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On Course for a Sustainable World
“Would you mind if I left class early today?” “I have to take my kids trick or treating Thursday night, will I miss anything important?” “I left my lab book at home, can you give me a copy of today’s lab”? Is it just me, or are you also hearing more statements like these from students these days? As I deal with an increasing number of students who are more ‘off course’ than ‘on course’, I frequently think back to the On Course workshop I took several years ago and its description of Victims and Creators. Victims blame, complain, make excuses, repeat unproductive behavior and seldom achieve their goals. On some days, and with some students, assisting in the transformation from victim to creator seems a lot more important than teaching the bits and bytes of programmable logic controllers.
Of course, victim mentality isn’t limited to our classrooms. It has permeated much of our society and seems to be a major factor in the sad state of our natural environment. In our victim roles, we find it easy to avoid responsibility: to turn on the ignition, flip on the power switch, or turn up the thermostat. We might blame the Chinese for racing ahead with new coal fired power plants, or complain that the government won’t institute a rational energy policy, or make excuses that we have important things to do.
I’m curious about how we can all move ourselves and our students from victims to creators of a sustainable world. Borrowing from Skip Downing’s “language of responsibility”, creators accept responsibility, take action, do something new, and take control of their choices and their lives. The Sustainability Literacy Task Force hopes that two upcoming Year of Energy events will help students, faculty and staff do just that. The Energy Solutions for a Sustainable World Panel Discussion will present several energy alternatives to the current paradigm and facilitate a discussion between local energy experts and the audience. The Low Carbon Diet Workshop will help participants go on their own 5,000 pound carbon diet by choosing from a variety of ways to reduce their own energy bills and carbon footprint.
Please consider attending and bringing/sending/offering extra credit to your students for attending these events. Whether you teach math, English, communications, chemistry, HVAC, automotive services, or any number of other subjects, an assignment could be made to attend an event, consider what real world energy problems need to be solved and apply what’s being taught in class to coming up with a solution.
Low Carbon Diet Workshop with Dale Petty
Thursday, November 7, 12:00 – 2:00 pm, SCB Community Room
Follow up sessions on Nov. 14, Nov. 21 and Dec 5 in TI 151
More information: [email protected]
Energy Solutions for a Sustainable World, Panel Discussion
Thursday, November 7, 6:00 pm, Towsley auditorium
in the WCC Morris Lawrence Building
Panelists
• Kevin Bouchey: Strategic Energy Solutions (Geothermal)
• Jarod Kelly, School of Natural Resources and Environment, UM (Wind)
• Wayne Appleyard, Sun Structures Architects (Green Construction)
• John Wakeman of SUR Energy (Solar)
• Charles Griffiths of A2 Ecology Center (Green Transportation)
More information: [email protected]
To find out more about Sustainability at WCC, please visit /engage/sustainable/index.php