Sustainability in the Curriculum:Fall Line Project VII

May 12-13, 2015

What is sustainability:How do we connect?

Nanette ChadwickDirector of Academic Sustainability Programs

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

“From whence I came….”

History of faculty workshops:1995 Northern Arizona University – Ponderosa Project (Chase & Rowland)2001 Emory University – Piedmont Project (Bartlett)2006 Auburn University – Fall Line Project (Biggs & Williams)

Local names, sense of placeOrganizers now trained at >175 institutions in 6 countries

Workshop concepts: -- Faculty as experts: contribute to each other’s growth and perspectives -- Gift of stimulation, excitement of getting outside your discipline -- Unity of personal and professional: connect values & duties Satisfaction and challenges – what are yours?-- Enjoyment of group and place, sense of fun in teaching

Achieving sustainability requires major, transformational social and cultural change: Huge, complex problem

But small pieces are manageableReasons to hope?

Teaching/Curriculum

Facilities/Operations

Outreach/Community

Research/Creative

scholarship

University mission: tripartite

Sustainable University:

4-fold mission

History of sustainability movement and definitionsOrigins: Environmental disasters (DDT, Amazon forest, ozone hole)Unsustainable global development programs

1987 World Commission on Environment and Development Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Brundtland Our Common Future

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

Idea of intergenerational equity: future generations have the same rights as the present ones

1987 Edward Barbier (Economics faculty, U Wyoming) Triple Bottom Line: Interlinkage of 3 major systems

[your reading has one version of this diagram]Economic capital = everything produced by individuals, goods & services Human /social capital = value of each individual as part of societyNatural capital = ecosystem services, natural resources

World Bank requires TBL on all projectsEasiest to teach and understand each system separately

But: Only connected systems lead to sustainable framework TBL: Core components for courses

1990’s: More accurate view as concentric circles

Social and economic systems exist inside of and depend upon

environmental systems

1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio: Earth Summit Climate change convention, Kyoto Protocol, biodiversity

1998 Alan AtKisson: Sustainability is an ideal end state, like democracy -- a goal that eludes us, is not perfect

2009 Frank Rhodes (Cornell president): New foundation for arts and sciences -- broad, cohesive framework New kind of global map, hope for meeting global challenges

2012 FAO Ensuring human rights and well-being without depleting or diminishing the capacity of the earth's ecosystems to support life, or at the expense of others well-beingMulti-dimensional concept encompassing environmental integrity, social well-being, economic resilience and good governanceAmbitious objective that can be reached through different pathways

>50 definitions to date! Favorites?

Group introductions [Diane Boyd]

Name

Department/position: From whence do you come?

[Sustainability-related issues in your field ]

Ecological Footprint Exercise: Small group discussions

What major factors contribute to the size of your footprint?How might they vary with where you have lived?

What barriers prevent you from reducing your footprint?

Are they technological, economic, or behavioral?

Are they within or beyond your control?

What are some barriers to wanting to change?

What is needed to overcome barriers for you and for society?

Anything that surprised you about the results of this exercise?

How might you adapt/vary this type of exercise for your students? How tailor it to relate to subjects in class?