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).

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 ...

FAMU Sustainability Report
Bruce Strouble, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Bruce Strouble, , Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Downloadable version of this essay Sustainability Action Plan (Acrobat (PDF) 992kB Oct25 17) FAMU Green House Gas Report (Acrobat (PDF) 1.1MB Oct25 ...

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 ...

Selah's Sustainability Strategy
Danielle DeRousse
Danielle DeRousse, Selah School District is located in a small community between Ellensburg, WA and Yakima, WA with approximately 3,700 students K-12. Selah is home to innovative fruit packing companies and Tree ...

Teaching Sustainability Through History
Derek Larson, Saint Johns University
Derek Larson, Environmental Studies, The College of St. Benedict/St. John's University Our environmental studies department was created 20 years ago with the specific intention of interdisciplinarity in its ...

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 ...

Sustainability Across the Curriculum
Darren Leaver, Glendale Community College
Darren Leaver, Geography, Glendale Community College (CA) Based on a faculty and student initiative, Glendale Community College (GCC) initiated a sustainability program in October 2010, including the establishment ...

Putting Sustainability into Action at FAMU
Bakari McClendon, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Bakari McClendon, Sustainability Institute, Florida A&M University Downloadable version of this essay Putting Sustainability Into Action at FAMU (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 139.5MB Oct24 17)

The Psychology of Sustainability and Lessons from a Tiny Island
Debbie Sturm, James Madison University
Debbie Sturm, James Madison University In March of this year I attended a conference in Edinburgh, Scotland centered around sustainability assessment within universities. It was a tiny conference, with just about ...