Infusing 'green' into curricula

A number of City College teachers have been working since summer to develop lesson plans with the purpose of educating students campuswide on environmental change.

Adam Green, assistant professor of biology and Diane Rodriguez-Kiino, campus diversity coordinator, started the "One Planet Faculty Fellows Program" in June 2008.

This program, funded by Merryl Brown and the Weiss Foundation, gives students the opportunity to learn about sustainability, diversity and the threat of global warming. It provides motivation for students to care about their ecological footprint, Green said.

"The main purpose is to try to help faculty infuse sustainability into the curricula," he added. The program allows "faculty from different disciplines to get together and infuse concepts into courses."

The creation of stand-alone course and majors in environmental sustainability is another goal of the program.

Teachers received a $300 stipend for attending workshops this fall. The final workshop drew 15 teachers, and Green said he hopes the funding can be extended to attract even more instructors.

This program affects all City College students because "every discipline on campus is going to be impacted by environmental change," Green said. "At the same time every discipline on campus has a role on how we impact the environment.

"There is one environment and one population; if we can't figure these problems out, it's not like we can just move next door," Green said.

- Amanda Jacobs is a Journalism 101 student