In 2014, I was invited to write a guest editorial in Liberal Education, a magazine of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) about educating students to be “innovative thinkers, advocates, and activists” who “aren’t content with simply finding a job but are still idealistic enough to want to change the world for the better.” A decade later, my plea for an education system that empowers students to translate their knowledge into action to address 21st-century challenges is still relevant. Since that editorial was published, we have witnessed an amplification of the destructive impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social injustices. We live in an era in which youth experience eco-anxiety and climate grief as they are confronted with an overwhelming array of intertwined environmental and social problems.

The study of the psychological and phys- ical health impacts of anxiety related to ecological crises is a growing field of research, and there is emerging evidence of associations between poor air quality and poor mental health. These new categories of psychological stress likely contribute to the widely acknowledged mental health crisis on college campuses. As millennials and members of the younger generations, Z and Alpha, worry about the immense problems that they are inheriting, they are directing anger and frustration toward baby boomers, whom they blame for the current state of the planet.

Perhaps it is time for faculty and administrators to carefully listen to these younger generations to better understand what they want and need. Our youth have passion and the desire to acquire knowledge and skills that they can use to address complex problems in their communities. A report based on a 2023 survey conducted by Ernst and Young and Junior Achievement concluded that “young people…look to their schools to prioritize sustainability education, update curricula often enough to capture current trends, and utilize hands-on learning methods that focus on skills acquisition as much as knowledge acquisition.” According to a Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, 45 percent of high school students considered environmental sustainability in their college enrollment decisions. Eighty-one percent of college students are at least somewhat worried about climate change; thus, an institution’s record on climate action could also be a critical factor in many high schoolers’ final college choices.

So how can we channel the emotions of anxious students toward positive action? Innovative learning opportunities that serve local communities are one possibility. At Moravian, one student worked with the Bethlehem City Council to develop a comprehensive climate action plan that is now being implemented by the mayor (a Moravian alumnus) and his team. Another worked with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to better understand regional greenhouse gas emissions, a first step in implementing measurable actions to reduce these pollutants that are warming the planet. Moravian has had two cohorts of Millennium Fellows who join other students from around the world in a semester-long leadership development program and create actionable plans to address one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on campus or in their local communities.