Ecological Autobiography
Maureen Ryan, Western Washington University
The ecological autobiography is a multi-stage reflective and written exercise that draws on students' personal history and experiences as they consider the ecological context of some period of their lives. The goal is to individually and collectively explore how the landscapes and ecological communities we have inhabited influence us as individuals, set the context of our lives, and influence our expectations of landscape.

Race and Space
Lindsay Custer, Cascadia Community College
This assignment exposes students to racial inequalities in their own communities and helps them to identify the impact of racial segregation on quality of life. The big ideas in this assignment are racial inequality, residential segregation, and environmental justice.

Quiet Noticing: Reflective Activities for Environmental Ethics
Mike Gillespie, University of Nebraska at Omaha
A series of reflective activities (quiet noticing:) that engage students personal dimensions of questions of values and ethical commitments, such as in environmental ethics courses. The activities and assignments might also be adaptable for other courses where a sustained reflective component is desired.

Seeing Sustainability
Kate Davies, Antioch University McGregor
This assignment requires students to reflective observations of a particular place and to identify signs of sustainability and unsustainability.

Recognizing the Impact of Dominant Culture Privilege
Robin Jeffers, Bellevue Community College
This sequence of five assignments, starting with the study of texts, has students taking a look at the concept of dominant culture privilege and then moving them out into their own world to analyze what they're seeing there.

Indigenous Food Relationships: Sociological Impacts on the Coast Salish People
Ane Berrett, Nothwest Indian College
In this unit, students will analyze the macro level of societal influences which have interrupted micro level ecological relationship between plant and man. Sociological concepts such as sub culture, dominant culture, stages of historical change (Hunter Gatherer societies to Technological societies), stratification and poverty will be addressed through the sociological perspective. Students will experience solutions of sustainability which are interdependent with local place and people. Learning activities involve using the "citizen's argument," oral presentations, portfolio creation, written reflections and experiential service learning projects.

Maps and Legends: (Re)placing Composition
Jared Leising, Cascadia Community College
Because maps tell stories, offer perspectives, and make arguments, maps also act as a metaphor for the writing assignments students are given. The writing that students do in this class creates maps to where students have been (writing stories from memory), where they currently are (writing profiles from observations of places), and where they're headed. This course approaches sustainability from the viewpoint of learning to value the places in which we live through listening to and telling stories about those places.

Story as a Place Happening Many Times: Imaginative Writing Activity
Nancy Pagh, Western Washington University
Students are encouraged to perceive specific locations within our bioregion as having a life that includes past, present, and future. These activities present ideas for wedding the teaching of "craft" with the teaching of sustainability.

Bioregion Assignment
Claus Svendsen, Skagit Valley College
A weekly bioregion homework assignment exploring for the student local landscape changes. What were the past natural conditions and native uses to todays uses, as well as projected changes in the coming decades.

What is Local?
William R. Teska, Pacific Lutheran University
Through a hands-on examination of a nature preserve/park in a nearby urban setting and with classroom discussions and activities, students become aware that individuals are affected differently by the preservation of nature or by development of natural resources.