How online distance learning is greener than the college campus?

Online distance learning being a green option is not what potential students think about when they think of earning a college education, even as the green evolution becomes more and more important in the minds of today’s consumers.

However, the eco-friendly aspects of distance learning classes are even more examples of the benefits of online education that students should think about before making the decision between attending college online or at a traditional college campus.

Additionally, most of the eco-friendly aspects also go hand in hand with financial savings as well, making the "green" benefits of distance learning online twofold.

Three ways that online distance learning is the eco-friendly choice

Less gas consumption

With gas prices soaring to the sky, conserving gas is in the forefront of a lot of students’ minds. Although there are many students who live in dorms on campus or in relatively close apartments that are within walking distance to the college, there are also many students who commute to a college campus on a daily basis. College students who choose the online home education will save the gas money that it would have cost to commute to college on a daily basis. They also contribute to a cleaner, safer environment and help to reduce the emissions problems that are so devastating to our Earth.

Use of digital books

Another &green& benefit of an online home education is the reduction of paper consumption due to the use of digital books and learning materials. Similar to the savings discussed above regarding gas prices and commuting, the cost of books can be just as daunting for a college student. Students who pursue an online college education, however, do not have to worry about how they are going to afford books. They can also take pride in learning using digital books in a virtual environment, because this is yet another way that they can contribute to a healthier environment.

Less electricity and natural resource consumption

How many college campuses are made with eco-friendly buildings? Yes, there are colleges like Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., who designed the first building at a college to receive the Platinum certification from LEED, according to U.S. News, but eco-friendly buildings on college campuses are few and far between. In actuality, most buildings on a college campus consume enormous amounts of electricity, as well as many other natural resources, like water for the bathrooms.

These resource-consuming buildings are not necessary for students who pursue an online education via studying from home. These students are using a minimum amount of resources and doing their part to help conserve rare resources like water, electricity, and other natural resources. Additionally, because campus colleges have to recuperate the costs of the resources that the buildings utilize, the extra fees that are associated with the traditional college are eliminated when students choose to get their education through distance learning instead.

These are just a few more of the benefits of distance learning online that demonstrate how online colleges are more eco-friendly than attending classes on a campus. Like the reasons listed above, most of the "green" aspects of distance learning programs will also be cost-efficient in addition to being more eco-friendly. Certainly, there are more ways that online web learning is "greener" than attending a campus college. Can you think of any ways that online higher education is more eco-friendly than attending a traditional college campus?

Return to the top of How Online Distance Learning offers Eco-friendly Education