The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education hosted an awards ceremony at the AASHE 2008 conference in Raleigh this week. Here are four of the winners and highlights of their achievements.
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Tom Robinson
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Tulane University became a recovery force for the greater New Orleans area in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Tulane chartered a K-12 school and an Institute to support the transformation of public education in New Orleans. It also launched a Center for Public Service for community-based research and service activities. The first Clinton Global Initiative University drew students from throughout the U.S. to discuss solutions in climate change, global health, poverty alleviation, peace and human rights.
Ithaca College adopted a Comprehensive Environmental Policy in 2001 and amended it in 2008 to strengthen its commitment to sustainability. Ithaca awarded sixty $1,000 grants to faculty and staff, and EcoVillage residents to develop curricular materials related to sustainability across disciplines like poetry, politics, permaculture, pedagogy, evolutionary biology, and anthropology.
Northland College in Minnesota can trace its efforts back to the founding of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in 1972. Recycling and locally sourced produce have been in opeation there for decades. New academic majors include: Humanity and Nature Studies, Environmental Humanities, Native Cultures, and Ecopsychology; Sociology and Social Justice; and Sustainable Community Development. Northland's Ecovisionary program challenges prospective students to pledge environmental leadership. The college awards two categories of scholarships to support committed new students.
The College of Menominee Nation in Wisconsin has had a Sustainable Development Institute and has been offering an Associate degree in Sustainable Development for 15 years. Beyond its academic mission, CMN serves community needs of the Native American tribe and surrounding Menominee County.
Profiles of these colleges, other honorable mention recipients and student sustainability leaders can be found at www.aashe.org.
Tom Robinson is an editor of The Greentree Gazette. He can be reached at trobinson@greentreegazette.com.