Taking Sustainability to the Outer Limits

Perspectives of Sustainability as Identified by Students at the College

of Menominee NationWilliam Van Lopik, PhD

AASHE 2011 ConferencePittsburgh, PA.

The Menominee Nation

• Located in Northeast Wisconsin•358 miles² or 235,000 acres•pop 4,562•128 lakes and 4 rivers, (Wolf River)

www.wikipedia.org

The distinctiveness of the Forest can be seen from space in contrast to surrounding farmland

GLCF, LandSat ETM+, Path 24R29, True color

A 2-Year Tribal College where sustainable development is integrated into the curriculum and operations.

Demographics of the College

• Total graduates 659• Average age at graduation 33• Alumni ethnicity72% Native, 28% non-Native• Top degree choices – Business, Nursing, Education• Gender of graduates – 26% male, 74% female

Interactive Dynamic DimensionsUpon which Sustainable Development Depends

Land and SovereigntyNatural Environment

Institutions

Technology

EconomyHuman Perception, Activity & Behavior

MenomineeAutochthany

Course Content of Introduction to Sustainable Development

• Part 1: Human Behavior, perception and attitudes Population scales and monitoring• Demographic distribution• Population growth patterns• Economic inequities• • Part II: Land and sovereignty Indigenous land rights

Human rightsResource extractionGlobalization

•• Part III: Technology Appropriate and alternative technologies• Renewable energy• Globalization of communication technologies•• Part IV: Institutional development and sustainability Non-profit institutions• Funding sources• Social Activism• • Part V: Natural Environment Global environmental threats• Global Climate Change• Permaculture• • Part VI: Economics Triple bottom-line accounting• Green economies• Business ethics• Sustainable career options

Texts for Introduction to Sustainable Development Course

Topics Selected

10

10

20

30

40

50

60

Green Businesses

Linear (Green Businesses)

Linear (Green Businesses)

Personal Reflections on Sustainability

Alternative and Renewable Energy

Education for Sustainability

Waste Management/Recycling

Environmental Degradation/Pollution

Native American Issues

Sustainability and Nursing

Menominee Sustainability and Forestry

Social Sustainability

Green Construction Design

Food/Gardening

Global Climate Change

Oneida Sustainability

Ogoni Human Rights

Sustainable Non-Profits

Social Work

Appropriate Technology

Green Restaurants

Household Cleaning Products

Sustainability Interests of 462 Students

Environmental Sustainability

• Environmental Toxins and their threat to humans• Herbicide use on Menominee Forest• Invasive species• Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf• Colony collapse of honey bees• Water quality issues• Destructive mining practices

Solid Waste Management/Recycling• Recycling e-waste• Recycling shoes• Starting a clothing exchange project• Recycling paper• Diaper alternatives• Unsustainability of nuclear repositories• History of landfills• Enforcing recycling policies• Littering• Packaging• Sustainable art – art from discarded materials

Sustainability and Native Issues

• Native American Land Rights• Indian Gaming and Tribal Sovereignty• Sustaining Native Culture*• Crandon Mine story• Tribal initiatives for sustainability• Government policy threats against tribal sovereignty• Native American confederacy

Sustainability and Social Work

• Psychology and sustainable development*• Using the Trans-theoretical Model of human change

from the field of substance abuse counseling as a way to confront a climate change denier.

• The way we treat ourselves is how we treat nature• Empowering people to change

FOOD

• Sustainable gardening• Vegetarianism• Organic/Sustainable Farming• Food and ADHD/ADD• Eating locally produced food

Household Cleaning Products

• Proper disposal of products• Effects of products on the environment• Procurement methods

Oneida Sustainability

• Oneida Seven Generations Corporation*• Oneida Community Integrated Food Systems• Environmental restoration on the reservation• Oneida tribal values that promote sustainability• Three sisters’ planting• Role of casino in maintaining tribal sustainability

Menominee Sustainability• Forest Management• Menominee history of sustainability• Menominee Tribal Enterprise• Wild Rice• Sustaining people through culture and wellness• Carbon sequestration as income generation• Sustainability through Menominee eyes• Ingrid Washinawatok – Menominee martyr for

indigenous rights in Colombia• Menominee wisdom of the forest• Termination and its effect on sustainability

Sustainable Technology• Vermiculture and composting• Designing with Hemp• Designing a grey water system• Rainwater harvesting

Ogoni

• Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People• Human rights and mining for oil• Ken Saro-Wiwa’s fight for indigenous rights• Oil mining, poverty and environmental degradation

Social Sustainability• Threats to the rainforest and the indigenous people who

live there• Homelessness• Threats to oceans• Conflict gems• Poverty• Domestic abuse and its threat to a sustainable society*• Unsustainability of consumerism• Maintaining water quality in water parks• Human rights and sustainability

Non-Profits and Sustainability• Some students choose to explore more deeply the

work of these organizations such as: CARE, Doctors without Borders, Defenders of Wildlife, Green For All, SERRV Int’l, American Forests, and the Center for

Health, Environment and Justice

Alternative and Renewable Energy• Fusion gasification• Methane gas as a renewable source• Appropriate renewables for Wisconsin• Alternative transportation fuels• Biomass• Identify alternative energies

Climate Change• Indigenous Perspectives from Elders• Carbon Sequestration strategies• How to talk about it with children• Mitigation Strategies• Effects on Wildlife• Policy Debates at international and national level.

Green Building • Green architecture• Earth-Sheltered houses• Green housing development in Indian Country• LEED certification and energy efficiency• Sustainable building materials

Sustainability and Nursing

• Sustainability in nursing homes• Managing medical waste • Usages of the placenta• Disposal of pharmacuticals and contamination of the

water supply• Nurses as sustainability change agents• Nursing shortages in Africa as a threat to healthcare.• Recycling medical supplies• Greening hospital facilities• Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E.org)

Sustainable Business*• Green efforts in transportation freight industry• Greening a grocery store• Sustainability and the cosmetic industry• Organic and sustainable breweries• Fair trade products (coffee, chocolates, clothes)• Greening of the military “Green Hawks”• Socially responsible investments• Green burials• Sustainable Wal-mart (pros and cons)• Starting a green auto repair shop• “Greening” a golf course• Hotel maintenance and sustainability• Environmentally friendly diapers

Sustainability in the Home

• Creating a sustainable home• Changing the way I live• Working with my family on practicing sustainability in

our home• Leading by example• Choosing a career path that supports sustainability

Green Restaurants• Green initiatives by McDonalds• Creating a sustainable bar and grill• Sustainability and restaurant operations• Knowing where the food comes from

Education for Sustainability• Teaching sustainability to pre-schoolers• Classroom activities to promote sustainability*• Creating a sustainable classroom• Examples of “green” schools• Creating sustainable head-start programs• Energy savings in day-care center• Using art and play to promote classroom sustainability

What does this teach us?Students embrace the concepts of sustainable

development when they realize their place in the world and that their actions can have a profound negative or positive

influence

Menominee elder – Everything we have comes from Mother Earth – from the air we breathe to the food we eat – and we need to honor her for that. In treating the

forest well, we honor Mother Earth