Radio: Sustainability in Higher Education

Ashley Thorne

Last night, I and Adam Kissel appeared as guests on WNJC 1360, a Philadelphia-based radio station, talking about the campus sustainability movement as the latest trend in political correctness. 

Adam talked about the residence life program at the University of Delaware that called itself a "sustainability" and "citizenship" program but was really aimed at imparting a “particular values system” so that students would reject traditional American values and assume a politically correct worldview.

I spoke about the rise of Second Nature, the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, and the way sustainability advocates use small changes to everyday habits in order to effect long-term lifestyle transformation. I also discussed how the notion that sustainability should be the "foundation of all learning and practice in higher education" is at odds with the fundamental purpose of the university: to teach objective knowledge and remain above-the-fray politically.

Click here to listen to the program (about 1 hour in length). 

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