Welcome to Environmental Science and Sustainability! In this course, we will develop our scientific and critical thinking skills alongside our empathy for people, living beings, and the planet. You are encouraged to both challenge your assumptions and build on your knowledge, experiences, and interests. Because we are people living in the world, we all have ideas about the environment that we bring with us to this class :)
We are going to take a project-based learning (PBL) approach to this course - each unit you will work on one major project that ties the content together and addresses big environmental questions. There will be lots of opportunities for hands-on and collaborative work and discussion. Be ready to engage in thoughtful, compassionate, and data-driven discussions with your classmates and me (and hopefully you’ll want to continue these conversations with family and friends outside of class). Your full participation is important for our class community, and it is the best way to have a positive experience and succeed in this course.
Communication is really important. Talk to me if you are confused or frustrated, if you are experiencing extenuating circumstances, or if you need support in some way. We can’t necessarily fix frustrations or grades in one day, but we can work together to make things better. I look forward to getting to know you as well as learning alongside you! I am not too proud to say “I don’t know, let me look into that.”