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The ES course is adapted to include current topics of interest and importance. The descriptions of the course below are taken from previous cohorts but provide a general sense of the course approach, topics, and opportunities for engagement. We welcome outside speakers and guest lecturers several times each month. Semester 1: Worldviews and WaterThe introductory semester begins to address human relationships to nature, land aesthetics, population and consumption, hydrology, water mythologies and religion, climate, and water law, water as a commodity, and freshwater resource challenges internationally. Skill-building workshops focus on team building, learning styles, problem solving, note-taking and time management, intentional reading, ethics, writing scientific reports, and locating and evaluating information sources. Field trips to destinations such as a water treatment plant and nearby geologic formations put our learning in context. Fieldwork experiences focus on groundwater, generational changes in consumption patterns, and engaging with poetry and clay.
Groundwater Lab (L); Information Literacy workshop (R) Semester 2: Energy and ShelterHighlights from the energy portion of the second semester include: history of fuels; geosciences of fossil fuels; climate change; life cycle analysis; politics of fuel; economics; nuclear power; peak oil; biomass; and renewable energy sources. Shelter topics included shelter as ecology, building materials, and history of human settlements. Field trips took us on a tour of sustainably-built homes that varied considerably in their design and materials, and a visit to an intentional co-housing community. A workshop on constructing dwellings gave hands-on experience with structure and aesthetics.
Semester 3: Food and AgricultureThis was a favorite semester for many students as food is universal, yet richly diverse. We focused on the food production and farming; crop production; animal production; sustainable farming; regulation; politics; nutrition; social perspectives; cross-cultural perspectives; ethics of eating and; the right to eat. The group compared findings from visits to two farms: a more industrialized experimental farm and a family-owned small-scale sustainable polyculture farm. A food science lab introduced students to the connections between yogurt production and marketing and showed how food qualities can be quantified objectively and subjectively and compared statistically. A culinary showcase and reflection on ties to the environment, culture, and personal history capped off the semester.
Culinary showcase (L); Farm visit (R) Semester 4: Waste and Pathways to the FutureThe final semester included capstone group-initiated projects that were showcased at Earth Day on campus (Read about this year's projects). Projects included environmental art, an elementary education program, an environmentally-themed campus newscast, a recycled clothing fashion show, and an outdoor recreation campaign. In addition to the projects, we studied ecosystems, the merging of art and science, solid and hazardous waste, heavy metals, endocrine disrupters, pesticides, environmental toxins, sustainable business models, green engineering. Class work was supplemented by trips to the local wastewater treatment plant, solid waste and recycling facility, and a campout at a nearby human-engineered lake and experiment station. Earth Day displays....or click to watch Earth Day videos produced by the students. ES provides exposure to a range of materials, both historic and contemporary, to explore themes. Typically one or two main books are used each semester, with supplemental chapters, articles, and research papers. Videos and web sites supplement written resources and optional, student-led movie nights enable us to explore sustainability themes through popular culture and documentaries.
Speakers and Guest LecturersThe Earth Sustainability class provides great access to renowned speakers from on and off-campus. A partial listing of invited speakers includes:
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