Purpose Based Engagement in Student Housing
“Among the highest callings we have as educators in preparing leaders of tomorrow is to help students under our care learn how to better protect and preserve this planet for all future generations."
As I see old friends from my time in student housing this week at the Interface Student Housing Conference, I am reminded of the term adulting. That process of helping our student residents prepare for life. While they may attend classes and learn theory within the academic halls, there are life lessons to be discovered within student housing. Those lessons are not just for the students; they are for the operators of student housing as well.
The students who occupy our halls are our customers, and the shift in customer values may be present in these customers more so than in any other group. Students are busy, but their busy isn’t quite the same as it will be upon graduation. One of the challenges of multifamily housing is engaging residents who get up, go to work, come home, sleep and then repeat the cycle day in and day out – with little time to think about anything else—the grind. College students certainly have moments of intense study, but they tend to have a bit more time to take in the world around them.
As those students take in the world around them, increasingly, they rely on data inputs to help form decisions. Decisions range from where to eat, what movie to see, and their impact on the world around them. This includes where to live, and if their community reflects their values. Looking back across many generations, often the demand for change, the awareness of social issues and environmental issues was particularly passionate amongst students. Our current students are no different, they are passionate, and they want to make their mark on the world. I say no different, but that access to the data I mentioned may intensify that passion.
This is not a bad thing; in fact, when engaged, the residents in student housing can be a powerful ally in accomplishing your ESG goals. However, keep in mind that access to data, that social network, and that ability to mobilize and evangelize can spell issues for those whose ESG programming is more wish and less actual impact.
So let us, for a moment, assume your ESG program is meaningful and built on an actionable foundation of data. It is transparent, and key performance metrics are in place to continually mature the program towards its goals. Instead, let’s focus on the students. Remember that term adulting? Our communities, and the University system to which we contribute, hold tremendous potential to achieve long-term results by promoting within our residents the development of awareness and skills needed to face complex challenges, now and in the future. This is especially true in terms of addressing the impacts of climate change and reaching goals of equality and inclusion.
The idea of promoting a culture of sustainability encompasses all the factors of ESG as culture embodies developing a sense of meaning people give to their lives, the values they share, and how they express their vision for the future to be conveyed to future generations. Promoting this cultural change encompasses a radical re-evaluation of the hierarchy of values that give meaning to life and ultimately determine society’s priorities (Brown 1981). Key is the development of behavior shifts that originate in developing awareness, collective responsibility, and strengthening autonomy.
We are talking about something different than merely passing out refrigerator magnets that contain a message about conserving water. We are looking past a message of turning off the lights or setting the HVAC on a schedule so it doesn’t run when you are out of the room. Instead, we are looking at a purpose-based approach that raises awareness of the consequences of our impact, and that emphasizes the development of personal responsibility.
This strategy may include the sponsorship of group activities that allow for discussion of deeper ideas like the connection between human systems and natural systems. Such activities enable the residents to take responsibility for their own positions and to discuss the consequences of action and inaction. As Autio and Heinonen (2004, p. 150) emphasize: "young people need to reflect on the future of the world and what is the meaning of ‘good life’ for them. They are the future consumers, producers, and agents of change. "
As the group evolves, so will their emphasis and attention. This is where the design of the program provides fodder to feed the resident-based groups, encouraging thought leadership but providing guardrails in which topics are contained align with the goals of your Corporate ESG program.
It takes courage to allow each community to shape its particular emphasis; however, so long as the residents are working towards the overarching ESG goals of the organization, it provides an arena for those residents to develop and grow.
You can help reduce the impact of the built environment by sharing this blog with your peers. Together we can impact the 39% of greenhouse gasses attributed to the built environment. It starts with awareness, and we succeed with teamwork.
Stay well!
Chris Laughman is the ThirtyNine Blog author, a blog dedicated to reducing the impact of the built environment. When not blogging, Chris is helping the real estate industry minimize energy and water impact as the Vice President of Sustainability for Conservice, the Utility Experts. Whether Multifamily, Single Family, Student Housing, Commercial, or Military, we simplify utility billing and expense management by doing it for you. Our insight into your utility consumption provides an opportunity to identify risks. Leveraging innovation and experience, we ignite solutions with real impacts and track performance to ensure the trendline stays laser-focused on the goal. At Conservice, we have developed a true bill-to-boardroom solution to help truly make a difference. We have before us a tremendous opportunity. Standing shoulder to shoulder, we will get this done. Contact me at claughman@conservice.com for more information.
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Sources
Autio, Minna and Heinonen, Visa. 2004. To consume or not to consume? Young
people’s environmentalism in the affluent Finnish society. Young, v. 12, n. 2, p. 137-
153.
Brown, Lester. 1981. Building a Sustainable Society. A World Watch Institute Book.
W.W. Norton Publishers.