Earth Day Quiz (with Patel College of Global Sustainability)
Scientists are sounding the alarm about the harmful effects certain human activities have on our planet. They warn that the decisions we make now will have dramatic consequences in the decades to come. Will we continue down destructive pathways, or embrace our role as careful stewards of the one planet we know can sustain life?
These are the issues that scholars at the University of South Florida’s Patel College of Global Sustainability wrestle with each day. The Patel College is home to a diverse and highly collaborative academic community that’s united by a primary goal: ensuring that our natural resources will still be around for future humans to enjoy.
If you share the same passion for sustainability, read on to find out why USF is the perfect place for you!
The Power of Earth Day
Earth Day (April 22) was founded over 50 years ago to rally Americans to the cause of environmentalism. It raised awareness about the harms of pollution, something we take for granted today. It also taught every person that they had a role to play in protecting the planet. This day of action empowered regular people to make smart choices for the good of mankind.
Today, you still have that power — and maybe more. Earth Day activities now involve over one billion people worldwide. You might feel like you can’t make a difference alone, but cumulative effects matter. People everywhere are doing their part, big or small.
To see greater impact on a local level, seek out communities that are focused on sustainability and join forces with them.
Opportunities to Practice Sustainability at USF
Sustainability is a huge part of the USF way of life, on Earth Day and every day. Here are some examples of how we walk the walk.
Student Organizations
USF has over 700 student clubs and organizations, and many are centered on sustainability and environmental activism. Many also plan and promote Earth Day activities for our students.
For example, the Student Green Energy Fund conducts cleanups that protect the shoreline of Bayboro Harbor. They are a “system of defense” for the precious campus ecosystem. Funding comes from a small fee paid by all USF students, and students can propose ideas for how that funding could be spent to create a more sustainable campus.
The Food Recovery Club at USF St. Petersburg campus promotes sustainability by reducing food waste. Instead of trashing excess food from the campus cafeterias, students collect it safely and donate it to a local nonprofit that feeds the hungry.
Other USF student organizations focused on sustainability include:
- GenCLEO
- Global Leaders Outreach for a Better Environment (GLOBE)
- Solar Energy Society
- Student Environmental Association (SEA)
- SustainaBulls
Bring your ideas for a more sustainable society to USF! Likeminded Bulls are sure to back you up.
Infrastructure
The USF Office of Sustainability helps drive green efforts at our university, and their influence has been huge. Green infrastructure is everywhere at USF.
Look at the St. Petersburg campus. It’s built with sustainability in mind — appropriate for a campus that borders a harbor teeming with dolphins, manatees, marine birds, and other remarkable wildlife. Lynn Pippenger Hall, home of the Muma College of Business on the St. Petersburg campus, is a great example. It’s a LEED Gold Certified building that “applies both common sense and technical approaches to sustainable design.” Over a dozen other LEED projects have been completed by USF, including the incredible Judy Genshaft Honors College building on the Tampa campus, and several more are planned for construction.
According to Dr. Joseph Dorsey, professor of instruction and director of food sustainability and security in the Patel College of Global Sustainability, this infrastructure gets people used to practicing sustainability without feeling forced to comply with complicated rules.
“The more we design a society that is sustainable, through things like the buildings and appliances we use, the more people start to see other ways they can practice sustainability,” he said. “People get overwhelmed, but if you make it easier for them in some ways, they look at other parts of their life where they can make a difference.”
Experiential Learning
It’s also important to discover how sustainability functions in real-world situations. USF promotes experiential learning, so many students are getting a hands-on education in sustainability.
Dr. Dorsey gives his students opportunities for service learning. One class is helping Tampa General Hospital establish a food pharmacy to prescribe patients nutritious meals. Past classes worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture to create community gardens across Tampa, and many students have traveled with him to Rosebud Continuum, a local sustainability center.
Back on campus, Honors students can take the Rooted in Place course to learn about food deserts and explore solutions. Part of the course involves tending a community garden. The harvested vegetables are shared with USF’s Feed-a-Bull Food Pantry.
Many Bulls also conduct research into sustainability topics like urban ecology and expanding access to alternative energy in Africa. They show that young people can become leaders and changemakers by following their passion for sustainability.
What Does it Mean to Be a “Sustainabilitist?”
Dr. Dorsey encourages students to become sustainabilitists, people who view the world as a series of interdependent systems that form a larger whole. When someone embraces sustainabilitism, they gain new perspective and begin to appreciate how small choices can cascade into big changes.
A basic place to start is the relationship between water, energy, and food. In living things, energy can’t be produced without water and food. But food can’t be produced without the water and energy in the soil. Living things need water in its liquid state though, and keeping water in this state requires large amounts of energy. Each piece is interconnected, and affecting one means affecting the others, too. Once you realize that, you’re using systems thinking. Pretty cool!
“Nature is where everything comes from,” Dr. Dorsey said. “It’s where we get air, water, food, soil, and all that. So, we must find ways to use science to create a more harmonious relationship with nature.” Once you understand how these essential resources interact at a basic level, you can begin to add more pieces, like climate and animal life.
The “-isms” we subscribe to color the way we see the world and limit the actions we’re willing to take to solve problems. Binary thinking — it’s either this or that. But sustainabilitism, in Dr. Dorsey’s conception, works differently. Sustainabilitists see the relationship between people, the environment, and the economy. Their goal is balance between these interests. “When you’re thinking like a trinary person instead of a binary person, you make decisions that are much more connected to sustainability.”
Dr. Dorsey stressed the importance of sustainabilitism in the current cultural moment. “I think it’s the ‘-ism’ of the 21st century, because if we don't get a handle on sustainability and resiliency, we won't have a 22nd century,” he warned.
What You Can Do to Practice Sustainability Right Now
Sustainability is a way of life. Once you commit to it — once you become a sustainabilitist — it becomes natural. Dr. Dorsey used indigenous peoples as an example. They didn’t have to practice sustainability; they just lived in nature, appreciated its impact on their health and happiness, and acted accordingly. By contrast, our society tells us that we’re separate from nature, so it takes more of an effort to adopt the same harmonious practices.
With that in mind, here are three simple ways that you can begin to orient yourself towards more sustainable living as a student.
Become a Steward
You don’t have to be a leader to have an impact. Everyone has a role to play. Your involvement is every bit as important to the cause as someone like world-famous activist Greta Thunberg.
“Not everybody can be a leader, but everyone can be a steward,” Dr. Dorsey said. “Stewardship is doing the right thing when no one is watching. It’s being accountable — to others, and to yourself.”
If you see a Coke can left behind on a park bench, you have a choice. A steward throws it away because that makes the park a little nicer for everyone. Commit to doing little things, like turning the light off when you leave the room, picking up your trash when you miss the can (“Kobe!”), or considering the impact of what you choose to eat or drink.
Serve Your Community
Environmentalism isn’t about prioritizing inanimate nature over people. It’s recognizing that human wellbeing depends on nature, so we protect ourselves by protecting nature.
In your community, both nature and people are probably being neglected in some ways. As a sustainabilitist, as a steward, it’s up to you to act. Find a problem that needs fixing and start small. Invite other people to join your cause, explaining to them how neglecting this problem is negatively affecting their lives. Pointing out those connections can be very persuasive, even to people who say they don’t care.
You may only manage to create change in one part of your community, but that’s something to be proud of. And who knows where it might lead? Many young people have started movements that exceeded all expectations.
Embrace a Learning Mindset
No matter what classes you’re taking, take them seriously, pay attention, and consider how what you’re learning in one class relates to what you’re learning in others.
Many people today struggle to learn. There are a lot of distractions, for sure, and schools aren’t always good at giving the whole picture. But if you nurture a hunger for learning and exploration, you’ll develop influential ideas of your own that just might save the world.
How to Study Sustainability and Make Caring Your Career
If all of this resonates with you, you may be a good fit for a career in sustainability, and the Patel College of Global Sustainability is an excellent place to prepare.
The Patel College exclusively offers graduate degrees right now, but they also offer an undergraduate course called Intro to Global Sustainability and may add more as early as Fall 2027. Since they don't have undergraduate degree programs yet, you’ll have to plan a pathway to success in graduate school and beyond. Here’s how to make that happen.
Get an Undergraduate Degree in Your Particular Interest
Unlike other colleges of sustainability, the Patel College does not have a background requirement to enroll. “Our students have all kinds of lenses and interests,” Dr. Dorsey said, “but they all have a certain spark. They see something in sustainability that resonates with them.”
Many students in the Patel College have bachelor’s degrees in environmental science, but many others studied social sciences, humanities, or business. USF offers over 200 undergraduate majors and concentrations. You have freedom to study what you want as an undergraduate, then specialize in sustainability as a graduate student.
Pursue a Master’s Degree in Sustainability Studies
The Patel College offers multiple master’s degrees with several concentrations of study:
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Master of Arts in Global Sustainability
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Concentration in Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
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Concentration in Sustainability Policy
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Master of Science in Global Sustainability
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Concentration in Food Sustainability and Security
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Concentration in Sustainable Energy
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Concentration in Water Sustainability
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Each of these follows an interdisciplinary approach, so no matter what you’re interested in, the Patel College will show you how it connects to sustainability.
Launch Your Career in Sustainability
USF has some incredible career resources available to our students, and our alumni benefit from them for life. You won’t be on your own when it comes to internships or job hunting.
The Patel College also has a good track record of job placement. For example, alumni have gone on to manage sustainability and resiliency for prominent local governments, like the City of Tampa and the City of Clearwater.
If you take advantage of every opportunity along the way, your odds of landing a dream career in sustainability will be high.
Take the first step by applying to USF today!
This Quiz is the Perfect Earth Day Activity
Are you a Terra Titan, an Earth Enjoyer, or just a Basic Earthling? Take our Earth Day Quiz and find out!
Faculty and staff from the Patel College of Global Sustainability helped us design a sustainability quiz that’s equal parts challenging, educational, and fun. If you’re looking for Earth Day activities, look no further.
