Environmental Literacy Workgroup

1. Environmental Literacy Workgroup February 13, 3009 Student Union, Room 318

2. AGENDA

3. AGENDA

4. EcoHouse Team Progress Report

5. Updates: • Academic Leadership & Model • Recruitment • Residence Hall Renovations • Communications & Marketing • Funding & Development

6. Academic Component • Faculty Director • Responsibilities to include: • Instructor of record for 2-credit course both semesters • Organize speaker series • Development of curriculum and providing vision for scholarly content • Take leadership role in determining the academic atmosphere of the learning community • Provide a faculty presence • Possibility of full or part-time GA

7. Academic Model • 2-credit course both semesters • Fall: 1-credit seminar and 1-credit service/ experiential learning • Spring: 1-credit seminar and 1-credit student project • Options for second credit: • Student project • Sustainability commitment (service) • Participation in “peri-academic activities”; roughly 20+ hours of involvement • Examples: Group hikes, greenhouse tours, gardening, CT geology, special lectures, rafting, whale watching, etc.

8. Recruitment • Upperclassmen Recruits: 14 • Freshmen Recruitment: • Receive information upon signing up for housing • Presence at Open House, New Student Orientation, Husky WOW • Information on New Husky website

9. Residence Hall: Hollister • Normal “wear and tear” renovations will occur before students move in • Many further renovations to be student directed

10. Communications & Marketing • Strategic Communications Meeting: December 2008 • Streamlining LC application process • Incorporating LCs on a larger scale into the tour program, orientation, Open House • How to use LCs as a strategic recruitment tool • Incorporating LCs into high school recruitment through CRM

11. Funding & Development • Exploring possibilities of corporate sponsorship with the Foundation Duke Smart Home

12. Climate Action Plan Team (CAP-EL Team)Progress Report

13. The Commitment… • Presidents signing the Commitment are pledging their institution to eliminate its contribution to global warming over time. This involves: • Establishing an institutional structure to oversee development and implementation of the school’s program to comply with the ACUPCC; • Completing an emissions inventorywithin a year; • Within two years, establish a climate neutrality action planand set a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral; • Taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by choosing from a list of tangible action options; • Integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience • Modified from pg. 6, “Overview of the Commitment”, ACUPCC Implementation Guide

14. Environmental Literacy & the Climate Action Plan Specifically, the Climate Action Plan should also include sections that… “Describe plans to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and/or other educational experience for all students as well as actions to expand research, community outreach and/or other efforts toward the achievement of climate neutrality; this section should include subsections on education, research, and community outreach.” - pg. 21, ACUPCC Implementation Guide

15. Climate action plan focus areas • Curriculum & Student Educational Experiences • Undergraduate Education • Graduate and Professional Education • Residential Life • Student Organizations & Activities • Research Efforts • Community Outreach

16. UConn academic plan Aspirations and Values: “…in our role as a land and sea grant institution, we seek to promote the state’s economic development and social well-being by advancing new science, improving the cultural fabric, protecting the environment, and enhancing the quality of healthcare.” Themes: “Our World emphasizes the need to build on our strengths in human rights, education, and environmental research…” Focused Areas of Excellence: “…emerging areas of interdisciplinary excellence grounded in traditional academic disciplines will be an important factor guiding the development of our existing research, teaching, and programs of public engagement. These areas of excellence encompass: The Environment, including the environment and human health, the environment and sustainable ecosystems, the environment and sustainable energy…”

17. Team timeline & goals Step 1 – Feb-March Existing Environment: How are we doing? • Develop a summary of existing programs • Distribute a survey to academic departments and colleges • Identify department representatives on CATF workgroups to help identify less ‘obvious’ initiatives – e.g. research efforts, new courses • Work with EL workgroup to identify additional initiatives in progress and campus organizations

18. Team timeline & goals Step 2 – April-May Short & Long-Term Goals: Where do we want to go? • Identify ‘gaps’ and potential opportunities. • Identify synergies with the Academic Plan • Review literacy recommendations submitted within other universities’ CAPs • Incorporate recommendations of other University committees & task forces (e.g. CLAS) • Finalize summary and recommend actions

20. Environmental Studies Team Progress Report

21. Environmental Studies Interdisciplinary approach to the study of the environment through the integration of physical, natural, and social sciences and the humanities. • Potential Benefits to UConn: • Encourage collaboration across disciplines • Fulfill student interest in environmental fields outside of the hard sciences • Prepare students for participation in new, rapidly expanding fields • Recruitment Possible Directions NEW DEGREE OPTION Add a BA degree option to the Existing Environmental Sciences major Reworking Environmental Studies minor Environmental Studies, BA NEW MAJOR

22. Environmental Studies, BA • Introduction course • Environmental sciences or environmental studies • Core courses • Environmental conservation • Population, food and the environment • Agriculture and resource economics • Society and global perspectives of the environment • Methods in social research • Concentrations

23. ENVS Bachelor of Science ENVS Bachelor of Arts Linked through EcoHouse and formal seminar series similar to “Teale Lectures” -- 2-3 per year, organized by ENVS majors • Basic Science Courses • Economics (ARE) • Bio • Statistics • Chem, Math, Phys. • Intro to Env. Science (two of) • Geog, Geol, Marn, Nat Res. • Upper level Env. Science • Concentrations (nine to choose from) • Capstone (Geog, NRME, Geol, EEB?) • Foundation Courses • Economics (ARE) • Bio • Statistics • Plus additional credits in relevant “basic” or “introductory” courses • Intro to Env. Science (all four) • Geog, Geol, Marn, Nat Res. • Upper level Env. Studies courses • Concentration – Env. Studies (Policy?, Literacy?, Sustainability?) • Capstone ?

24. Concerns • ENVS majors may increase 50% to 100% • Administrative assistance (propose to go from half-time to full-time Administrative Assistant in ENVS) • TAs for additional sections • Additional Co-Director? • New faculty for ENVS courses • Propose that new ENVS Studies program be cross-college (CLAS + CANR) but CANR does not offer BA degree option

25. Humanities Examples of Upper Level Courses for Enviro. Studies • ENGL 3240: American Nature Writing • HIST 3204W: Science and Social Issues in the Modern World • HIST 3540: American Environmental History • PHIL 3216: Environmental Ethics • JOUR 3095: Investigation of special topics (Environment) • JOUR 3045W: Environmental Journalism Social Science ARE 3434: Environment & Resource Policy ARE 4462: Environmental and Resource Economics ANTH 3200: Human Behavioral Ecology ANTH 3201: People and the Conservation of Nature ENVE 1320 : Environmental Debate GEOG 3120: Introduction to Human Geography GEOG 3320W: Environmental Evaluation and Assessment GEOG 3340: Environmental Planning and Management NRME 3245: Environmental Law SOCI 3407/W: Energy, Environment, and Society SOCI 3821/W: Social Movements and Social Change

26. Next Steps • Draft proposal completed by first week of March • Meeting with Provost: March 20 • Possible faculty forum

27. AGENDA

28. Student Climate Action SummitFebruary 5, 2009 • Summit Results: • Meg provided a 20-min intro presentation • 20 Students attended • Mix of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors • 70% science majors, 30% other majors • Brainstormed three topics: • Transportation • Energy • Education & Outreach

29. Environmental Leadership Awards Nominations due March 1, 2009!!

30. EcoHusky & office of environmental Policy updates

31. Other updates?

32. AGENDA

33. Recyclemania Ongoing

34. Earth day April 22, 2009

35. Teale lecture series

36. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Debra Rowe President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development Organized by: CT Partnership for Sustainability Education CT Outdoor and Environmental Educators Association For further information: www.coeea.org Reduced prices for studentsscholarships and group rates