Few undergraduates can say they are published authors, and even less can claim the accomplishment as first-year students.

But after writing the 64-page "Future Trends: How to Live Sustainably," the 16 students of Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor John Ayers' first-year seminar can.

After looking on Amazon.com for books on sustainable living and not finding many titles, Ayers decided to have his students write one as a unique and useful class project. The students picked their own topics and wrote 6-8 page papers that served as their first term papers as well as the chapters of the book. The guide explains what living sustainably means and how to overcome the challenges it presents.

"Sustainability is by definition the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity and productivity. ... It is the ability of a system to function without destroying itself," wrote first-year student Jack McCallum in the first chapter of the book.

The chapters cover everything from how to become a vegetarian to how to build a green city. One chapter contains an overview of sustainability efforts at Vanderbilt, highlighting the efforts of to make campus eco-friendly. Ayers said the students had a lot of flexibility in choosing and researching their topics and were genuinely interested in what they wrote about.

"It's nice to have something concrete that others can read. Maybe it will make a difference," Ayers said, also adding that the students are proud of the work they have produced.

Whether or not the guide will get the attention of students on campus is hard to know. Even students who try to live sustainably may not know about the guide or feel the need to read it.

"I do care about sustainable living. I always turn out my lights and things like that, but I wouldn't read a freshman class's guide to sustainable living," said first-year student Sarah Walker. "What authority does a freshman class at Vanderbilt have that I couldn't get from a more academic source?"

The guide can be viewed online at .