Academics
You’ll find the Center for Sustainability to be a vibrant nexus embracing academic pursuits, practical applications, and lively conversations about complex challenges that face the human family in the 21st century – challenges that Principia students are uniquely prepared to resolve.
"I loved this class! I was excited to come to class every day because I knew that I’d be inspired in new ways. I loved having a broad perspective of sustainability taught to me because that was exactly what I was hoping for. I already had a good understanding of sustainable design and architecture, but now I have a better understanding of the social and economic spheres of this important field." ~ Principia College Student
Sustainability Major
Our interdisciplinary degree in Sustainability provides students the opportunity to focus their intellectual inquiry on issues and problems related to local and global sustainability. By exploring connections between society – including economy, production systems, and governance – and the natural environment, students prepare for global citizenship by learning how to simultaneously maintain ecological and environmental health, create economic prosperity, and pursue social justice amid the complexities of the 21st century.
Learn more about our B.A. Major in Sustainability
Sustainability Minor
Principia students are taught “to think clearly, vigorously, fearlessly, tolerantly, [and] unselfishly”, and this mandate shines through the Sustainability minor! Designed to support and enhance any major, the minor explores how sustainability relates to our lives and values, how our actions impact issues of sustainability, and how important it is that each of us play a role in crafting more sustainable systems of resource allocation, food production, energy consumption, and waste management.
Enrich any major by coupling it with a Minor in Sustainability
Individualized Major
Individualized Majors (IM) give students an opportunity to design their own major or carry out a major not regularly offered by Principia. IMs combine the strengths of living and studying at Principia with the flexibility of a curriculum uniquely suited to a student's academic interests. IMs draw upon existing Principia courses and can include courses successfully completed at other institutions. IMs can be unique or built from existing templates in popular areas. An IM template in Energy Management is advised by the Sustainability faculty.
Learn more about Individualized Majors
Study Abroad
Principia's Study Abroad program focuses on contextual learning, and emphasizes global citizenship and service. The majority of Principia students study abroad at some point, and many of these unique experiences touch on sustainability themes, including food systems, social justice issues, and urban resilience. In the summer of 2012 (Iceland) and spring of 2016 (Finland), students immersed themselves in Nordic culture to see first-hand how these nations are leading the way in sustainability as it relates to education, energy, economic stability, and a unique sense of place.
Learn more about Studies Abroad
Faculty
Dr. Karen L. Eckert
Professor of Sustainability
Director, Center for Sustainability
Dr. Nicholas H. Johnson
Assistant Professor of Sustainability
Teaching Area(s) Sustainability & Economics