used on campus. The report continues by outlining alternative energy, such as wind, geothermal, and solar, as a potential opportunity, then describes the goal of exploring the potential of implementing renewable energy sources on- and off-campus. 31 Given Bryant’s opportunities and goals, we explore the potential for renewable energy on Bryant’s campus and whether or not it would be worth it.

31

Bryant University Sustainability Committee, “Bryant University Sustainability Plan,” Bryant University, 2015

62

In 2017, Bryant used about 16,639,022 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, all of which the university purchased. 32 While purchasing electricity does not rule out the use of renewable energy sources, a relatively small amount of the electricity purchased came from such sources. Bryant only purchased electricity from one source of renewable energy, with 4 percent of their electricity coming from wind. The rest of the electricity used by the university came from other sources, notably, 38 percent from coal, and 24 percent from natural gas. As previously mentioned, Bryant has already begun incorporating geothermal energy on campus, however, the school still has no source of on-site renewable electricity. 33 Because of these facts, we explore the potential for solar panels as a source of on-campus renewable electricity.

To begin, it was essential to find a place on Bryant’s campus that was capable of supporting solar panels. Initially, the best place for solar panels seemed to be Bryant’s Unistructure. The Unistructure is one of the campuses largest buildings, comprising a majority of the classrooms and research labs on campus, administrative offices, faculty offices, the university’s dining hall, and more. Because the building is so large and contains so much, it seemed like a practical location for solar panels. However, after measuring the feasibility of this location, it appeared as though there were too many obstructions on the roof to support the panels. After investigating other possible

“Bryant University OP-5: Building Energy Consumption,” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2019 33 ibid.

32

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locations for solar panels, two other buildings stood out: the George E. Bello Center for Information and Technology (see Figure 5) and the Chase Athletic Center (see Figure 6).

Both buildings have large flat roofs with few obstructions and are capable of supporting an array of solar panels that could help power the university.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

In order to do a financial analysis of the project, we first had to find out how much space these buildings had that was suitable for solar panels, how many panels could fit on the roofs, and how much electricity the panels would generate. We were unable to find the exact dimensions of the buildings, so we used Google Earth to estimate the dimensions of them in order to calculate the area of each. We found that there are roughly 14,870 square feet of roof space suitable for solar panels on top of the Bello Center, and 28,125 square feet on the Chase Athletic Center. The two buildings combine for a total suitable roof area of 42,995 square feet. We multiplied the total roof area by

64

.75 in order to account for setback, 34 as the panels cannot extend all the way to the edges of the buildings, giving about 32,246 square feet that could actually be used for solar panels. After estimating the roof area suitable for solar panels, we needed to estimate how many panels could fit on the two buildings.

Our next step was to figure out the size of solar panels to get an estimate of how many could be used, and to determine how much power each panel can generate.

Typically, commercial solar panels are 77 inches by 39 inches, roughly 20.9 square feet. 35 Knowing this, we divided the total roof area that could be used, 32,246 square feet, by 20.9. We determined that the buildings could support about 1,547 solar panels; 535 on top of the Bello Center and 1,012 on top of the Chase Athletic Center. Because not all solar panels are the same, they can produce a wide range of power, but around 320 watts was typical in 2018, which means that if one panel received one hour of peak sunlight, it would produce 320 watts of electricity. 36 Knowing the number of solar panels that could fit on the two chosen buildings at Bryant as well as how much power they could produce, we found out how much it would cost to implement the system by performing a few simple calculations. According to Energysage, solar panels cost $2.99 per watt on average. 37 To calculate the total cost

Andrew Sendy, “How many square feet of roof space is needed for solar panels,” Solar-Estimate, 2019 Brightstar Solar, “Common Sizes of Solar Panels,” Brightstar Solar, 2017 36 Ben Zientara, “How much electricity does a solar panel produce?,” Solar Power Rocks, Wave Solar, 2019 37 Sara Matasci, “How much do solar panels cost in the U.S. in 2019?,” Energysage, SunShot, 2019 34 35

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of the solar panels, we simply multiplied the number of solar panels (1,547), the amount of power each panel produces (320 watts), and the cost per watt ($2.99). By our estimates, the total cost for the solar panels would be $1,480,169.60. The panels on the Bello Center would cost $511,888, and the remaining $968,281.60 would be for the panels on the Chase Athletic Center (see Figure 7).

Figure 7.

Based on all of the above calculations and Bryant’s electrical usage and cost data, we were able to calculate how much money Bryant could save on electricity and the payback period for the solar panels. Because the panels produce 320 watts per hour of peak sunlight, we turned to solarreview.com, where we found that on average, Rhode Island receives about 4.4 hours of peak sunlight per day. 38 The entire array of 1,547 solar panels would produce about 495,040 watts per hour of peak sunlight, which converts to 495.04kWh. We multiplied the number of kilowatt-hours (495.04), the average number of peak sunlight hours per day in Rhode Island (4.4), and 365 to calculate how many kilowatt-hours the array could produce each year. According to our calculations, the array could produce 795,034.24kWh per year. According to Bryant’s sustainability

38

Aditya Gautam, “How many peak sun hours do solar panels need?,” Solar Reviews, 2019

66

report, the school spent $1,771,884 on 16,639,022.08kWh of electricity, 39 which is equal to $0.1065 per kWh. By multiplying Bryant’s cost per kilowatt-hour ($0.1065) by the amount of electricity the panels could produce each year (795,034.24kWh), we found that the school could save $84,662.94 per year on electricity. By dividing Bryant’s cost purchasing solar panels ($1,480,169.60) by the annual saving ($84,662.94), we found the payback period for the solar panels to be about 17.5 years. If Bryant wanted to use solar electricity to power the entire campus, it would require about 32,377 panels and it would cost about $30,978,313.60. While the cost to power the entire campus with solar power is extremely high, another challenge would be finding a spot on the campus to put them.

In short, it would cost $1,480,169.60 to implement 1,547 solar panels on Bryant’s campus on top of the Chase Athletic Center and George E. Bello Center. The school would save about $84,662.94 each year on electricity, and the panels would pay for themselves in 17.5 years. In order to power the entire campus with solar electricity, it would cost about $30,978,313.60. While there was a lot of information that went into all of the above calculations, they did leave out other important factors. In calculating how many panels could fit in the roof area, we did not account for the fact that most of the time, solar panels are installed at an angle. 40 Furthermore, there were additional costs

39 40

Bryant University Sustainability Committee, “Bryant University Sustainability Plan,” Bryant University, 2015 Farhin Zaman and Elizabeth Norton, “A Case Study: Solar Panels at Boston College,” Boston College, 2014

67

that were not included in the calculations such as the cost for installation. Also, the calculations left out additional benefits, such as tax incentives. 41 Based on all of our research and calculations, we found that solar panels are feasible on Bryant’s campus, and they would be worth it for the school to implement them, as there is minimal downside other than the upfront costs.

Conclusion The research presented in this study is extremely useful when considering investing in renewable energy, and implementing it on a college campus. The findings and recent market behavior point to this investment in renewable and clean energy being worthwhile and beneficial. The several New England schools surrounding Bryant (Harvard, Brown, Boston), are setting an incredible example in regard to doing their part to help the environment and adding value to their university. Upon observing the notable and ambitious work of other universities, we as the Bryant community have the responsibility of recognizing we are behind in terms of playing our role in being sustainable and switching to renewable energy. As growing global concern about carbon-dioxide emission and sustainability policies develop, the renewable energy sector

41

Sara Matasci, “How much do solar panels cost in the U.S. in 2019?,� Energysage, SunShot, 2019

68

correlates positively, and is expanding. The emerging government policies, increasing investor interest and advancing technologies are all responsible for this growth. This paper dove into this worldwide relevant trend and issue and draw conclusions and insights from current studies and research. In conclusion, committing to sustainability, becoming a carbon-neutral campus, investing and installing renewable energy greatly benefit a university and set an important example for other universities and institutions to progress towards being more environmentally sustainable.

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“Bryant University OP-5: Building Energy Consumption.” OP-5: Building Energy Consumption.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, 2019. https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/bryant-university-ri/report/2019-0606/OP/energy/OP-5/. Accessed on November 21, 2019.

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Clark, Woodrow W., and Larry Eisenberg. “Agile Sustainable Communities: On-Site Renewable Energy Generation.” Utilities Policy. Pergamon, May 8, 2008. Accessed on October 31, 2019.

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“A Global Sustainability Standard.” The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System.

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Goldfarb, Ben, Jacques Leslie, et al. “On College Campuses, Signs of Progress on Renewable Energy.” Yale E360, October 27, 2016. Accessed on October 31, 2019.

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Matasci, Sara. “How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in the U.S. in 2019?” EnergySage.

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Measuring the Size of Bryant’s Ecological Footprint Benjamin Martin and Gianny Pires Abstract Since the beginning of the industrial age, people have been leaving a significant footprint on the Earth's environment. Currently, the environment has become a notable issue all over the world. Many countries, institutions, and people, in general, have taken steps toward slowing down the effect we are leaving on Earth. In this research paper, we are researching national trends of sustainability and a specific institution, Bryant University, overtime Bryant University has developed many integrated methods of sustainability.

Various methods of sustainability are explored throughout the text. Bryant's sustainability efforts can be reviewed and monitored, with methods such as Life-Cycle Assessments, Food and Waste Management strategies, composting, and through the exploration of sustainability practices at other institutions. With a campus-like Bryant playing a large sustainable role, in turn, it can create more jobs that focus on environmentally safe-production and consumption. These opportunities show a possible change in the way humans have been leaving their footprint on Earth.

Key Words Source reduction, Life-Cycle Assessment, Sustainability, Green Jobs, Compost

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Introduction Bryant University’s ecological footprint can be criticized through sustainability strategies like Life-Cycle Assessments, recycling, composting, food waste management, energy, and water consumption methods, land usage, and community involvement, we explore the effects of these strategies on the environment.

Sustainability is the idea of ensuring the development and advancement of human culture with awareness along with action regarding the future generations of not only people, but the entire environment. 1 Dr. Susan A. Crate, explains how the idea first became popular in 1987, formally introduced as the need for development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.2 This idea has been consistent throughout the years and is displayed at Bryant University today.

1

Crate, Susan A. "Investigating Local Definitions of Sustainability in the Arctic: Insights from Post-Soviet Sakha Villages." Arctic, December 16, 2009. Date Accessed: October 31, 2019, http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&sid=d1ed3a4a-662a-421f-9650df27ea9fab51@sessionmgr101.

Bryant’s sustainability efforts are mainly represented through their food waste management system. The food waste management at Bryant has two main sustainability methods that restrict the use of landfills in the Rhode Island area, the two methods include partnerships with local farms and Newport Diesel. After exploring the methods of other Universities like Bentley and Brown University, we will critique and give insight into how Bryant can improve their overall effect on the environment.

Participating in these sustainability methods, students at the business-focused institution can change the way business affects the environment by entering the path of green jobs. Green jobs are jobs that focus on ensuring the consumption and business operations are environmentally friendly, which will be essential to keep the future environment sustainable.

Bryant University’s community consists of students and faculty who have taken steps to ensure the campus is sustainable and has a positive effect on the environment. From food-waste management to energy and water consumption, to land usage, to being involved in the community, Bryant has taken various steps to give students the steps it takes to be sustainable. The University continues to strive towards becoming more sustainable and has many set goals based from previous years to be achieved by next year, 2020.

In Anderson and Burnham’s article, the overall analyzation of a Life-Cycle Assessment is explored. Anderson and Burnham define an LCA as a system that helps 7

establishments manage and control their environmental decisions. 2 The authors use the idea of an LCA to compare various sustainability strategies. Anderson is the vice president of Environmental Quality for the Procter & Gamble Company, and Burnham is a consultant on energy and environmental issues based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The authors’ experience with environmental issues is used to instruct the reader about sustainability strategies.

Composting is investigated through the text of "Composting: The Way for a Sustainable Agriculture" The authors define composting as stabilized organic matter used to fertilize degraded soil. 3 Throughout the text, the authors explore and criticize the various composting methods. The text is a part of the literature platform: Science Direct.

Science Direct is a leading platform of peer-reviewed literature. The research in the article provides accurate and credible information regarding composting.

Bryant’s food waste management system is the most student involved step towards sustainability. Every day students participate in these steps and do not even realize they are acting in a sustainable nature. Pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste at Bryant is taken to a pig farm about 12 miles away from campus. Bryant is also

2

Anderson, Deborah D., and Laurie Burnham. 1992. "Toward Sustainable Waste Management." Issues in Science & Technology 9 (1): 65. Date Accessed: October 31, 2019 3

Pergola, Maria, Alessandro Persiani, Assunta Maria Palese, Vincenzo Di Meo, Vittoria Pastore, Adamo, Carmine D, and Giuseppe Celano. "Composting: The Way for a Sustainable Agriculture." Applied Soil Ecology 123 (February 2018): 744–50. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.10.016.

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partnered with Newport Diesel, who takes burned vegetable oil and turns it into cleanburning fuel. 4 These two acts ultimately restrict the amount of landfill usage Bryant participates in, which in turn helps the environment. Other schools like Bentley University and Brown University have taken similar steps, and Bryant can look up to institutions like them to continue to strive toward sustainability.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are the jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or jobs in which workers' duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. 5 With students taking steps with Bryant to ensure a sustainable community, it builds a mindset to remain environmentally friendly in future operations.

Considering the direction, the environment is heading because of the economy, these jobs will be essential in the future to ensure the Earth will be safe and ecologically friendly for the future generations of all life on Earth.

Sustainable Development

4

Tomasetti, Brooke M. " Black, Gold, and Green: Food Waste Management at Bryant University " DigitalCommons@Bryant University, April 2015.Accessed: November 14, 2019 https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/honors_science/3/ 5

"Overview of the BLS Green Jobs Initiative." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Accessed October 31, 2019. https://www.bls.gov/green/.

7

Bryant’s Sustainable Development goals plays a huge role in their development of an environmentally friendly campus. According to Susan A. Crate, sustainable development first became popular in 1987 when the Brundtland Commission introduced that the need was for "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (WCED, 1987:43). 6 This introduction to the idea of sustainability has been the building ground of the topic itself for over thirty years now, Bryant's idea of sustainability is extremely similar, just mainly focused on the actions taken upon today and how they will affect future generations. The steps taken by Bryant to ensure the campus is sustainable are through actions including food waste management, energy and water consumption, land usage, and involvement in the community.

There are many various steps and opportunities to help ensure a community is sustainable. Some of these can include food waste management, energy and water consumption, land usage, and ensuring there is an involvement within the surrounding communities to give and receive more knowledge on how to become sustainable.

Bryant University is a community of college students and faculty that has efforts to ensure their community, and other communities, are sustainable. Bryant's Ten Domains of Sustainability on Campus include terms like Academics and Research,

6

Crate, 294

8

Energy, Buildings and Land Use, Health and Wellness, Transportation, Waste Reduction and Recycling, Water, Community Engagement, Food and Dining, and Supply Chain Management. 7 The University has many plans, goals, and resources to ensure the campus is sustainable. The energy procedures include using geothermal and renewable energy, continuing to strive to ensure energy consumption is sustainable and environmentally friendly. The university also intends to develop a campus-wide study on green buildings and increase the use of green cleaning products and organic fertilizers. The fuel use on campus is expected to be reduced by 10% between 2010 and 2020. Recycling habits include sending food waste to farms, proper disposal of electronics, promoting recycling habits within residence halls, and properly managing discarded materials from move out day. The water usage plans to be cut by 10% from 2013 to 2020. Student and faculty groups plan to engage in the community in and out of Bryant that will help benefit the environment.

Life-Cycle Assessments

7

"Sustainability." Bryant University. Accessed October 31, 2019. https://www.bryant.edu/aboutbryant/sustainability.

Life-Cycle Assessments are significant to the concept of sustainability. In the article, written by Anderson and Burnham, the concept of Life-Cycle Assessments or (LCAs) is introduced. The authors define LCAs as a system that helps establishments manage and control their environmental decisions. 9 Anderson and Burnham further develop the concept of LCAs as a three-step process.

This three-step concept consists of a "product's energy and resource demands and emission; the impact of these factors on the environment; and a systematic evaluation of the ways to improve a product's environmental performance. LCAs allow companies to measure tradeoffs in areas such as energy use and waste production and provide baseline data for evaluating strategies such as light-weighting versus material

8

Life-Cycle Assessment Diagram. Carbon Footprint. Accessed November 14, 2019.Figure 1 https://www.carbonfootprint.com/images/product_lifecycle_infographic.png.

9

Anderson and Burnham,69

substitution. They thus help ensure that again in one area (solid waste reduction, for example) is not offset by a loss in another (such as increased energy use)." 2 Anderson and Burnham credit LCAs as “valuable analytic tools” 2, since they address the quantitative aspect of waste reduction. Anderson and Burnham claim the use of LCAs leads to less costly procedures for waste production. Their analyzation of LCAs expresses the benefits and needs with the use of this procedure.

In the Life-Cycle Assessment Diagram, (see fig.1) the various steps of a product’s carbon footprint can be observed. The product starts off by obtaining the raw materials required. Next, the product is manufactured and transported for distribution. The product is then used and recycled, which transitions the cycle to the beginning. The raw materials gained from recycling will be used to manufacture another product.

LCAs can be used to determine and outline Bryant's sustainability efforts. Bryant’s system of recycling can be criticized and tracked with the use of an LCA. After the manufacturing process, goods are transported to Bryant University for consumption.

After consumption, Bryant’s food waste management strategies come into effect.

Food Waste Management at Bryant Bryant University’s food waste management has had success and failure throughout the years. Tomasetti’s text includes examination of the food waste

management of Bryant University along with feasible, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to the campus's environmental issues. With these solutions, it will help Bryant's effect on the landfill's speed of filling up to its capacity. Also includes the advantages and disadvantages of sending food waste to pig farms versus alternative options. Research written in the source includes surveys of local food recycling and composting experts and key stakeholders, a ranking system to display the different paths Bryant can take environmentally and comparing Bryant's environmental communities with those of other Colleges and Universities.4 The main problem with food waste production is that students and faculty occasionally will not follow the instructions given on where to properly displace food and trash. Bryant generates 13,410 pounds of food waste a month, 113,982 pounds a year (subtract summer and vacations).4 The food and services at Bryant University have given instructions that would bring the food to the farms to feed animals.

Another step toward a clean environment taken by Bryant is through the partnership with Newport Biodiesel, who takes the used vegetable oil from the kitchen and turns it into clean-burning fuel. This partnership is considered industrial. 4 Bryant Compared to Other Schools When comparing Bryant University to Bentley University in relation to sustainability, it can be concluded that there is an effort towards sustainable practices.

Both Massachusetts and Rhode Island have food waste bans in place today (different at

the time written, Rhode Island was still implementing a ban). Bentley University partakes in similar action with their food services, bringing extra food to farms, increasing the purchases from local vendors, and partnering with a company using the used vegetable oil to partner with a company that burns it for fuel use. 10 Bryant University and Bentley University both bring their pre and post consumed food waste to animal farms to be reused to feed the farm animals like pigs. Both schools also have partnerships with companies that take used vegetable oil and turn into burning fuel.

Brown University seems to be the leader in sustainability in the Rhode Island area, involved in programs like purchasing food from local vendors, formed a process of ensuring the food is local, ecological, fair, and humane, feeding people in need, and many more initiatives that bring Brown's food waste away from the landfills that are quickly reaching their capacity. Bryant University compared to a school like Brown University.

Bryant has not yet made a significant effort to buy locally sourced food from local vendors or fed the community as much as Brown University has. Ultimately both schools have made efforts to create a sustainable campus, but Bryant should continue to look up to Brown University and follow their practices Composting

10

Tomasetti, 8

Composting is a major component to Bryant’s recycling strategies. According to the authors of "Composting: The Way for a Sustainable Agriculture", Composting can be described "as stabilized organic matter, can be virtuously used for the recovery of degraded soils and their fertility restoring, carbon sequestration in the soil and the reduction in the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, fuel) resulting in the decrease of production costs and negative environmental impacts." 11 In the text, the authors use the definition of compost to display the benefits of composting. The authors also expand the definition of compost, to demonstrate a more focused view on the various methods and processes used through composting.

The authors explore the various steps of the composting process. Composting is developed through the decomposition of organic matter. Compost is applied to degraded soil, which recover soil fertility. This method limits the inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, and fuel from agricultural activities.

The concept of composting relates to the final steps of Bryant's recycling strategy.

The pre-consumed and post-consumed food waste is then brought to a nearby farm.

The waste is then used for food and compost in those farms.

Green Jobs

11

Pergola, Maria, Alessandro Persiani, Assunta Maria Palese, Vincenzo Di Meo, Vittoria Pastore, Adamo, Carmine D, and Giuseppe Celano, 744

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are the jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or jobs in which workers' duties involve making their establishment's production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. 12 The Bureau of Labor Statistics "Green Job Initiative" is to develop the number of and trend over time in green jobs, the industrial, occupational, and geographic distribution of the jobs, and the wages of the workers in these jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is concerned about the occupations and companies that are not concerned about the environmental impact of the production of their product or service. 5 Developing green jobs must contain two components, being consistent with the output and the approach taken on the process.

These jobs are occupations that may come with being sustainable at Bryant. With that being said, with no doubt, the main reason for being a sustainable community at Bryant is to truly help the environment and culture around campus and throughout the world, but there is another; green jobs. These jobs are going to play a huge role in our future, whether it be energy and/or water consumption, recycling, fuel usage, and many

12

“"Overview of the BLS Green Jobs Initiative." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

other environmental factors, with the direction the global economy is heading these jobs will be essential.

Life Cycle Assessments in the World of Business The business industry has become one of the leading factors to the Earth becoming unsustainable, and the people are beginning to realize this. Customers are increasingly demanding that businesses produce products that are not just eco-friendly but are produced in eco-friendly manufacturing processes with safe materials for the future’s environment and supply of resources.8 With this uprising demand, businesses must learn new ways to incorporate sustainability into their business models and marketing efforts to meet this new demand from consumers.

Many companies’ traditional management focuses mainly on their customers, competitors, internal processes, and relationships with suppliers. Once the idea of sustainability with products and processing comes into the question, the ideas are very narrow because they are outside of the focuses with classic supplier, competitor, and consumer relationships. Methods of production such as mining, transportation, storage processes, and final disposal are the critical impacts of the environment. These methods are outside of companies’ management focus. This is when the Life-Cycle Assessment comes into play.

When companies use the Life-Cycle Assessment, they become aware of the critical life cycle steps of their products and services and enables management to make

evaluations on improvement measures to ensure sustainability in the future. Life-Cycle Assessments will bring improvements to areas such as strategy development, product management, sourcing and production, marketing and sales, and information and training. 13 Meeting these new demands by consumers, companies will ultimately improve their production and consumption methods, which will help grow their business’ success for the future, leaving a healthier ecological footprint on Earth.

Conclusion Bryant is consistently taking efforts to ensure the University remains sustainable today and in the future. Through efforts including food waste management, energy and water preservation, land usage, and community service, Bryant’s efforts have been successful but are still improving. With goals set for the year 2020, the University has a vision to continue the safe environment. Students can participate and focus on these sustainability efforts and turn those into successful and environmentally orientated occupations to ensure the future is an environmentally safe economic world. Overall Bryant has taken strides to create a positive ecological footprint and will continue to do so in the future with their students bringing environmentally safe business to the economy.

13

Buxel, Holger, Gökçe Esenduran, and Scott Griffin. “Strategic Sustainability: Creating Business Value with Life Cycle Analysis.” Business Horizons 58, no. 1 (2015): 109–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2014.09.004.

Works Cited Anderson, Deborah D., and Laurie Burnham. 1992. "Toward Sustainable Waste Management."

9 (1): 65. Date Accessed: October 31, 2019, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9305055034& site=ehost-live.

Buxel, Holger, Gökçe Esenduran, and Scott Griffin. “Strategic Sustainability: Creating Business Value with Life Cycle Analysis.”

58, no. 1 (2015): 109–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2014.09.004.

Crate, Susan A. "Investigating Local Definitions of Sustainability in the Arctic: Insights from Post-Soviet Sakha Villages." Arctic, December 16, 2009. Date Accessed: October 31, 2019, http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&sid=d1ed3a4a662a-421f-9650-df27ea9fab51@sessionmgr101.

Life-Cycle Assessment Diagram. Carbon Footprint. Accessed November 14, 2019.Figure 1 https://www.carbonfootprint.com/images/product_lifecycle_infographic.png.

Pergola, Maria, Alessandro Persiani, Assunta Maria Palese, Vincenzo Di Meo, Vittoria Pastore, Adamo, Carmine D, and Giuseppe Celano. "Composting: The Way for a Sustainable Agriculture."

123 (February 2018): 744–50. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.10.016.

"Sustainability." Bryant University. Accessed October 31, 2019. https://www.bryant.edu/about-bryant/sustainability.

Tomasetti, Brooke M. " Black, Gold, and Green: Food Waste Management at Bryant University " DigitalCommons@Bryant University, April 2015. https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/honors_science/3/ "Overview of the BLS Green Jobs Initiative." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed October 31, 2019. https://www.bls.gov/green/.

A Storm’s a Brewin’ Gina Tarantino and Olivia Tsamparlis Abstract This article analyzes the effects of human coffee consumption on three different levels: globally, nationally in the United States, and locally on Bryant University’s campus. This article follows the process of coffee production from the first planting of the bean, to the coffee being poured into the consumer’s cup. The paper dives deep into an analysis of how Bryant University students consume coffee and view global coffee consumption.

Not only does this paper explore how Bryant University students view the presence of coffee in their daily life, but it also finds out through a qualitative and quantitative survey if students are aware of how coffee planting, harvesting, packaging, distribution, and consumption is hurting the environment. While exploring the alternative, believing that climate change is hurting the production of coffee, it was found that students are worried about the future of coffee being in danger without understanding why this problem could be occurring.

Key Words Coffee consumption, Coffee Beans, Climate change, Environment, Production

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Introduction The cultural norm of daily coffee consumption has been around for decades. With the opening of the first Dunkin’ in the 1950s and the first Starbucks in 1971, coffee franchises all over the United States have been developed 1 demonstrating human coffee consumption has become a problem, globally, nationally, and locally. “Coffee is grown in more than 60 tropical countries…by an estimated 25 million farmers.” 2 Since coffee is a very lucrative business for the millions of farmers, they are dependent on this crop.

According to Jaramillo, in 2011 the coffee industry was a “90 billion-dollar (US) coffee industry.” 3 As coffee grows at an exponential rate, the industry is now well beyond $90 billion. From the planting and harvesting of the coffee bean to the extensive transportation process, to the destination of the consumer’s coffee cup; the environment is hurting due to this process.

1

Avey, Tori. “The Caffeinated History of Coffee.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 8 Apr. 2013, http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-coffee/.

2 Läderach, P., Ramirez-villegas, J., Navarro-racines, C., Zelaya, C., Martinez-valle, A., & Jarvis, A. (2017).

Climate change adaptation of coffee production in space and time. Climatic Change, 141(1), 47-62. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1788-9 3 Jaramillo, Juliana, et al. “Some like It Hot: The Influence and Implications of Climate Change on Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus Hampei) and Coffee Production in East Africa.” Plos One, vol. 6, no. 9, 2011, p. e24528.

EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024528.

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On the other hand, Bunn and his team, seem to be concerned more with the rise in global warming and the damaging effects it has on coffee production. According to the article titled “A Bitter Cup: Climate Change Profile of Global Production of Arabica and Robusta Coffee”, “Coffee could migrate to higher latitudes (Zullo et al. 2011) or altitudes (Schroth et al. 2009) but this would not benefit current producers (Baca et. 2014) the migration could threaten ecosystems” (Bunn et. alt. 90). 4 Since coffee must grow in a specific warm climate, farmers would have to change the location of the coffee farms which costs them time, money, and resources. Not only would current farmers be put out of business, but new farms would have to be created, eliminating more forest areas while abandoning the preowned land.

Global Impacts Considering coffee is a universal product that most people enjoy on a day to day basis, the production of this famed commodity has potential negative impacts on the environment. Deforestation, soil alterations, and high-water use are just a few of the negative impacts that stem from the farming of coffee. “For every cup of coffee consumed, it is almost certain that one square inch of rainforest was destroyed.” 5 When looking at the maps displayed below, Figure 1 shows the various countries, sometimes

4

Bunn, C., Läderach, P., Ovalle Rivera, O., & Kirschke, D. (2015). A bitter cup: Climate change profile of global production of arabica and robusta coffee. Climatic Change, 129(1-2), 89-101. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584014-1306-x 5 Morrison, R., et al. “2.2 A Bitter Brew- Coffee Production, Deforestation, Soil Erosion and Water Contamination.”

Environmental ScienceBites, The Ohio State University, ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebites/chapter/a-bitterbrew-coffee-production-deforestation-soil-erosion-and-water-contamination/.

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referred to as the “coffee belt”, responsible for growing and producing coffee beans.

Figure 2 highlights the areas where major rainforests are located.

When comparing these two maps, there is a major overlap between the countries producing coffee beans and the locations of native rainforests. In the article “The Coffee Industry Is Worse Than Ever for The Environment,” “They argue that getting rid of the trees eliminates a crucial habitat for native wildlife, such as tropical birds and monkeys, 94

and makes the land more susceptible to erosion and climate change.” 6 Joe Satran defines deforestation as eradicating the trees while, Victor Arce and co-authors state that deforestation is, “The loss of forest and the potential loss of native biodiversity resulting from coffee cultivation and processing is substantial.” 7 As deforestation occurs, the loss of native species increases because their habitat no longer exists. As our climate warms, and the development of new coffee farms emerge, more land will have to be clear cut.

Furthermore, soil altercation is also a major issue when talking about climate change and coffee production. As a byproduct of deforestation, “chemical buildup in soils and loss of forest shade are consequences of mass coffee production.” 6 As suspected, chemical buildup and overflow from fertilizer are extremely damaging to various ecosystems. Along with chemical buildup, the depletion of native trees changes the overall health and quantity of topsoil as well. However, some research shows that some coffee plants can grow in shade. According to The Smithsonian’s National Zoo, “habitat on shade-grown coffee farms outshone sun-grown coffee farms, with increased numbers and species of birds, improved bird habitat, soil protection/erosion control, carbon sequestration, natural pest control and improved pollination.” 8 If farmers must

6

Satran, Joe. “The Coffee Industry Is Worse Than Ever For The Environment.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/sustainable-coffee_n_5175192.

7 Arce VC, Raudales R, Trubey R, King DI, Chandler RB, Chandler CC. Measuring and Managing the Environmental Cost of Coffee Production in Latin America. Conservat Soc 2009;7:141-4 8 Smithsonian. “Ecological Benefits of Shade-Grown Coffee.” Smithsonian's National Zoo, 12 July 2019, nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/ecological-benefits-shade-grown-coffee.

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move their fields due to increasing temperatures and climate change this could be a beneficial alternative for them to think about while preserving our environment. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo also highlights that farmers who use the shade growing method to produce their coffee beans will be less susceptible to changing temperatures while keeping their farm in the same location.

Another negative aspect of coffee production is excessive water usage to cultivate the plants. Could coffee plants be using too much water and hurting our environment? In an article titled “The Water footprint of Coffee and Tea Consumption in the Netherlands” it was stated that “In total, the world population requires about 140 billion cubic meters of water per year to be able to drink coffee and tea.” 9 Not only do the coffee plants require water, but the beans must be cleaned and removed from the outer husk which requires additional water.

National Impacts

9

Chapagain, A. K., and A. Y. Hoekstra. “The Water Footprint of Coffee and Tea Consumption in the Netherlands.”

Ecological Economics, vol. 64, no. 1, Oct. 2007, pp. 109–118. EBSCOhost, doi:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09218009.

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Although coffee is grown in more than 50 countries, Brazil is one of the largest coffee- producing countries in the world; 10 transporting the coffee from Brazil and other nations to the United States comes at an environmental cost. According to the article “Examining the Carbon Footprint of Coffee” by Nico Mills, “The massive freighters used to ship products over international waters are far from eco-sustainable, consuming more than 16 tons of fuel per hour, which is about 380 tons of fuel

at sea.” 11 Not only

does the freight process admit large quantities of pollution, but we also utilize trucks and trains on land to take the coffee to cafes once it has been shipped overseas. “So far between the farm, the mill, transportation, and the roasters our single pound of coffee beans have accrued nearly 5.5 pounds of carbon emissions.” 9 When looking at the cafes such as Starbucks or Dunkin’, many people might not believe that “...it is the final transition into the cup at the café that generates as much as 50% of all carbon emissions of the supply train.” 9 Once the coffee beans get to their destination, they need to be properly stored at a consistent temperature to stay fresh, meaning the cafes must utilize refrigerators and freezers. When a customer walks into a café and orders a cup of coffee or espresso, they utilize machines to produce the best tasting cup of coffee. Between the coffee grinders, heating systems, and refrigerators the cafe uses a mass amount of energy.

10

“Coffee Around the World.” National Coffee Association, www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/Coffee-Around-theWorld.

11 Mills. “Examining the Carbon Footprint of Coffee.” The Eco Guide, 18 Sept. 2016, theecoguide.org/examiningcarbon-footprint-coffee.

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Bryant University's Impact

As of last year, “eighty-ninely percent of the United States population regularly consumes caffeine.” The USDA conducted a survey with a sample size of approximately 18,000 people and they concluded that “the major source of caffeine was coffee followed by soft drinks and tea.” “National surveys such as the Kantar Worldpanel and NHANES have not typically examined college students as a subgroup of the population” 12 (for coffee consumption) which spiked the idea and the opportunity to implement a survey on campus’. The survey administered had targeted specifically Bryant University students which aligns closely with the age range of the industry demographics; “The major consumer demographics of this [coffee] industry represent people ages 19 to 34...”

13

The survey was administered to only Bryant University

students via an electronic survey. Out of 120 students selected to participate in the survey, 76 students responded. After the survey was conducted it was found that out of the 76 students, 77.6% of them drink coffee every day. Out of those students drinking

12

Mahoney, Caroline R, et al. “Intake of Caffeine from All Sources and Reasons for Use by College Students.” ClinicalKey, https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0S0261561418301341?returnurl=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0261561418301341?showall=true&ref errer=.

13 Menke, Andrew. “The Global Coffee Industry.” GlobalEDGE Blog: The Global Coffee Industry >> GlobalEDGE: Your Source for Global Business Knowledge, GlobalEDGE, 19 Apr. 2018, globaledge.msu.edu/blog/post/55607/the-global-coffee-industry.

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coffee every day, 61.8% of them drink more than 1 cup of coffee per day. Regarding the students drinking coffee every day, 92.1% of them are drinking coffee without knowing where the beans are coming from. Stemming from our cultural ignorance the survey highlights the lack of awareness our campus has when consuming coffee.

A finding that stood out in the survey was that even though the students do not know where their coffee beans are coming from, 84.2% think the planting, harvesting, distribution, and consumption of coffee affects our environment. Cafes and coffee shops are starting to make a conscious decision on how they serve their coffee. Compostable or recyclable cups are being implemented into cafes and customers are beginning to bring their reusable mugs to reduce the amount of waste.

We can even see this movement happening across the Bryant University campus. It was found that 21.1% of the students are actively using their own reusable mug/cup every day. However, it was also found that 38.2% of people use both a reusable mug and single-use cups. We believe that this could be potential progress in starting a new trend of reusable cups around campus.

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Conclusion It is concluded in this paper that there is a vicious cycle between coffee production and climate change. Through conducting research, it was found that not only is the production and consumption of coffee playing a big role in climate change, but the planet’s rising temperatures are taking a toll on coffee production as well. With warmer temperatures along the coffee belt, farmers risk the potential loss of their farms or are forced to move locations. After all, there is a problem with our climate impacting the word more and more each day. As a society, it should be known that the damaging effects of producing, harvesting, transporting, and drinking of coffee also affects the environment. A problem occurs when one does not understand the impact a single person or a community has on consuming various products, such as coffee, leading to environmental degradation. Based on the survey conducted about Bryant University’s coffee consumption, it is now known that students did not fully understand the environmental impact their coffee drinking habits have globally, nationally, and locally.

While teaching college-age students (the industry demographic) healthy and sustainable consumption habits it will resonate well with future generations to come. Attempting to reduce the consumption of coffee products on a college campus can significantly benefit the environment and lead to national and global benefits.

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Bibliography Arce VC, Raudales R, Trubey R, King DI, Chandler RB, Chandler CC. Measuring and Managing the Environmental Cost of Coffee Production in Latin America.

Conservat Soc 2009;7:141-4 Avey, Tori. “The Caffeinated History of Coffee.” , Public Broadcasting Service, 8 Apr. 2013, http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-coffee/.

Bunn, C., Läderach, P., Ovalle Rivera, O., & Kirschke, D. (2015). A bitter cup: Climate change profile of global production of arabica and robusta coffee.

(1-2), 89-101. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1306-x

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Chapagain, A. K., and A. Y. Hoekstra. “The Water Footprint of Coffee and Tea Consumption in the Netherlands.” , vol. 64, no. 1, Oct. 2007, pp. 109–118. , doi:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09218009.

“Coffee Around the World.”

Coffee/Coffee-Around-the-World.

, www.ncausa.org/About-

Jaramillo, Juliana, et al. “Some like It Hot: The Influence and Implications of Climate Change on Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus Hampei) and Coffee Production in East Africa.” , vol. 6, no. 9, 2011, p. e24528. , doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024528.

Läderach, P., Ramirez-villegas, J., Navarro-racines, C., Zelaya, C., Martinez-valle, A., & Jarvis, A. (2017). Climate change adaptation of coffee production in space and time.

(1), 47-62. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-0161788-9 Mahoney, Caroline R, et al. “Intake of Caffeine from All Sources and Reasons for Use by College Students.” , https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0S0261561418301341?returnurl=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S026 1561418301341?showall=true&referrer=.

Menke, Andrew. “The Global Coffee Industry.” , GlobalEDGE, 19 Apr. 2018, globaledge.msu.edu/blog/post/55607/the-globalcoffee-industry.

Mills. “Examining the Carbon Footprint of Coffee.” theecoguide.org/examining-carbon-footprint-coffee.

, 18 Sept. 2016,

Morrison, R., et al. “2.2 A Bitter Brew- Coffee Production, Deforestation, Soil Erosion and Water Contamination.” , The Ohio State University, ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebites/chapter/a-bitter-brew-coffee-productiondeforestation-soil-erosion-and-water-contamination/.

Satran, Joe. “The Coffee Industry Is Worse Than Ever For The Environment.” , HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/sustainable-coffee_n_5175192.

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Smithsonian. “Ecological Benefits of Shade-Grown Coffee.�

12 July 2019, nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/ecological-benefits-shadegrown-coffee.

,

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Climate, Complacency and American Culture: The Role of Narrative in the Era of the Misinformation Amid the Anthropocene Kayla Batalha Abstract This article explores the relationship between climate misinformation campaigns and narratives in light of skepticism and denial of climate change in the era of the Anthropocene. Beginning in the earliest moments of human existence, this paper establishes the importance of narratives in the founding of modern humanity and how such foundational stories has led to our current Anthropogenic world. It goes on to examine misinformation created and funded by politically powerful foundations and companies that distorts the current discussions of climate change among the American public. In leu of the abundance of climate misinformation, this paper also analyzes how the complex emotions inherent in climate change can rationalize the blatant fallacies presented in misinformation campaigns and why they remain socially and politically salient. Given such emotional perils that are unequivocally intertwined with existing in a radically shifting climate, it is necessary to invoke a greater emotional response that overpowers the fear and anxiety that rationalizes the belief in misinformation. Grounded in such emotions inherent in the era of the Anthropocene, this paper argues that narratives and the art of storytelling, the very foundation of what it means to be human, are uniquely suited to convey the severity of climate change. They have the power to invoke an empathic response which works to reverse the hold misinformation has over a sector of the American public that drives climate change skepticism and denial.

Key Words Narrative, Empathy, Immersion, Anthropogenic Climate Change, Misinformation

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Introduction A global movement has emerged that is actively addressing the dire state of the radically shifting climate. For the first time in the history of the environmental movement, the world witnessed millions of people from countries that spanned across the globe gather in protest to demand action from complacent governments, and as a result, many countries have made changes to move towards a more sustainable future. 1 This momentum, however, remains largely absent on the American political agenda, demonstrated in the largely constant (high) levels of carbon emission and the current administration pulling the U.S out of the Paris Agreement. 2 Among the concerns in the era of the Anthropocene—the destruction of mass amounts of biodiversity, initiation of the Sixth Extinction, and even the sheer necessity to create a new geological epoch to account for human impact on the environment— climate change is by far the most pressing. It acts as the catalyst that will both magnify existing environmental concerns

1

Somini Sengupta. “Protesting Climate Change, Young People Take to Streets in a Global Strike,” The New York Times, September 20, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/climate/global-climate-strike.html.

2 T. Wang. “CO2 Emissions United States 2018,” Statista, July 30, 2018, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183943/us-carbon-dioxide-emissions-from-1999/

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and accelerate their demise. 3 The perception of climate change, however, is arguably more pressing than climate change itself, as it is far easier to rally support for change in policies among a public that believes that climate is radically shifting. In the United States, a relatively small, but significant, portion of the population questions the reality of climate change and remain skeptical that human activity is the key driver. These denials stem from the steady stream of misinformation, funded by influential oil companies and politically powerful individuals, that distort the public’s understanding of climate change and spread seeds of doubt. Narrative, a strategy that communicates the significance of an event through structure and plot, plays a crucial role in combating misinformation. 4 This paper argues that narratives are a crucial tool in shifting the perception of climate change among skeptics and deniers as they effectively engage and transport their audience, invoking an emotional response. This active response created from the consumption of narratives works to reverse intrinsic emotions associated with not only the convictions held by climate change deniers, but the complex emotions inherent in living in a warming world.

Narratives and the Conception of Modern Humanity

3

Philippe Lena and Liz-Rejane Isseberner. “Anthropocene: the Vital Challenges of a Scientific Debate,” UNESCO, May 12, 2015 https://en.unesco.org/courier/2018-2/anthropocene-vital-challenges-scientific-debate.

4 Lindsay Morton. “The Role of Imagination in Literary Journalism,” Literary Journalism Studies 10, no. 1 (2018): 93–111. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uSpRyLckieKzQRyV0kVp1ZIgTxuNnA22.

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The species

has been in existence for roughly 70,000 years. From

the emergence of the first

up until present day, humanity has transformed from

inhabitants of the Earth and the complex ecological relationships that comprise it, to autocrats who have attempted to assert control over the world’s natural order. This path of dominion has led to the current environmental crisis that is crippling the current global landscape and emerged because of the narratives that were collectively told, believed, and embraced throughout humanity’s founding.

Storytelling is at the very core of what it means to be human as it is deeply entwined with the earliest era of human history. Yuval Harari, author of the novel a condensed history of the origins of modern-day humanity, argues that “…large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths. Any large-scale human cooperation…is rooted in common myths that exist only in people’s collective imaginations… it all revolved around telling stories, and convincing people to believe them.” 5 The ideas of money, rights, justice, religion and every other foundational element of the modern world exists as a product of human imagination and the stories constructed over hundreds of thousands of years. One of Harari’s key examples of narratological construction is the French car company Peugeot. The company owns factories, employs hundreds of people, produces physical products, has the ability to

5

Yuval Harari. “The Tree of Knowledge.” In Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind , 2nd ed. (Broadway, NY : Harper Perennial,2018), 27-30

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borrow money, and be sued. Peugeot would still exist even if all of its employees, managers, and officers were dismissed and all of its shares sold. However, if the company were to be dissolved, life would largely go on business as usual—all of Peugeot’s factories and employees would still remain. As Harari puts it, “…Peugeot [has] no essential connection to the physical world…[it] is a figment of our collective imagination.” 6 Humans collectively imagined, and subsequently believed in the idea of a limited liability company, and it holds influence over society as a result.

Humanity has an emotional attachment to these narratives that have been constructed over hundreds of centuries. A nation exists because of humanity’s collective belief in it, but it is the emotional attachment to the narrative of a nation that inspires citizens to enlist in the armed forces to defend fellow members that they have, and never will, meet. Similarly, humanity created the narrative of laws, but entire fields of studies and careers exist because of the value we place upon justice and devotion we feel to protect it. The idea of nationality and justice are products of the emotional connection humanity feels to the stories that have constructed the current world. These narratives exist because they have been told, but they remain integral to the human identity because of their emotional salience.

Though the emotional manifestations of nation-ness and justice are valuable products of humanity’s stories that benefit the world at large, the emergence of carbon-

6

Id.Bid 28

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based capitalism, as a product of the collective narrative construction, is the cause of the world’s current environmental crisis. The economic system of capitalism is just as much of a human fiction as is the idea of limited liability companies—it is a system we collectively agree upon to conduct both large scale and day-to-day transactions. Adam Smith’s theory on markets and the “invisible hand” are constructed stories that played a role in the birth of the current global economy’s reliance on carbon and the burning of fossil fuels. The metaphor of the invisible hand claims that individual self-interest and consumption both benefit society and achieves its goals at large. 7 It is this approach that convinced the global society that powerful oil companies’ interests benefit the world as a whole and remains the rationale for its continued use. This reliance on fossil fuels, and resistance to convert to other forms of energy, is a product of the stories that have been told about its importance in achieving national growth.

The Era of the Anthropocene The narratives that have fundamentally shaped the development of humanity have unequivocally led to the radically shifting climate. The world economy’s current reliance on fossil fuels, that have stemmed from the human construction of capitalism and markets, has caused an insurmountable volume of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere that has caused the changing global climate. In essence, the stories we

7

Christina Majaski. “Dispelling Mysteries About the Invisible Hand,” Investopedia, May 5, 2019, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/invisiblehand.asp.

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(the collective) have told, played an integral role in the current climate crisis, so much so that the scientific community has proposed the creation of a new geological epoch to document the human impact on the environment.

Many discussions and conversation that surround climate change operate under the premise that humanity is living in a new geological epoch coined the Anthropocene.

For the past 12,000 years, we have been living in the Holocene which tells the story of civilization and all its subsequent development since the last ice age, effectively marking 12 centuries of a stable climate. 8 The Anthropocene moves to document the profound change in the composition of the Earth including the increase in carbon emissions and sea level rise, the commencement of the Sixth mass extinction of species around the globe, and the severe reduction of biodiversity as a result of deforestation and industrial development. 9 In essence, the Anthropocene is the proposed geological epoch that will document the shift in the physical composition of the Earth as a result of the radical increase in human activity. 10 It is clear what the Anthropocene is, and what it proposes, however, it is less clear where in geological history to mark the end of the Holocene and the official start the Anthropocene. Climate scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin propose two potential

8

Damian Carrington. “The Anthropocene Epoch: Scientists Declare Dawn of Human-Influenced Age,” The Guardian, August 29, 2016 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/29/declare-anthropocene-epochexperts-urge-geological-congress-human-impact-earth.

9 Id. Bid 10 Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin. “Defining the Anthropocene” (Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2015) doi:10.1038/nature14258. 173

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markers: 1610 and 1964. The year of 1610 was the clash of the worlds, where the Old World began to interact with the New World. The movement of Europeans to the New World altered and homogenized the diet of humanity as crops from the New World appeared in non-native Europe while crops from the Old World were planted in the Americas. 11 This is the first human driven change to the biota of the environment as both the flora and fauna were being trans continentally traded for the first time in human history. European exploration and occupation in the New World also caused a massive loss in life among indigenous populations. A population of approximately 54 million in the Americas prior to 1942, dropped to just over 6 million in 1650 as a result of diseases carried by the people of the Old World, war, enslavement and famine. 12 The death of over 80 percent of the population caused a global dip in carbon dioxide levels which documents the first human driven change in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The year of 1964 is often referred to as the Great Acceleration, marking a period in which population grew exponentially, humanity was altering natural processes, and states were testing nuclear weapons. 13 There was an ever-increasing demand for natural resources to sustain the growing population and in order to effectively do so, scientists were genetically engineering crops. All the while, scientists across disciplines were enthralled in the innovation of weapons that were capable of decimating an entire

11

Id. Bid 174-175 Id. Bid 175 13 Id. Bid 176 12

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continent, positing radioactive fallout in uninhabited land. The accumulation of these individual events has changed the composition of the Earth including the presence of plutonium isotopes in sediments, peaks of iodine isotypes with shelf-lives of 30 million years in marine sediments and soils, and lead isotopes in ice cores. 14 Regardless of the specific date assigned to the start of the Anthropocene, the activity during this period has undeniably altered the composition of the planet and has set in motion secondary effects. As Simon Lewis puts it, “In a hundred thousand years, scientists will look at the environmental record and know something remarkable happened in the second half of the second millennium. They will be in no doubt that these global changes to Earth were caused by their own species.” 15 This seemingly arbitrary debate over dating a geological epoch is both socially and politically significant. Establishing the start of the Anthropocene in 1610 suggests that the origin of trade and globalization—the very foundation of the current world order—is to blame for the myriad environmental concerns the are captured in the renaming of the current epoch. Similarly, establishing the commencement of the Anthropocene in 1964 highlights the perils of technological advancement that threaten planet-wide destruction. Inherent in the creation of a new epoch is the acceptance that

14

Id. Bid 176-177 Hannah Devlin. “Was 1610 the Beginning of a New Human Epoch?” The Guardian, March 11, 2015 https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/11/was-1610-the-beginning-of-a-new-human-epochanthropocene#targetText=The year 1610 marks the,the continent by European colonialists.

15

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the composition of the Earth, and the global climate by necessity, is changing and it is an unnatural product of human activity. The chosen inception of the Anthropocene, or creating a new geological epoch in itself, dictates the stories people construct about global climate change and the environment at large.

Climate Change Denial and Dissemination of (Mis)Information The proposition of the Anthropocene, regardless of the chosen point of inception, would not only officially accept that the composition of the Earth is in fact changing, consequently shifting the global climate, but confirm these changes are occurring because of human activity. Climate change would become an accepted truth in the formation of a new geological epoch, which calls into question the practicality and the morality of the activities (i.e. burning fossil fuels, deforestation, etc.) that has caused these environmental concerns. Questioning these practices threatens the companies in industries that have played instrumental roles in causing climate change (i.e. oil companies). In response, these companies, and other organizations that symbiotically benefit from the fossil fuel industry’s success, have funded misinformation campaigns that intentionally distort public knowledge of climate change. In misinforming the public and shifting conversations that surround climate change away from action, these actors have effectively stalled any nationwide progress towards a sustainable future in the name of protecting their industry and economic prosperity.

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Misinformation campaigns are defined by Robert Brulle, an environmental sociologist and professor at Drexel University, as the “…deliberate and organized efforts…of for-profit corporations and their allied trade associations, conservative think tanks, advocacy/front groups, and foundations… to misdirect the public discussion and distort the public’s understanding of climate change.” 16 Advocacy groups and organizations that openly disagree and work to convince people to unsubscribe from collectively accepted climate science are broadly referred to as Climate Change Counter Movements (CCCM). These CCCMs create doubt through the dissemination of inaccurate climate science and magnify existing skepticism that has existed in the U.S since the birth of the environmental movement.

Though most of the world, and the scientific community, accepts human driven climate change as a fact, there remains a portion of the American population that is skeptical of climate change. The exact number of climate deniers and skeptics in the U.S vary depending on the data collection method, but according to Kristin Haltinner and Dilshani Sarathchandra, both professors of sociology at the University of Idaho, one thing remains clear: “…the levels of climate change skepticism remain higher in the United States than other developed countr[y].” 17 A survey conducted by the Public Religion

16

Robert J. Brulle. “Institutionalizing Delay: Foundation Funding and the Creation of U.S Climate Change Counter Movement Organizations,” Springer Nature 122, no. 4 (2014) 682-684 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-1018-7 17 Kristin Haltinner and Dilshani Sarathchandra. “Climate Change Skepticism as a Psychological Coping Strategy,” Compass (2018)

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Research Institute cited by Haltinner and Sarathchandra, found that just over a quarter of Americans reported that there is no solid evidence of Anthropogenic climate change. 18 While convictions of climate denial vary in that they have different rationales, they are all founded on inaccurate science that misrepresents the actual scientific understanding of climate.19 Any basic climate science would debunk these rationales, yet people who believe them remain unconvinced which begs the question—how do misinformation campaigns form these scientifically unfounded beliefs that are, and remain, socially and politically salient?

The funding of CCCM’s partially explains the dissemination of misinformation as the monetary resources they receive allow such organizations to widely spread their messages. In a study conducted by Brulle, data from the Internal Revenue service (IRS) and the National Center for Charitable Statistics between 2003 and 2010 showed that 91 CCCM’s were funded by 140 foundations and 5,299 grants that totaled $558 million over the 7 year span. 20 Among the numerous organizations, the most significant donors included Donors Trust, Donors Capital, and the Koch Foundation. 21 A separate study

18

Id. Bid About a third justify these beliefs because they have not personally seen a shift in the weather, indicating climate change is not happening, 18 percent believe that it is natural for temperature to vary and therefor, even if there is a rise in global temperature, it is not a result of human activity. Around twelve percent say that they have seen conflicting scientific evidence, five percent indicate that they believe that reported news stories on climate change are fake, and the remaining 12 percent cite their own personal experiences or their religious affiliations (3) 20 Robert J. Brulle. “Institutionalizing Delay: Foundation Funding and the Creation of U.S Climate Change Counter Movement Organizations,” Springer Nature 122, no. 4 (2014) 684 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-1018-7 21 Id. Bid 687 19

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found that Exxon Mobile, one of the largest fossil fuel companies in the industry, gave $1.5 million to 11 conservative think tanks in 2017. 22 Climate change counter movements are mobilized by this funding structure and use specific strategies to disseminate widespread misinformation to the public. Catriona McKinnon, a professor of political theory at the University of Reading, sets forth a framework that articulates three main strategies climate denial organizations use: (1) create a sense of authority and appeal to fake experts (2) set unrealistic expectations of certainty and consensus among the scientific community and (3) outright deception. 23 The most common use of the false authority strategy is among conservative think tanks, such as the Heartland Institute, the Cato Institute, and Marshal Institute, that use their official platforms that appear to be credible as a medium to post scientifically inaccurate reports. Many of these think tanks have sections dedicated to climate change and the environment with article titles “fact checking” climate science 24. The Heartland Institute 25, a prominent climate misinformation think tank, publish multi-volume issues of Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). The NIPCC, the

22

Elliot Negin. “Why is Exxon Mobil Still Funding Climate Science Denier Groups?” Union of Concerned Scientist, January 2019, https://blog.ucsusa.org/elliott-negin/exxonmobil-still-funding-climate-science-deniergroups.

23 Catriona Mckinnon. “Should We Tolerate Climate Change Denial?” Midwest Studies in Philosophy 40, ed. 1 (2016) 208-210. doi:10.1111/misp.12056 24 To name a few “U.N lies about food supplies and climate change”, “ The global warming crisis is over”, and “A significant goof in nature climate change”. All of these articles were posted to conservative think tank websites that cited conservative scientists and outlying descending opinions among the scientific community 25 displayed on their website is a quote from the economist that brands them as “the world's most prominent think-tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change”

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deliberate antithesis to the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), collects work from 50 independent scientists from 15 countries, with a select few who have no financial stake in the outcome of the global climate change discussion, and reviews only climate denial literature from conservative scientists. 26 Setting impossible expectations for communal consensus is also a common tool where think tanks and advocacy groups use dissenting opinions in the scientific community and minor inconsistencies in climate models to magnify those uncertainty as a call for inaction. 27 In any field across disciplines, consensus is rarely ever 100 percent, nor is it usually apart of the criteria for taking action. This tactic calls for a fallacious consensus and capitalizes on the reality that there are, as there are in any field of study, disagreements among members of the scientific community. The current literature that exists satisfy the criteria for action—out of nearly 14,000 peer-reviewed articles written about climate change between 1991 and 2012, only 24 deny climate change, which is less than one percentage point. 28 And yet, despite the overwhelming majority that agree with the current climate change conversation and the science within it, CCCM’s will emphasize the less-than-one percentage point as a rationale to stave off political and economic action that would hurt major players within the fossil fuel industry.

26

“The Global Warming Crisis Is Over,” The Heartland Institute, May 19, 2015.

Catriona Mckinnon. “Should We Tolerate Climate Change Denial?” Midwest Studies in Philosophy 40, ed. 1 (2016) 209. doi:10.1111/misp.12056 28 Id. Bid 27

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The final tactic McKinnon articulates is perhaps the most damaging as groups and companies knowingly undermine climate science by overtly denying it. Exxon Mobile notoriously uses this strategy; it has been recently uncovered that while the company had been vocally doubting climate change, they were investing significant amounts of money and resources to fund scientific research into the phenomena. A study orchestrated by Harvard professors Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Surpan found that climate studies published by Exxon funded projects from 1977 to 2014 aligned with the broad scientific consensus. Moreover, it was discovered that over 80 percent of internal communications and company research acknowledges that climate change was both occurring and drive by human activity. 29 After these findings, the company spent and upwards of $20 million to fund climate denial in an effort to prevent climate legislation. 30 It is undeniable that deliberate misinformation campaigns about the environment exist, and it is equally clear that they exist because of the influences of large corporations that benefit from public doubt and subsequent inactions which are direct biproducts of misinformation. But why does doubt about climate change, that aligns with only a small minority of the population, resonate so strongly among the people who believe it? One explanation is the emotional perils inherent in a radically changing world and the

29

John Schwartz. “Exxon Misled the Public on Climate Change, Study Says,” The New York Times, August 23, 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/climate/exxon-global-warming-science-study.html.

30 Catriona Mckinnon. “Should We Tolerate Climate Change Denial?” Midwest Studies in Philosophy 40, ed. 1 (2016) 210. doi:10.1111/misp.12056

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implications of such (entire coastal cities drowned by rising sea levels, ecosystems collapsing, widespread global famine, etc.) is too much of an emotional burden to bare.

The anxiety and fear that surrounds accepting the truth of the Anthropocene causes individuals to deny that it is occurring. Research has shown that when fear is present, people resist learning new information, developing an “information aversion” that inhibits the retention of information, particularly to subjects that have been the cause of such fear and anxiety. 31 This phenomena has been coined the “ostrich effect” in which people “put their head in the sand” to avoid information that induces fear and anxiety. 32 Further research from Haltinner and Sarathchandra found that people who avoid information that is emotionally overwhelming, “tend to ignore complex and uncomfortable information and trust that “the experts” will take care of things” and rely on the beliefs of those they deem trustworthy. 33 This presents a problem: people are unwilling to learn about the reality of climate change, because that reality is too debilitating to engage, so they rely on experts to grapple with the changing world. As demonstrated in the discussion of misinformation, not all “experts” are created equal, so if the population of the anxiety-debilitated rely on think tanks funded by climate denialists, inaccurate climate science becomes fact in the minds of these individuals. Further, because of this fear and

31

Kristin Haltinner and Dilshani Sarathchandra. “Climate Change Skepticism as a Psychological Coping Strategy,” Compass (2018) 32 Id. Bid 33 Id. Bid

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anxiety that surrounds the truth of the Anthropocene, it is easier for people who cannot understand the severity of climate change to graft on to the misinformation that actively denies the information that invokes these feelings.

Why Narratives?

Though it is clear that the telling of narratives is significant in the founding of humanity, it is less clear why techniques of storytelling are emotionally salient and effective. Research conducted at Penn State sought to investigate the relationship between narrative and emotion and found that stories that are told that embrace narrative techniques—plot, character development, symbolism—were effective in invoking empathy from its audience. In 2012, the researchers assembled a study that asked the 399 participants to read a news story about undocumented immigrants and the work conditions they are often subjected to. One group read a narrative version in which they met undocumented immigrant Alejandro Martinez that was injured at his job.

As a result of his illegal status, he could not seek medical attention and had two fingers amputated. The narrative version includes personal details of Martinez’s life including direct quotations from both Martinez and his wife, along with his children. In the nonnarrative version, the story does not include any of these personal details or accounts.

The group that read the narrative version felt a higher degree of empathy and compassion for Martinez that expanded to undocumented workers at large. Some

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wanted to find more information about living conditions of undocumented immigrants while some were even moved to act. 34 The narrative form of Martinez’s story humanized him to the readers of his story through the popular literary technique of characterization. Instead of just reporting facts of undocumented immigrants, readers of the narrative version were able to personally meet Martinez and his family. Such characterization and humanization rendered the details of the facts into emotions that motivated some within the study to further learn about lives of undocumented immigrants. This emotional response is explained by social psychologists Melanie Green and Kaitlin Fitzgerald’s transportation theory, which focuses on the causes and effects of a reader being immersed into a story. Two key concepts of the transportation theory is (1) that it can occur for both factual and fictional stories and (2) immersion influences the reader’s attitudes and beliefs. 35 The term “transportation” was coined by cognitive psychologist Richard Gerrig who compared narrative experience to physical traveling. A traveler, after being exposed to a new part of the world, returns to his home feeling moved after experiencing the journey, in a similar way to when people “…are transported into a narrative world…they may be more likely to change their real-world beliefs and behaviors to become more consistent with

34

Lene Bech Sillesen and David Uberti. “Journalism and the Power of Emotions,” Columbia Journalism Review, 2015 https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalism_and_the_power_of_emotions.php.

35 Melanie Green and Kaitlin Fitzgerald. “Transportation Theory Applied to Health and Risk Messaging,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, September 2019. https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e261.

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the story.� 36 In essence, the more people feel transported by narrative techniques, the more likely they are to change their attitude, beliefs, and even behaviors after being immersed in such a narrative.

In the study conducted at Penn State, people who read the narrative version of Martinez’s story felt more of an emotional reaction because they were transported to a greater degree than those who read just the facts of undocumented immigration. A feeling of empathy emerged for Martinez and his family that, for some, extended to undocumented workers at large. This invocation of empathy is crucial in shifting expressions of doubt among climate change deniers as their skepticism is often a product of fear or apathy. If skeptics read a personal account of an individual who was deeply affected by the changing climate, and were transported by narrative techniques in the process, perhaps that emotion and sense of empathy would arise in that individual.

Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and professor at Harvard University, argues that the invocation of empathy has unimaginable impacts on a human population.

In an interview with Pacific Standard staff members David Edmond and Nigel Warburton, Pinker proposes a historical hypothesis that posits the inception of the Humanitarian Revolution during the Enlightenment as a result of a mass increase in

36

Id. Bid

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literacy rates that allowed the population to read accounts of atrocities during that era. 37 Up until the Humanitarian Revolution, medieval torture methods such as public disembowelment were standard criminal punishments and slavery was practically commonplace. It was only until there was a massive increase in literacy rates, and a subsequent increase in the consumption of novels and journalistic accounts, that the public began to question the morality and justice of such practices. 38 One explanation for this, as Pinker argues, is that at the same time there was an increased consumption of stories, there was an equal increase of public empathy as a byproduct of reading such written accounts. Stories, imbued with details and characterization of otherwise faceless criminals, caused people to become sympathetic to the victims of the cruel and unusual punishments because the practice had been humanized.

Translating this hypothesis to the era of the Anthropocene has the potential to have a profound impact on the population of skeptics and climate change deniers.

Humanizing climate change by telling transportive narratives about people suffering the adverse effects of a warming world, and invoking a subsequent emotional and empathetic response, could begin the process of shifting such skeptical views. In doing so, the emotions invoked would work to combat not only the emotions imbued in climate

37

David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton. “Big Ideas in Social Science: An Interview with Steven Pinker on Violence and Human Nature,� Pacific Standard, June 2017 https://psmag.com/news/big-ideas-in-social-science-aninterview-with-steven-pinker-on-violence-and-human-nature.

38 Id. Bid

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related anxieties and fear, but also combats the hold of misconceptions of climate science portrayed in misinformation campaigns. Such shifting beliefs amongst the skeptics could unite the American public about the current environmental crisis and result in greater action taken to implement environmental policy that would move the U.S towards a more sustainable future.

Conclusion In the midst of a global environmental movement, the United States remains a noticeably absent actor in the push for environmental reform. Though climate change is a multifaceted issue that roots itself in issues of politics, identity, economy, capitalism, and arguably the inner workings of the international system, a driver of the U. S’s complacency comes from inaction among the American public. More precisely, the sector of the American public that does not acknowledge the validity of climate change who often prevent environmental policy from even making an appearance on the legislative agenda. This skepticism is a product of deliberately disseminated misinformation, which becomes so salient among some groups because it is simply easier to deny the climate, and the Earth, is changing as a result of human activity. In accepting the truth of the Anthropocene, one is faced with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and fear— misinformation acts as a medium to avoid experiencing such emotions that come with accepting climate change as a universal truth. It is because of these complicated 124

emotions that are intertwined with climate denial that makes narratives so crucial, because they evoke such emotion that, if transported effectively, produce a more powerful feeling of empathy than the underlying fear that drives skepticism. So, in order for the U.S to join the world in the transition to a greener, more sustainable future, we must, in true

form, compose and deliver compelling stories.

Future Research The scope of this paper was tailored to a semester-long project in which I was able to conduct research that pertained to a subject within the broad realm of Environmental Humanities. With ambitious goals, this paper is a part of a larger project in which the relationship between stories and humans, humans and the environment, and climate change and politics will be further explored. This research focused particularly on climate change deniers amid the Anthropocene, attempting to understand their inaction and ways in which to shift such emotional complacency through an environmental and narratological lens. Future research will refocus on climate change denial through a political lens in hopes to understand the complex roots that are inherently interconnected with climate and identity, and how the theory of transportation and the power of narratives applies to climate identity politics. In doing so, such research will address the importance of shifting such a seemingly marginal portion of the population’s perception of the environment and its radically changing climate.

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