Geology and Sustainability
Mary Savina, Carleton College
I think most geologists would say that sustainability is at the root of our discipline, though we certainly didn't invent the word or define the concept. Geology considers the earth as an open system of gases, liquids and solids, distributed from the outer limits of the atmosphere to the earth's center. We know that within this system are many interacting subsystems that involve the transfer of energy and materials from one area – and state – to another. Resources – minerals, fuels, water, soils and others – all exist within the earth system that geologists study. Geologists study how these resources are created, how they are altered, and how they move from place to place. Just tracing the routes of water on the globe, for instance, involves the atmosphere, the earth's land surface (sometimes called "the critical zone"), the oceans, the ice caps, and the crust and mantle of the solid earth. Humans alter many of the transfer processes and at the same time they alter the amounts of resources in storage. It may be true, as the physicists say, that matter can neither be created or destroyed, but matter can certainly be changed from an un-usable state to a usable one (think mining and smelting) or from a usable state to an un-usable one (think gasoline and carbon dioxide).

Sustainability at Coppin State University
Mintesinot Jiru, Coppin State University
Mintesinot Jiru, , Coppin State University In March 2008, Coppin's president signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a coalition of over 660 colleges and ...

Putting Sustainability into Action: Energy, Water and Food Nexus
Michael Eyob, Florida International University
Michael Kiflai, Florida International University Haile Woldesellasse, Hamad Bin Khalifa University The energy, water and food (EWF) nexus is a vital and central idea of the sustainable development, which plays a ...

Sustainability at Colorado College
Barbara Whitten, Colorado College
Colorado College has a very active sustainability program, which is fully described on our web page (http://www.coloradocollege.edu/welcome/tour/sustainability/). Because of our location, we traditionally attract students with strong environmental interests, who spend their weekends and block breaks hiking, climbing, kayaking and skiing. We've had an active environmental student group for twenty five years; recently their efforts have shifted from preserving the wilderness (old growth forests, endangered species, etc) to sustainability on campus and in the community. Administration support has also increased; sustainability is a significant effort of President Celeste, who signed the President's Climate Commitment in 2009. In 2008, he created the Sustainability Council, which is composed of administrators, facilities staff, faculty, and students, and oversees all campus sustainability initiatives. Administrative support has enabled us to increase the level of support for sustainability, but many of the initiatives continue to be student-driven.

Demonstrating why sustainability is complex
Cailin Huyck Orr, Carleton College
Cailin Huyck Orr, School of the Environment, Washington State University - Pullman Promoting sustainability is complicated and I am not convinced that we always understand how to do it well. This makes teaching ...

Making Sustainability Real
Dan Vaughn, Vincennes University
Daniel Vaughn, Earth Science, Vincennes University I have found in teaching this course (an advanced introductory course open to majors and the non-majors alike), in addition to other classes at VU and other ...

Cheney High School Explores Earth Science and Sustainability
Jacob Troyer, Cheney High School
Jacob Troyer, Cheney high school Earth science at Cheney high school has largely been taught in the context of how it impacts on other subjects. For instance we talk about chemical cycling (water, carbon, and ...

Making Sustainability Visible
Thomas Beery, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Thomas Beery, Center for Environmental Education, University of Minnesota-Duluth Sustainability is about people and the choices they make, ultimately it is a question of human behavior. A deliberate effort to ...

Sustainability Program at Elizabeth City State University
Francisco San Juan, Elizabeth City State University
Francisco C. San Juan, Chemistry, Geology and Physics, Elizabeth City State University At the beginning of the 2012 spring semester, the University created a Sustainability Plan, that outlines the goals and ...

Using process-focused assessments for teaching sustainability
Meghann Jarchow, University of South Dakota
Meghann Jarchow, Interdepartmental - sustainability, University of South Dakota Thinking about how we assess students is as important as the methods that we use to convey the course content. I think that most ...