'Sustainability Across the Curriculum' (guest lecture)

Recently on the UC Davis campus, Professor Geoffrey Chase from San Diego State University came and gave a lecture about sustainability through school curriculum. He brought up the inevitable questions of how companies handle their waste including toxins, water runoffs, and other materials. Next he mentioned that there are 3 domains of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. After the sustainability big picture overview, Professor Chase went on to say how students have such a key part in changing the future, and not continuing routines as they have been for so long. Our current trends and habits are what caused current situations and we can't expect things to get better without change. One example he pointed to was Hurricane Katrina, which was a disaster never expected.

"Don't eat your seed corn." (This is not sustainable) - Geoffrey Chase

"...education about the environment must be integral." - Tony Cortese

"Teaching students today is like teaching them to live on a planet we have never seen." - Mary Catherine Bateson

How can sustainability become integrated into classes? The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has a goal of 10% of every American college students' curriculum be regarding the environment. A couple challenges they face are fiscal, needing multiple curricula, people not wanting to get involved in something that doesn't bring professional rewards, and unsure outcomes. Some solutions to these issues have been creating the environmental classes as GE, providing a new major, sustainability programs, and even a graduate school on the subject.

As a student, I feel my school has become more aware about sustainability and the education surrounding it has been showing up more and more in the form of class projects, guest lectures, and just general awareness. There remains plenty of growth that could happen (programs, more clubs, enthusiasm amongst all); it would be amazing to have environmental issues become a solid part of the curriculum. Professor Chase concludes his lecture explaining that sustainability is a responsibility and not just a program, and how many students already have a deep knowledge of what needs to happen.