College plans sustainability minor
By Emily Goodell | August 24, 2009Faculty members from the environmental studies program are working to develop a minor in "sustainability studies" over the course of the next academic year, which would aim to connect campus sustainability initiatives from the Organic Farm to the Sustainable Living Center under a common "umbrella," according to professor and environmental studies department chair Andrew Friedland. "I know a lot of undergraduates are extremely interested and excited to see a sustainability minor and a sustainability program happen at Dartmouth, and that's our intention," he said. A large number of faculty, staff, students and administrators have identified sustainability as an important subject to address academically, according to Friedland. "The word and the actual idea of sustainability' are appearing more and more often in this country and in the world when people have discussions about environmental issues," he said. Friedland said he expects one of the driving forces behind the development of a sustainability minor to be Anne Kapuscinski, who was recently hired as the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Sustainability Science. "One of her goals in her first year is to work on this sustainability science minor," Friedland said. Kapuscinski could not be reached for comment by press time. Although faculty members in the environmental studies program said it would be wonderful to implement the minor by the end of this year, they said they have not yet started the concrete planning stages of the project. "The environmental studies program is in the information-gathering phase," Friedland said.
