PLNTSOIL 290S
SUSTAINABLE LIVING Class
T/Th 4:00-5:15pmLecture
- 3 Credits
Plus an Optional Honors Discussion
on either
Friday (11:15am-1:10pm or 1:25pm-3:20pm)
or Monday(3:35-5:30pm) – 1 Credit
Spring, 2005
Introduction
The
world that students will enter upon graduation offers the highest material
standard of living ever known to humankind. At the same time, most
natural resource-based systems on the planet, from food production and energy
management to waste handling and industrial processing are depleting natural
resources and in some cases endangering human life. We will have the
challenge of re-imagining and re-creating these systems in ways that are less
dependent on nonrenewable resources, no longer consume renewable resources at
non-sustainable use rates, nor cause harm to people or the natural world.
PSS 290S, Sustainable Living, will introduce students to these global
challenges, while helping them learn about research-based and practical
solutions that may be implemented in their daily lives. This class is
explicitly dedicated to helping students make personal and professional
decisions that support the objectives of sustainability; economic viability,
environmental integrity, and social equity.
The
(former) President’s Council on Sustainable Development called for “…changes
in the formal education system to help all students, educators, and education
administrators learn about the environment, the economy, and social equity as
they relate to all academic disciplines and to their daily lives.” This
government task force called for strengthening sustainability education by
integrating traditionally discipline-bound teaching through interdisciplinary
approaches and systems thinking. There is significant student interest in
learning about sustainable solutions to the many economic, biophysical, and
social challenges of our time at UMass.
Education
for sustainability will help prepare students for both a sustainable life and a
sustainable livelihood. This course is intended for students from diverse
academic disciplines. For some students this will be the only course they
take directly related to how they may live more sustainable lives. For
others, it may be the introduction to an academic career in which they
integrate the quest for sustainability into their own major.
Alan
AtKisson wrote, “People dedicated to promoting sustainability ideas and
innovations are needed in every field, in ever-increasing numbers.”
Paraphrasing AtKission, we believe the world needs:
Artists, to
help us feel the gravity of our situation, to help us envision a more beautiful
and sustainable way of life, and to inspire us.
Scientists and engineers, to find solutions, new “green” practices and
products, and breakthrough ideas that can rapidly transform our unsustainable
way of life.
Business people,
to re-imagine and redirect the flows of money and investment and talent in ways
that can recreate the world while enhancing global prosperity.
Professionals,
such as those in healthcare, the law, or international development, to change
the standards of practice in their profession to first “do no harm”, and to
lend their considerable weight to a global movement.
Average citizens, to re-imagine themselves as global citizens, to enthusiastically
support change efforts, and to dare to reach for their own aspirations for a
better world.
Politicians,
to motivate us with a true spirit of democracy, to frame new policies that
encourage transformation, and to remove bureaucratic obstacles to innovation.
Syllabus
Sustainable
Living will introduce students to
diverse perspectives on the quest for long-term sustainability. It will
include multi-disciplinary solutions, an explicit connection between the global
and the personal, and a strong commitment to integration of theory and practice
through group discussions and Community Service Learning. The course will
consider how historical, social, ethical and technical understanding impacts
our daily decisions as well as the global condition.
Primary
Instructor: Dr. John Gerber,
Professor of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences;
210 French Hall; 545-5301; jgerber@psis.umass.edu
Class
Format: Two 75-minute
lecture/discussion periods, plus an optional 90-minute honors colloquia with 8
hours of Community Service Learning.
Required
Text: Living A Sustainable
Lifestyle for Our Children’s Children.
R. Warren Flint & W. L. Houser. Authors Choice
Press; 2001
Learning
Objectives
1. To understand global challenges to sustainability from
economic, environmental and social perspectives.
2. To understand the impact of personal decisions on
local, regional, national and global sustainability.
3. To increase awareness of alternatives to current
practices that impact long-term sustainability.
1. Students will be expected to:
2. Attend the lecture/discussions on a regular basis and
participate in class discussions.
3. Read the assigned pages in the text; Living a
Sustainable Lifestyle for Our Children’s Children.
4. Complete homework assignments
Grading: There will be no final examination. Homework
assignments will not be accepted late. A final grade will be calculated as
follows:
Homework Assignments (10 of 12 required) = 80%
Attendance and class participation
= 10%
Contract with Self Homework = 10%
An
optional Honors Colloquium will be offered through Commonwealth College to
enrich PLNTSOIL 290S, Sustainable Living, in the spring of 2005.
The format of the colloquium will be workshop and discussion. Four major
projects will be conducted through the semester. These are:
1. Students will calculate their own Ecological
Footprint.
2. Students will develop a Personal Holisticgoal
statement and learn to make decisions by using standard sustainability
criteria.
3. An essay on a Community Service Learning project will
be expected.
4. Students will develop a “contract with self” outlining
personal changes they intend to make in their lives in the next; month, year,
and five-year period.
Grading: Grading of the Discussion Sections will be as
follows:
·
Attendance (10 meetings
required for full credit) = 50%
·
Personal
Holisticgoal = 20%
·
Ecological
Footprint = 10%
·
Contract with
Self = 10%
·
CSL
Essay
= 10%
For
more information, contact John Gerber at; jgerber@psis.umass.edu, call 545-5301,
or stop by 210 French Hall.