ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the material and symbolic dimensions of Environmental Communication (EC), emphasizing ways language and representation influence the material world. The combination of tracking consumption and calculating environmental footprints is effective for the students, in part, because of the socio-cultural location they occupy. Students are encouraged to schedule their "Low Impact" day in advance to increase the likelihood that they can observe all of the rules. The purpose of the service project is to demonstrate the limitations of personal actions/responsibility as a stopping point for environmental action and to empower students to join with others to effect positive environmental awareness and change. Typical project options include: working with local environmental groups on campaigns, volunteering with the campus garden, conducting workplace environmental assessments, and engaging in conservation group projects. The discussion emphasizes the role mass media representations play in shaping attitudes and assumptions about humans' environmental relationships.
