Environmental and sustainability issues have permeated every level of academia, from art instruction to business courses.
When the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, millions of Americans — many of whom were college and university students — participated in an effort that sought to improve the quality of the environment and conserve natural resources. Since then, environmental studies programs have popped up throughout the nation, creating jobs for ecologists, politicians and other professionals whose career paths have them working directly on improving the environment. But today, there is a demand to “go green” and weave everything “sustainable” into our everyday lives. This message is filtering down to other disciplines in higher education, not just environmental studies.
“We have standard disciplines in academia, and they don’t always include environmental or social dimensions,” says Dr. Laura Strohm, executive director of The Sustainability Academy, an organization that provides sustainability curriculum for community colleges and universities in the Central Coast of California. “So, I think community colleges and higher education everywhere are scrambling to upgrade their curriculum to meet this new green demand. It is coming from students and it is coming from industry.”
According to a recent report released from the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment titled “Education for Climate Neutrality and Sustainability: Guidance for ACUPCC Institutions,” higher education is facing “its greatest challenge ever in meeting its responsibility to provide the knowledge and educated citizenry that will lead to a thriving civil society.” Those challenges, according to the report, are due in large part to the world’s fast-growing population and the activities resulting from the Industrial Revolution, including pollution and rapid consumption of natural resources.
Academia is responding. While community colleges are boosting training to meet the demand for skilled workers for “green” trade jobs, four-year institutions are promoting convergence of sustainable themes among departments, as well as integrating principles of sustainability into business courses.
Weaving It In
Four-year institutions around the country are taking a strategic approach to weave environmental issues into a variety of disciplines. The Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University, Chico is working with its faculty, who are sharing their course syllabi to link generaleducation courses together by next fall. The courses will share a common thread on sustainability.
