Program News
November 8, 2018
Exciting news! During the 2017-2018 academic year, UNM Sustainability Studies is celebrating its 10 year anniversary of academic success. To learn more about our academic program, find the syllabi and class descriptions for each of our courses on our website. Our program enrolls over 100 students each semester, and supports ongoing student projects that focus on various areas of the environment, social justice, innovation, and more. In 2017, students in the introductory course collectively reduced their ecological footprints - through small behavioral shifts in consumption and waste generation - by over 50 hectares, equivalent to erasing the annual impact of 6 average Americans!
To donate and support student project-based learning, please go to the UNM Foundation website and learn how to give to the Sustainability Studies Program.
Our program's amazing lecturer, Eileen Shaughnessy was awarded an Equal Justice Residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute for 2017/2018. The residency will focus on answering the following question: "How can art be used to engage systems of power and foster social and racial equity?" As a musician and educator, Eileen will explore music as a tool for social change with a focus on environmental justice in the Southwest.
In early 2017 we had the honor of selecting four recipients of the inaugural La Montañita Co-op Marshall Kovitz Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is named for La Montañita founding owner and board member Marshall Kovitz, a proponent of strong local economies and equitable food systems. Through a generous 25-year partnership with the Co-op, the Sustainability Studies Program will offer annual scholarships to our students whose academic focus is on food systems. Congratulations to Keith Knutila and Coleen Geraghty, winners of the 2017-2018 La Montanita Co-op Marshall Kovitz Memorial Scholarship!
Over the summer of 2017, our program hosted a group of 25 young African leaders from 21 sub-Sarahan African countries as a part of the highly competitive State Department funded Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). This 6-week intensive Institute focused on social business and entrepreneurship, and included academic content, site visits, networking events, service opportunities, and cultural activities for the Fellows. The Albuquerque Journal put together a story about the Institute.
There are many ways to get involved in sustainable initiatives at UNM. Check out Dr. Bruce Milne's presentation - The Odyssey of Creating a Sustainable Campus at UNM: Assets, Barriers, and Strategies - from the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment Southwest Regional Collaborative Symposium. Sustainability is a core value of UNM, and it shows!
