Sustainability in Education Abroad

The Center for International Education is committed to promoting environmental and social responsibility through education abroad. While the air travel required to get to program sites has a clear environmental impact on the planet, education abroad offers inherent benefits such as intercultural understanding, as well as the opportunity to learn about sustainability firsthand from a variety of cultures and experiences. To that end, Berea Term Abroad orientations, beginning with Fall Term 2007, have included discussions of the environmental impact of education abroad and tips for more earth-friendly travel. Such discussions are now also part of Berea International Short Term (BIST) and Summer Abroad orientations.

In addition, we are piloting a Global Footprint Grant, using Ithaca College as a model, with Fall 2009 Berea Term Abroad participants. The grant is intended to facilitate research about sustainability while abroad, as well as to stress cross-cultural implications (e.g., how practices in the host country compare to those back in the United States, what practices in the host country might be adopted in the United States, etc.). As well, we encourage all education abroad participants to take the Green Passport Pledge to be environmentally and socially responsible both while abroad and after returning home.

We are also doing our part to increase awareness of these issues among education abroad professionals. For example, Søren Peterson, Education Abroad Adviser, raises the topic with program representatives who visit Berea, participates actively in the Sustainability in Study Abroad listserv and NAFSA's Sustainability SIG, and serves on the Green Passport Advisory Board. In addition, he was a co-presenter on sustainability in education abroad at the 2008 NAFSA Region VI Conference and also in the "It's Easy Being Green: Advising Tips for Earth-friendly Study Abroad" session at the 2009 NAFSA Annual Conference.

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