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Environmental Lessons
National Wildlife Federation, in the 2002 State of the Campus Environment
reviewed the trends in college curricula across the nation toward environmental
education and responsible practices. The report found that “Only 8 percent of
campuses require all their students to take environmental studies courses
regardless of major” (p. 3). University of La Verne is among this 8 percent, and
is further identified as a “Leading School for Offering Majors and Minors and
Requiring Environmental Courses.”
The eleven schools listed as Leading Schools, including the University of La
Verne, “offer undergraduates the option of both an environmental studies major
and minor. Moreover, they require all or most of students to take at least one
course related to the environment” (p. 16). (see
National
Wildlife Federation State of the Campus Environment: A National Report Card
on Environmental Performance and Sustainability in Higher Education, 2002.)
University of La Verne has taken the lead by requiring every student at ULV to
take Core and General Education classes, includes Core 320; The Human Condition,
and Core 340; Toward a Sustainable Planet. Each student is additionally required
to take one physical and one life science course, with a lab. These requirements
not only place the University among the nation’s leading schools, but also help
the University to achieve its mission of enabling students to:
“[explore] a philosophy of life that supports the health of the planet and its
people.
…[gain an] appreciation of biodiversity [and an understanding of]… the
impact/dependence of human beings on their environment.
…experience the responsibility and rewards of serving the human and ecological
community. (ULV Mission Statement).
Core 340 Projects
During spring semester 2003, Professors Dan Merritt and Rita Thakur required
students in their Core 340 class to complete a project on campus. Each group of
students was required to assess whether or not resources were managed in a
sustainable way on the ULV campus. Each group was then encouraged to make
suggestions for improvement in resource management or curriculum policy. The
students assessed the feasibility of these changes with systematic, objective,
and quantitative analysis. Lastly, based on the feasibility study, the groups
were asked to make recommendations for further study or action.
Some project from the spring semester class include:
“Energy-Conservation at Wilson Library” by project team Angela Perry, Brandon
Johnson, Crystal Hino, and Robert Leark
“Water-Conservation” by project team Stephanie Arias, Rosie Hoover, Saira
Qureshi, Carlos Ramirez, Roger Recupero, Tim Tevault.
“Transportation” by project team Stepan Karakesisoglu, Anthony Estrada, Freddy
Ochoa, and Nikki Cataneso.
For project ideas for upcoming classes, see project ideas page.
Sources and Links
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