Learning Goals:

Articulate your own definition of environmental sustainability We will see that there are different ways to define sustainability, and ask you to critically evaluate these.

Learn to maintain an ecologically friendly, energy-efficient, and sustainable living-learning community.  We will ask you to understand how your local support system (house) functions, and the impact these functions have locally, regionally and globally. 

Develop collaborative problem solving skills.  A necessary element in the project will be collaboration and sharing of skills and outlooks with your fellow students.  In working with environmental issues it is unavoidable to engage with social issues.  Completing a project will require to collaborate among yourselves and with College faculty and staff.

See environmental implications of your own personal actions and develop tools of character to allow you to choose wise and ethical courses of action. Some of the books and ideas will challenge you.  We ask you to face these challenges and resolve them in ways consistent with your own self image. But the class is by no means just about things you should limit or not do. This class shamelessly asks you to consider the real value of time, personal relationships, creative activities, personal and environmental health, and cultural engagement.