Perhaps the reason you are entertaining the notion of getting your master’s degree online is for personal reasons such as having the ability to manage your course load while holding down your current full-time job. That, in itself, is one of the biggest attractions to online studies, but in the green economy, there are so many more reasons why you might want to explore graduate work online. Consider for just a moment the leading benefits of distance education.
1. Lesser Dependence on Fossil Fuels
Long a leader in environmental issues, the State of California is proud of schools like the University of Redlands. One of the key benefits of studying for master’s degrees, no matter where you live, is that you will not be traveling back and forth to classes. This reduces our dependence on fossil fuels in more ways than you can imagine. Not only will you not be using expensive gasoline to travel back and forth to campus but the campus itself will depend less on power.
Fewer security personnel will be necessary, and professors will not be traveling back and forth as much either! Then there are the lights to consider. While California only has one coal burning power plant left in the state, students from many other states also attend online classes at the University of Redlands in California. Rather than relocate to the area, they can get an impressive degree without ever leaving their home state!
2. Reduction in Carbon Emissions
As a side benefit of not being as dependent on fossil fuels, there is the fact that carbon emissions will be reduced as well. When it comes to the rate at which the ozone layer is being torn apart, this is a huge concern as well. If you look at all the people who would be traveling back and forth to campus besides the students, you will see that the reduction in greenhouse gases is significant as well. From support staff to professors to students, it’s amazing just how much CO2 is not being produced, and therefore much better in terms of healing a fractured ozone layer, not to mention cleaner air to breathe!
3. More Green for the Green
At this point you may be asking what has all this to do with the green economy. Actually, it has a whole lot to do with the financial aspects of going green. That’s what the green economy is all about after all, isn’t it? Consider the sizeable reduction in costs when there is less dependence on gasoline, for example. Then there is the time it takes to travel back and forth which could be better used at lucrative undertakings. Also, universities can try to keep costs lower because they, too, will be cutting back on costly resources. What about all those trees that will be saved when submitting digital files instead of hard copies? Not only will you be saving the forests but you will be saving money as well. Then there is also a reduction in the amount of printer ink you’ll be required to buy.
If you are serious about advancing your degree, you might want to seriously consider just how green an online graduate degree truly is!
