bhcc sustainability study abroad program may 2013

7/30/2019 BHCC Sustainability Study Abroad Program May 2013

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Opportunity of a Lifetimefor 10 special students

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y S T U D Y A B R O A D P R O G R A M

Freeno cost to you

Urban Biome Think Tank Project I Puerto RicoMay 2013

(A $2,500 Value available only to BHCC Students)


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Criteria :3.2 grade point average (GPA)35 credits completed at BHCCDocumented participation in extracurricular activities (2 semesters)

Enrolled in at least 6 credits duringthe Spring 2013 Semester

How to Apply?Applicants must complete andsubmit a 500-word essay describ-ing their previous experiences

with sustainability and why theywant to participate in the UrbanTink ank Project. Please submit

essays no later than May 3, 2013 [email protected]. Deci-sions will be announced by May12, 2013.

Up to ten students will beselected or participation in theproject that is scheduled onMay 22-31, 2013 in Puerto Rico.

For more inormation:

please contactPaul WolDirector o Sustainabilityat [email protected].

Urban Biome Tink ank

Project SummaryTe Sustainability Abroad Programat Bunker Hill Community College(BHCC) is designed to provide learn-ing experiences or students interestedin gaining knowledge about sustain-

ability best practices beyond theboundaries o the Colleges immediateserving communities. Te programalso encourages the development onew local, regional and internationalpartnerships that increase studentaccess to uture employers who haveintegrated sustainability as a core mis-sion.

In addition,this program is designed

to support several College goals suchas developing and cultivating sustain-ability initiatives, identiying and clos-ing workorce gaps, and demonstrat-ing strength through diversity.

Site SelectionWe have selected Puerto Rico as thesite o our sustainability studies orthe current academic year (2012-2013). Te learning activities in theSustainability Abroad Program willocus on studying how human societ-ies negotiate the relationship betweennatural ecosystems and the builtenvironment. As a result, students willparticipate in a variety o experiencesconducted in the urban environment

o San Juan and the adjacent rainor-est (Las Casas de la Selva) located inthe central highlands region o PuertoRico.

Te program will increase the under-standing o biomes (regional ecosys-tems characterized by distinct vegeta-tion, animals and microbes) and theirreversible coupling o human andecological systems at global scales.Te Urban Biome Tink ank Projectis also designed to illustrate the

benets o applying a systems ap-proach to development that can helpto maintain a balance between eco-

nomic and environmental orcesand potentially provide a powerulpath to reinvention.

Framing QuestionsCan the urban and rainorest biomescoexist without depleting supplies oa given natural resource? Shouldnt ahigher cost to the planet translate toa higher price to the consumer? Is itpossible to put a price on the price-less? Can understanding the interac-tions between biomes lead to thecreation o new processes or businessmodels that result in highly eective,innovative and scalable sustainablepractices?


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Discussion opics: Local Food and History

Arts, Music and Culture

Sustainable Development

Carbon Sequestration of rees

Wastewater Gardens

Sustainable Business Operations

Rainforest Preservation Management

Island Economics

Wood Markets and Marketing

Alternative Energy Resources

A Systems Approach to

Tinking GreenRapidly developing economies areoen portrayed as being ocused moreon raising their citizens out o povertythan on protecting the environment.But oen in places where the pres-

sures o resource depletion areelt most intensely, the ocus on sus-tainability has resulted in unexpectedinnovations.

For example, the Zhangzidao FisheryGroup, based in China, recently ad-opted a strategy similar to the processo companion planting, but used inthe water ecosystem. Rather than try-ing to maximize the production o any

single species, they ocus on cultivat-ing a rich system including inter-linked species such as scallops, seacucumbers, urchins and abalone. Tisprocess does not deplete seabeds likesingle species ranching. It encouragesdiversity and eliminates a need tomove cultivation rom bed to bed toallow depleted areas to recover. Sincesustainability ocuses on improvingsystems efciencies, it is important to

study all the components o a givensystem and to consider the total returnnot just on assets but on resources.

Tere are similar opportunities tomonitor how much soil, water and

other natural resources are consumedin Puerto Ricos biomes and to mea-sure the associated payback in botheconomic and environmental terms.For example, the rare and exotic BlueMahoe (Hibiscus elatus/aliparitielatum) is a vital component o long-term management o the orests onthe island. But only through careuleld research, academic study andstrategic management can we under-

stand the delicate balance betweencommerce and stewardship.

It is challenging to quantiy the envi-ronmental benets o this species o

tree, or other components o a healthyecosystem such as resh water, cleanair, robust biodiversity and productiveland. Te Urban Biome Tink ankProject will study the interaction

between the natural and built envi-ronments in Puerto Rico in an eortto encourage awareness o universalchallenges and to promote innovation,transparency and to challenge conven-tional thinking in a world o diminish-

ing resources.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didntdo than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safeharbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain


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S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y S T U D Y A B R O A D P R O G R A M

Urban Biome Think Tank Project I Puerto RicoMay 2013Ofce o Sustainability Management

bhcc sustainability study abroad program may 2013

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