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"The university has a special role to fill as the institution that should have the critical capacity, the influence over the professions and other activities in society, and the contact with the younger generation needed to reorient the human community toward a greater awareness that the human exists within a single great community of the planet Earth."

-Fr. Thomas Berry

Vision

Our vision is to encourage interdisciplinary education, as well as enhance the evolution of holistic perspectives and ecological literacy in individuals and organizations. From this foundation, we intend to nurture the development of pro-active community members capable of creating a sustainable balance between the changing needs of natural and social ecologies.

As students entering the the 21st Century, issues of environmental integrity compel us to closely examine our culture’s social, economic and political systems. Without such examination, and definitive action, these systems will further the prolific degradation of ecosystems and the breakdown of social justice.

We recognize a universal necessity to honor and care for the Earth. We see this in light of the unprecedented destruction of biodiversity, in an era when challenged communities lack access to healthy air, water and food. This necessity calls for educators to serve their communities by expanding the classroom beyond institutional walls. It is by listening to the voices of our mentors that we, the students, have heard this call for change. Walking together, we feel compelled to address the need for education which prepares students to respond to the issues and opportunities of the 21st Century.

Toward this end, we propose the formation of a cooperatively structured educational consortium with three integral components: the Ecoversity, the Round-Table Symposium, and the Internet Resource Brokerage. Each benefits from the other. These components are designed to work intimately together, as a whole system facilitating collaboration and sharing of resources between educational institutions and their communities.

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The Round Table Symposium

This annual council meeting will bring together student, faculty and administrative delegates from member organizations as well as professionals and individuals from the general public. It would also be a forum for interdisciplinary communication within the academic community.

The first event, entitled "Re-Emergence of a Concept," will be hosted by Prescott College during the 1997-8 academic year. Subsequent symposiums would be hosted by member institutions on a rotating basis. These events could provide:

• Council meetings and break-out groups for discussion of educational opportunities, pedagogy, curriculum, organizational structure and common policies of consortium members.
• Developmental resources to diversify the educational experience.
• Opportunities for networking with media, green businesses, religious institutions as well as other educational and social justice organizations.
• Keynote presentations, interactive workshops and panel discussions open to the general public.
• Award ceremonies to honor outstanding service to community and environment.

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The Internet Resource Brokerage

This co-creative tool would provide a variety of ways to bring together students and educational institutions with their communities. It could also serve as a virtual means to encourage face-to-face interactions and extended project collaborations, providing:

• A directory of information, services and skills enhancing regional and local connections.
• An interactive newsletter which will provide ongoing dialogue about current issues and topics.
• Databases with course offerings, lesson plans and curriculums.
• Annotated bibliographies organized by subject.
• A bioregionally organized listing of native species.
• Outlined case studies and other relevant documentation (i.e. restoration ecology projects, campus energy conservation efforts, on site demonstration of alternative & sustainable technology or agricultural techniques, etc.)

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The Ecoversity

The Ecoversity will enhance the quality and diversity of educational experiences, and expand the curriculum and resources available to all participants. It would consist of collaborative courses and programs, continuing education for professionals, as well as a point of interface for communities and academic institutions.

The Ecoversity expands the learning experience beyond the classroom, beyond the institution. Students will have the opportunity to create and participate in inter-institutional courses, independent studies, and field studies. Faculty will have a greater opportunity to teach courses at, and/or work co-creatively with faculty from, other member institutions. Finally, the Ecoversity will bring professionals together with students and faculty, increasing the diversity of perspectives available to both the educational institution and the communities they are embedded in. Elements of and benefits from the Ecoversity could include:

• Advanced credit sharing and student exchange.
• Inter-institutional field work and courses.
• Guest mentorships and faculty exchange.
• Field station time sharing and collaborative work at demonstration sites.
• Greater opportunity for apprenticeships, internships, and independent studies.
• Further programs for continuing education and employee development.
• Collaboration between academic and community programs.

Rationale and Precedent

The formation of such a consortium, as described in the attached proposal, responds to a call from a variety of organizations and individuals of national and international notoriety. Most prominently, "Agenda 21," a document that was produced as a result of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, characterizes a course for action given the defining moment in history that humanity is presently facing. As well, we have outlined below key portions of documents resulting from other gatherings of political, educational and international organizations (for complete forms of these other documents, please refer to internet site http://iisd1.iisd.ca/educate/declare.html).

Towards this end, the 1995 Yale Campus Earth Summit brought together student, faculty and administrative representatives from over 400 institutions of higher education as well as other organizations. Following this event, a document was drafted that summarized the discussions from the conference. This document, "The Blueprint for a Green Campus," laid out ten recommendations for educational institutions:

1. Integrate environmental knowledge into all relevant disciplines.
2. Improve undergraduate environmental studies course offerings.
3. Provide opportunities for students to study campus and local environmental issues.
4. Conduct a campus environmental audit.
5. Institute environmentally responsible purchasing policies.
6. Reduce campus waste.
7. Maximize energy efficiency.
8. Make environmental sustainability a top priority in campus land-use, transportation, and building planning.
9. Establish a student environmental center.
10. Support students who seek environmentally responsible careers.

While these points do elucidate the need for greening within the campus, a broader call can be heard for change that would enhance institutional interaction and overall educational effectiveness in responding to the ecological crisis. Continuing research uncovered complementary principles of action as outlined in a great number of Declarations and Charters of various foreign and international educational organizations and councils. An example from Geneva, the Copernicus Network, in their document entitled "The University Charter for Sustainable Development" outlines necessary actions of:

1. Institutional Commitment
2. Environmental Ethics
3. Education of University employees
4. Programmes in environmental education
5. Interdisciplinarity
6. Dissemination of knowledge
7. Networking
8. Partnerships
9. Continuing education programmes
10. Technology transfer

Other precedents for greening education go beyond these to include overall changes of ethics and pedagogy, as well as interfacing with green business, enhancing faculty and staff development and continuing education programs, spreading this work into necessary realms of community building and social reconstruction. For further reading along these lines, see the following books:

• Keniry, Julian. Ecodemia: Campus Environmental Stewardship at the Turn of the 21st Century (Washington D.C.: National Wildlife Federation, 1995).
• Collett, Jonathan and Karakshian, Stephen, ed.. Greening the College Curriculum: A Guide to Environmental Teaching in the Liberal Arts (Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1995).
• Orr, David. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect (Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1994).

Through close examination regarding the possible role of educational institutions to help heal ecological wounds, Prescott College has helped initiate several innovative projects. Most recently was "Sacred Earth, Sacred Sacred Self: Integrating Ecology, Psychology & Spirituality ", a student run national conference hosted by Prescott College and sponsored by the Turner Foundation. This conference, held in May of 1996, was the first ever, student run event of its kind and produced a fund for future projects in this area. This forum brought together a collection of national & internationally recognized authors, educators, and activists from a variety of disciplinary fields with a concerned public, to discuss and share issues of the human-nature relationship and the emerging field of Ecopsychology. We cite this event as an example of students’ capacity to identify the solutions to issues concerning both natural and social ecologies, as well as to create forums for responsive action.

The National Alliance for Green Education will provide a forum for discourse on such subjects as:

Agroecology	Conservation Biology
Bioregionalism	Cosmology
Restoration Ecology	Ecological Design
Ecopsychology	Ethnobotany
Environmental & Experiential Education	Green Economics
Natural History	Holistic and Living
Environmental Journalism	Environmental Justice
Environmental Sciences	Natural Systems Agriculture
Peace Studies	Permaculture
Systems Theory	Tracking & Nature Awareness

Upon review of this document, please submit any further ideas, concerns or comments to us at your earliest convenience. Also, for more information, please contact:

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