“No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it”
- Albert Einstein

Our students are graduating into a world that requires different ways of thinking, an equitable and diverse community, and a holistic approach that re-examines long held beliefs that have led to an unsustainable society. Just as it took all sectors of society and all disciplines of education to reach this point, it will take all of them to forge a different path. We must act collectively and consciously to preserve our ecosystems and eliminate the oppression of diverse populations.

Put simply, any curriculum that does not address the need to rehabilitate environmental health and encourage community through diversity is out-of-date and is not properly training students. Our goal is to turn crisis into opportunity by integrating sustainable theory into existing curriculum across campus. Regardless of discipline or future career, students that understand the need to incorporate environmental, social, and financial concerns will be at an advantage. On a larger scale, our society will benefit from a generation of students that sees the connection between their actions and the ecological footprint of our population.

We are implementing specific courses that educate students in sustainable theory and practice and provide the necessary skills to create positive change. Prime examples include:
ENVS 200: Projects in Sustainability (http://curr.sbcc.net/Curriculum/ENVS/ENVS200.htm), a course that asks students to work in groups to develop and implement projects that make the campus or community more sustainable.
ENVS/EH 210: Permaculture Design (http://curr.sbcc.net/Curriculum/ENVS/ENVS210EH210.htm), a laboratory in sustainable design based in sound ecological principles and proven practices from around the world.

With generous support from Merryl Brown and the Weiss Foundation, we are also providing extensive training to help faculty infuse sustainability and diversity into their existing curriculum. The growing concern of our students for the state of the world provides ample motivation and creates numerous opportunities to infuse relevant and stimulating material into our courses. The One Planet Faculty Fellows Program (link) is based on the belief that community transformation can begin in the classroom, a space where students and faculty can historically and philosophically examine traditional and alternative ways of being, living, and understanding in every discipline. This program brings together faculty from across campus to develop curriculum that directly examines how their discipline interacts with environmental and social issues and how their curriculum can be part of a larger solution. We will also provide online resources (http://library.sbcc.edu/wiki/index.php/One_Planet_Fellows)to make this process efficient and convenient for faculty and students.