GYC

Greening Your Curriculum

Our planet faces unprecedentedchallenges

2

Earth

PopulationGrowth

Electrifi-cation

ofEverything

RisingCosts

EnergyPoverty

AgingInfra-

structure

Peak Oil

Digital Economy

ClimateChange

Source: TNEP (2005)

The Green Economy

Greater Demand for Existing Occupations

Re-Training Existing Occupations

New and Emerging Green Job Training

Understanding Green Workforce Training Needs

GYC Learning Objectives

Explain key concepts

Discover strategies and develop

activities

Explore issues within local

context

Relate content to career and technical

disciplines

Identify other faculty and staff to

foster collaboration

Facilitate student understanding

Participate in creating engaged

campus and community

We need to be at the center

• Benefits to:– Students– Communities– Employers

7

Green Communities

Green Campuses

Sustainability Centers

Renewable Energy

Energy Efficiency

Local Foods

Green Curriculum

Green Workforce

Your College

• The 48 Community Colleges of Illinois welcome more than 1 million students through their gates each year with over 650,000 enrolled in certificate programs

• The IL Community College system is the third largest in the USA• Our colleges will drive the green economy through:

– Green workforce training and certification– Green curriculum– Green small business support– Campus demonstration– Community engagement

• Community Colleges are central to growing our state’s green economy

Leveraging the Power of Community Colleges: How Many People Can We Reach?

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Green Careers Green Curriculum Green Communities

Identify, develop and expand quality green job/career training for students andworkers, effectively informed by community and employer partnerships (balance demand/supply)

Provide assistance and training to Illinois community college faculty to integratesustainability and green economy content into most disciplines and in general education programs

Serve as regional and sector partners for mobilizing community and employerengagement, fostering community education, and supporting action for environmental sustainability

To position the Illinois Community College System as a global leader in transforming education and the economy for a sustainable future

Make sustainability a guiding principle for all institutional practices, promotesuccessful initiatives that reduce energy use and the environmental impact at campuses, and enablecolleges to serve as sustainable demonstration sites for teaching and community engagement

Green Campuses

Vision

The world is not waiting for us…

ChinaEUUS

New Zealand

Sweden

Italy

Middle East

10

Japan / Korea

AustraliaBrazilSouth Africa

Music industry transformation

GYC is hereCourtesy Dan Rogers, Bearings Branding

But...Potential students are

not asking for these things...

12

(they never do)

When the pace accelerates, those who hesitate...

NewspaperTelevision

™

Banking Music BooksellingTelecom

Courtesy Dan RogersBearings Branding

*Central Connecticut State University

CCSU* Chose These Steps to Develop a Successful Program

• Step 1: Secure Buy-In From Senior Leadership• Step 2: Form A Committee of Key Stakeholders• Step 3: Find A Starting Point• Step 4: Determine Environmental Sustainability

Baseline• Step 5: Raise Awareness of Prior and Current Successes• Step 6: Develop Recommendations• Step 7: Chart a Course of Action• Step 8: Implementing Sustainability Initiatives

Sample Lesson Plans

How to Incorporate SustainabilityInto a Public Speaking Course Require that the Informative Speech be on a topic related to sustainability. This would allow students to still have some choice in their topic, but would require that they conduct research on a sustainability issue. Informative speeches require research and are to present factual information to the audience. Students would learn more about sustainability through their research and preparing the speech. They would also learn about other sustainability issues from listening to other students’ speeches. Require that the Persuasive Speech be on a topic related to sustainability.Again, students would still have some choice in their topic. The persuasive speech requires even more research than the informative; thus giving students an even greater understanding of a particular sustainability issue. When students are researching the issues surrounding a persuasive speech topic, they are instructed to also familiarize themselves with the opposing viewpoints. This enhances their understanding of the debate surrounding an issue. Again, students would learn more about sustainability through their research and preparation. They would also learn about other sustainability issues, possible the pro and con of some, through listening to other students’ speeches. Require that the Group Project focus on solving a sustainability issue/dilemma.Students would work in groups to prepare a persuasive presentation focusing on solving a sustainability issue/dilemma. The assignment would require extensive research, team work, and not only require students to investigate the facts, but to come up with a solution to a problem. This would be the most advanced of the assignments, but would results in the greatest amount of learning about sustainability issues. Students would learn from doing their own work, would learn from the work of the other group members, and would learn from listening to the other group presentations. Primary Sources:CQ Research. The library has hard copies of this Congressional Quarterly publication. It contains articles on various issues, including sustainability issues, and offers commentary after the article on both sides of the issue. Opposing Viewpoints. This online database is available through the library. It has an alphabetical listing of a variety of controversial issues, including some sustainability issues, and provides articles on each side of the issue.

Sample Lesson PlansSustainability is the possibility that humans and other life flourish on Earth forever. Possibility is only a word about bringing forth our of nothingness something we desire to become present, but possibility may be the most powerful word in our language because it enables us to visualize and strive for a future that is not available to us in the present. . . . Sustainability is ultimately a story about a world of flourishing and care. – John Erhenfeld, Director, International Society for Industrial Ecology Nursing 252 – Advanced Nursing Applications I Cancer and the EnvironmentKnown and Probable CarcinogensWhat is a carcinogen?How do researchers determine if something is a carcinogen?Laboratory studiesEpidemiologic studiesWho determines how carcinogens are classified?International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) National Toxicology Program (NTP)Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Role of the American Cancer Society (ACS)Known carcinogensInternational Agency for Research on Cancer “Carcinogenic to Humans”Agents and groups of agentsMixturesExposure circumstancesNational Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens “Known to be Human Carcinogens”Probable carcinogensInternational Agency for Research on Cancer “Probably Carcinogenic to Humans”Agents and groups of agentsMixturesExposure circumstancesNational Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens “Reasonably Anticipated to be Human Carcinogens” Cancer Clusters What is a cancer cluster?What are the characteristics of a true cancer cluster?Who investigates cancer clusters and how is this done?What are the possible outcomes of a cluster investigation?What should I do if I suspect a cancer cluster?Case Study: Cancer ClusterLearning ActivitySelect one item from the list of known human carcinogens and one item from the list of probable human carcinogens from the following website: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3x_Known _and_Probable_Carcinogens. Research the items and answer the following questions and/or respond to the following statements : (1) Where can this item be found? (2) What short-term and/or long-term impact does this item have on the well being of humans/animals/environment? (3) What, if anything, can be done to reduce this item within our environment? (4) In addition to physiological and psychological ramifications, investigate the legal, political, and/or social impact this item has upon the environment. (5) List a strategy (ies) that an individual can do to make a difference in the reduction of this item in the environment.

Sample Lesson PlansInfusing Sustainability in English 131 Classroom/OfficeBecause I have the opportunity to interact with so many students in my classes, I try to share with them small practical things they can do in their daily lives to support sustainability. I share with them what I have begun to do both in my office and at work to reduce my carbon footprint and encourage them to do the same: Go paperless – Put materials on electronic reserve. Turn off light when leaving class/office.Turn off computer or put in hibernate mode when not in use.Use single space and reduce margins to conserve paper.Recycle brochure, catalogs, junk mail, old tests or unclaimed student papers etc.Encourage students to use bottles that are refilled. Course readings In this class, I find it relatively easy to infuse information on sustainability. Reading materials that are not in the textbooks are placed on an electronic reserve list and can be accessed via college website. This saves me the trouble of copying articles over and over again and also provides easy access to the students. I will often use as sample essays those that highlight a green issue or a topic pertaining to the environment. Because this is a writing class, I encourage my students to research and write about topics that get them thinking about sustainability. Here are two examples: Cause/Effect Analysis – Read, analyze and write paper on the following topics

RecyclingPublic or shared transportationBuying localHome gardeningEnergy efficient carsIncorporating solar power into homes/business

ArgumentationShow portion of video “Inconvenient Truth” or “Super-size Me”.Drilling in the US for oil.Should recycling be mandatory?Should the government tax builders/developers who cut trees?Should sustainability manufacturing be mandatory?

 

Successful VideosTitle LinkThirst http://www.pbs.org/pov/thirst/

Notes on Milk http://www.pbs.org/pov/notesonmilk/

Food, Inc. http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/

Butterfly http://www.pbs.org/pov/butterfly/

Hybrid http://www.pbs.org/pov/hybrid/

An Inconvenient Truth http://www.climatecrisis.net/an_inconvenient_truth/about_the_film.php

The Story of Stuff* http://storyofstuff.com/index.php

Music Video: Electric Car by They Might Be Giants* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BPU5mKipNo

Green Building: Green Jobs of the Future* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr0IAWO9lnk

Biodiversity* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGxJArebKoc

Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGxJArebKoc

60 Minutes: The Wasteland* http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n&tag=related;photovideo

Swapping Crops: Climate Change* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f14OdHvGQI0

Change at the Top of the World* http://www.explore.org/videos/player/arctic-change-at-the-top-of-the-world

Sustainability Explained through Animation* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0

• Academic programs related to sustainability • Courses on 'campus sustainability' • Campus Case Studies on Curriculum • Sustainability course inventories • Syllabi • Student Research Papers on Curriculum • Sustainability Discussion Forum on Curriculum • Curriculum-related Papers and Presentations given at AASHE

2008 • AASHE Blog Posts on Curriculum • Directory of AASHE Business Members Offering Education

Products or Services • Sustainability Curriculum in Higher Education: A Call to Action

(pdf)

Sustainability in the Curriculumwww.aashe.org