INSIGHTS INTO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ SUSTAINABILITY KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES: FROM NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION

University students are likely to be exposed to the concept of sustainability via general education classes and campus initiatives. We are interested to learn the depth of students’ understanding of the role of natural resource extraction in sustainable practices. Students at a regional public liberal arts university were surveyed to ascertain their knowledge and perceptions of resource extraction, renewable energy generation, and product disposal and recycling. Approximately 8% (n=842) of the student body completed the survey. A repeated measures ANOVA of students’ Likert-scale responses from strongly oppose (1) to strongly support (7) shows that students are in strong support of recycling centers (M=6.06) whereas landfills are the most strongly opposed category (M=3.62). Silica sand mining (m=3.92) is the second most opposed, followed by copper and iron mining (both at M=4.16). Wind farms (M=5.39) and solar panels (M=5.95) are looked upon favorably. Open-ended responses on the potential benefits and negative impacts of wind farms and copper mines reveal that the majority of students see the energy benefits of wind farms and many perceive negative impacts in the size of these farms, the associated costs, and in threats to birds. About one-half of the students stated that the benefit of copper mines is copper extraction while about one-fourth stated that they didn’t know what would be a benefit. Stated potential negative impacts were predominately related to pollution and a danger to mine workers. This question elicited some of the strongest language in responses, such as “destroying Earth” and “Ruin the environment.” The students in this study live in an area that has recently seen numerous sand mines become active, which likely led to the negative view of silica sand mines. While it came as no surprise that many university students do not perceive mining of nonrenewable resources such as copper in a positive light, it is informative to see the contrast in how landfills and recycling centers are viewed. We interpret our results to suggest many students have misconceptions and hold an idealistic sustainability perspective. As geoscience educators, we are positioned to guide students toward a pragmatic sustainability perspective by addressing topics such as the role of mineral resources in wind and solar energy.