Environmental courses on the rise in college
It’s an inconvenient truth that many students who’ll graduate from college in 2012 and beyond will face a world where melting polar ice caps, increasingly violent storms and other effects of climate change will be a fact of life. Learning the facts that will help them live a meaningful life in tomorrow’s world is something that is increasingly possible at college today.
More colleges are offering courses on environmental science. This is detailed in a recent article in the LA Daily News which lists environmental options for study opening up on campus. These include plans for a new Sustainability Institute at Cal State Northridge and a graduate program in energy, technology and society at USC. Meanwhile UCLA has an Institute for the Environment and students walk the walk by composting dorm food (one can imagine the comments about the food fit for worms!)
Green influence on admissions
Of interest is the observation that:
The allure of green is even motivating prospective students to pick schools based on whether they have programs dedicated to sustainability and the environment.
A Princeton Review survey during the last school year found that 63 percent of college applicants said a school’s level of commitment to the environment would help them decide where to apply for college.
We hope the graduates of these programs have the skills to turn down the global thermostat. We’ll all benefit.
