ENVE3000EVST3000: Borrowing the Earth from Our Children

The philosophy for it is derived from a quote by Wendell Berry who said, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” With increased wildfires and floodings, it is clear climate change is happening now, and it threatens the lives and welfare of all the people of the earth. Therefore, this course will provide students with experiential learning activities demonstrating that we as professionals and individuals can do significant things to mitigate climate change.

This UHP course epitomizes cross disciplinary and experiential learning. The focus of this course will be on urban activities to mitigate change and enhance sustainability, especially activities in and around the city of Cincinnati. First, our students learned the basics of greenhouse gases, and were introduced to diverse local leaders who drive climate action, in policymaking, city planning, or product development, and who fight for climate justice in communities. About ten speakers will be invited to talk to students. Students engaged in small group work throughout the semester. These activities ranged from reading discussions to team debates to their course project identifying an at-need community organization and strategizing an action plan to build climate resilience within the organization to meet community needs. The course is designed to be highly interactive and will include seminars from community leaders, field trips, reflections, and group discussions.