Embedded Files
Course Description
Students explore various types of activities, systems, and/or processes encountered in our everyday lives, as well as metrics to evaluate their sustainability. Discussion, projects, and research will focus on the use of energy, consumption of resources, and implementation and/or development of technology and their social, political, environmental, and economic implications. (Course fulfills Science and Technology in a Social Context (STSC) and V requirements for the College’s Common Course of Study.)
Student Outcome
Define sustainability and explain its historical origin.
Understand life-cycle principles and at least one other systematic approach to evaluating sustainability (e.g., certification programs such as LEED).
Describe the sustainable (and/or unsustainable) components of several large-scale systems (such as water, energy, food, transportation, buildings, etc.) and demonstrate understanding that these systems are interconnected.
Apply the scientific method to explore the interaction between built systems and the natural environment.
Sustainability is one of Lafayette’s three core institutional values. At Lafayette we incorporate sustainability into the curriculum, into our daily campus operations, culture, and are committed to being an active partner with the campus community, the city of Easton, and local organizations on sustainable community projects. Check the sustainability report. The Office of Sustainability leads Lafayette College in advancing sustainability initiatives, transforming innovative ideas into meaningful solutions, and cultivating a culture committed to building a just, equitable world.
In this class, we will work on two projects to make our campus and community more sustainable.
Learning objectives –
Conduct research using a scientific method
Learn three aspects of sustainability in context and place
Project 1 - 2022
Goal – We evaluated the current sustainability efforts and created brochures for the sustainability office. The visitors can use these brochures for self-guided tours. Additionally, we identified any issues/problems (with evidence and supported by literature references) and suggested an action to make our campus more sustainable.
Our targeted audience was Lafayette visitors taking campus tours for admission.
Here is the link to all our brochures.
Projects - 2022
Goals - We want to create a poster addressing the feasibility of a selected project addressing three aspects of sustainability (3Ps). Our projects vary from food to transportation.
On Earth Day, we presented our posters to Lafayette College and the Easton community.
Projects 2023
Goal –
Talk with Nurture Nature Centre and identify an issue or problem related to campus or Easton that encompasses all three aspects of sustainability.
Describe the issue/problem using concise scientific language, effective graphics, and visualized data.
Propose a course of action to address the issue or problem.
Support your proposed course of action with evidence, concise language, effective graphics, and visualized data
Propose metrics covering all three aspects of sustainability that can be used to measure the effectiveness of your proposed solution.
Communicate your results with Lafayette and Easton communities on Earth Day.
Here is a link to our posters.
Page updated
Report abuse