Resource Flows Examples Resource Flows is a term coined by David
W. Orr of Oberlin College. It refers to the many "flows" of
water, energy, food and other resources that go into and out of
a college campus. In 1990 Orr wrote: "Every educational
institution processes not only ideas and students but also
resources -- taking in food, energy, water, and materials and
discarding organic and solid wastes. The sources (mines, wells,
forests, farms, feedlots) and sinks (landfills, toxic dumps,
sewage outfalls) are the least discussed places in the
contemporary curriculum. For the most part these flows occur out
of sight and mind of both students and faculty. Yet they are the
most tangible connections between the campus and the world
beyond. "They also provide an extraordinary educational
opportunity. The study of resource flows transcends disciplinary
boundaries; it connects the foreground of experience with the
background of larger issues and more distant places; and it
joins empirical research on existing behavior