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Why you should become Carbon Literate whilst you’re a student

Many of you may be fortunate to have the opportunity to become Carbon Literate alongside your studies. Perhaps at school, college or university, either as an extracurricular or as part of your course. But what are some of the benefits of becoming Carbon Literate, and why should you do the training whilst you are a student? After all, if you don’t study something like environmental science, you may be wondering why it would be at all relevant to you.

What is Carbon Literacy?

Carbon Literacy is defined as:

“An awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis.”

Essentially, Carbon Literacy training is designed to provide everyone with relevant learning about climate change. It doesn’t matter whether you study art, science, or construction – the climate crisis affects us all and requires everyone to act, in whatever way they can. By becoming Carbon Literate, you can be aware of the human impacts and what you can do personally and in your future or current career to help facilitate a better world.

Why should you become Carbon Literate

Ultimately, the climate crisis affects us all, and there is something each and every one of us can do to reduce the negative impact, and instead, have a more positive one. From the foods and products we purchase and consume, to the transport we take, all our choices have an impact. By becoming Carbon Literate, you can become aware of this impact and make more informed choices.

Benefits of becoming Carbon Literate

Being Carbon Literate is an extra qualification you can gain. Anyone who successfully completes their training receives an individual certificate, which is an achievement you can demonstrate alongside your studies and make use of in job applications or mention in your UCAS application.

Abbie Armstrong, a philosophy, politics and economics graduate from the University of Leeds said, “I have received feedback from my interviews…that one of my stand-out achievements is my experience within sustainability, which all stemmed from my Carbon Literacy training – the training has given me opportunities I never would have had otherwise!”

Green Skills and Employability

Being Carbon Literate demonstrates green skills. These are something not only needed in specific green jobs (like solar engineer or sustainability consultant) but to all roles, as every job can (and must!) be a green job. With various net-zero, climate and sustainability strategies being developed and implemented across all industries, green skills are key to meeting the work needed in developing a sustainable society. With these aims, employers are increasingly seeking these green skills from potential employees. By becoming Carbon Literate as a student, you can help set yourself apart when you graduate and apply for work. Find more information on green skills and what they are here.

Several Manchester Met business students have noted how Carbon Literacy has helped to support them in gaining employment and in following the career they aspire to. For Ryan Dunn, Carbon Literacy is something which will support him in his career aspirations of becoming a sustainability consultant. In Megan Tucker’s case, becoming Carbon Literate changed her career trajectory. She initially wanted to join a large corporate business, but realised after her training that she would much rather work in sustainability. Since completing her training, she became a student Carbon Literacy trainer, which has given her a dream career as it supported her in becoming a sustainability consultant.

Eco and climate anxiety

If you suffer with eco or climate anxiety, Carbon Literacy might be able to help. When we don’t know what impact we can have and what action we can take, we can feel powerless. Carbon Literacy is designed to leave learners feeling empowered about what they can actively and positively do as well as how to confidently engage and empower others. By becoming Carbon Literate, you know more about what actions can be taken to tackle climate change and are left with a greater sense of control.

Cost saving

Another additional benefit to completing Carbon Literacy whilst studying is the cost saving. Often Carbon Literacy training outside of college or university requires you to pay to attend. Prices, which are set by the trainer, vary, but are generally higher than what you would have to pay as a student in your educational institution. By becoming Carbon Literate whilst studying, you won’t need to find a course to attend elsewhere and risk having to front a potentially higher cost.

Learn something new!

And finally, you can learn something new! Often as students, we can be limited to learning content only linked to our chosen course. Whilst Carbon Literacy is suitable for any discipline and subjects, its likely to be different to what you learn about in your usual studies.

Even if you’re already aware of climate change and the impacts of this man-made issue, you may not know what to actively do to take effective action, or you may want a qualification to demonstrate your knowledge.

Whilst we know the bulk of the responsibility is on big corporations to take severely needed, drastic action, there is something we can all and should do. By attending training, you can find out what things you can do as an individual, whether that be in your personal life, working with others in your community or school or where you might work or go on to work in your career. It can all help in generating the cultural shift needed for a more sustainable planet.