On the first day of Introduction to Environmental and Urban Studies class, new faculty member Jennifer Berky had a real mob to contend with. About fifty students flooded into her classroom, some of them making loud proclamations to the effect that they would "die" if they did not get into her class. Although competition for popular courses is normal at Bard College, for students to display this much enthusiasm for a single course is unusual. Somehow, a large number of Bard students had decided that this topic was crucial for their future.
"The environmental movement has moved into pop culture suddenly, in a way nobody can ignore," said Lily Saporta-Tagiuri. Lily is a student doing a project on EUS curriculum design. The Bard program lets you concentrate in Environmental and Urban Studies, but EUS cannot be your primary major. Lily, who wishes she could major in EUS, is interested in strengthening the program. "No student should graduate from Bard College without knowing something about environmental issues," she says.
This makes me wonder, what if environmental awareness was a requirement for graduation? Bard already has a "Rethinking Difference," requirement, which has been the subject of much controversy. Basically, in order to graduate, a student must take a course that teaches about issues of discrimination and prejudice. College curriculum design can be a tool for enforcing awareness about certain political issues.
Professor Berky accepted as many people into her class as she possibly could, but there just wasn't room for everyone. This overwhelming surge of student interest shows a need to provide more courses in this subject. When I asked Lily why she thought students were so interested, her answer was deeply insightful. "People are scared! This is a really scary issue, especially for our age group-- this is our future! This is us! Every single one of us is going to have to deal with it.... In the sixties there was this upsurge of communes and sustainable farming and all these things, but it died out because there was no infrastructure to support it. Now people, serious businesspeople, are seeing the need to build that infrastructure. Especially with the economic crisis and fluctuating oil prices, people are scared about how unstable things are. And for a lot of people, sustainability equals stability."
Its important to mention though, that people aren't just scared-- they're also excited. I recently attended a "Green Drinks" event at the newly opened Rhinecliff Hotel. "Green Drinks" organizes social events where people who are interested in green issues can meet, have a drink or two, exchange business cards, and help one another suceed at their projects. There were over a hundred people of all ages at this event; it was overwhelming to see how many Hudson Valley residents were interested in sustainability. Everyone was kind and friendly and full of buoyant enthusiasm about their projects. I met someone who had just started a business growing vegetables in people's backyards. I met a mural artist who did nature paintings and told me, "Sustainability is all about love!!!" I met a "green collar accountant," a green architect, a publisher of a local sustainability magazine. It made me remember that words of politician Tom Mansfield (reported in my last blog) "These issues are taking hold in people's souls." More and more souls as time goes on. (If you're interested in attending the event next month, see http://www.greendrinks.org/index.php?country=USA&city=Hudson%20Valley.)
Students hope that EUS curriculum will focus on hands-on activities. "We need to learn to apply concepts to the real world," said Lily. Her idea was to have a class where people could work on semester-long projects to improve the ecofriendliness of Bard campus. For instance, the class could divide into small groups, and each group could pick a project: improving composting practices, fundraising for a hybrid shuttle, et. etc. Although Bard students care a lot about "saving the world", classwork consumes the majority of their energy. If sustainability action was part of a class, that would be a way of ensuring student commitment to projects. "If people don't have an outlet for their enthusiasm, it just goes to waste," says Lily.
Perhaps summer programs in Environmental and Urban Studies could help make the program more "hands-on." Bard already has a summer program in New Orleans, where students intern for NGOs by day, and take urban studies classes by night. Maybe this could become a field studies option for EUS concentrators in years to come. Stephen Tremaine, who organizes the New Orleans program, gave a presentation to the EUS class last Thursday.
"In the 50s, the mayor of New Orleans called it 'America's most interesting city,'" said Stephen. "A geographer has also called it, 'The impossible yet inevitable city.' " Impossible because of its location in the middle of a swamp. Inevitable, because of the economic benefits reaped from being on a major trade route.
Stephen showed the class a map of development over time. The settlement started in the high ground near the river, which was a little safer. But as time went on the development crept closer and closer to the low ground near the sea. A key event was the invention of a pumping system in 1905 by Albert Wood, to transform swamps into land. However, the swamps serve an ecological function, absorbing water and protecting the land from storm surge. Changing swamps into land disrupted the natural balance.
The lower income residents were more likely to live in flood-prone areas. Stephen said that demonstrated a "near-universal correlation between ecological vulnerability and economic vulnerability.... Even if they're in danger, they have nowhere else to go." When Katrina hit, the area of the city that was lower than sea level was just like a bowl that filled up with water. Even buildings with only two inches of water in the basement, could suffer damages from toxic mold which crept up sheetrock. The mold was 20,000 times more toxic than abestos. Many residents chose not to come back.
Stephen described a controversy where city officials had to decide whether to tear down 200,000 apartment's worth of low-income housing units. They were built in areas which were at high risk for flooding, and concentrated economic and social problems into a dangerous neighborhood. The people who lived there were scattered all over the USA because of Katrina. No one knew what percentage would come back. However, tearing down someone's home without asking their permission seems pretty unjust. Stephen asked the class, "What would you do if you were mayor?" and got a whole range of responses.
Stephen's presentation showed us how many disciplines can be involved in understanding a city. Right now Environmental Studies courses at Bard tend to focus on science; the biology of ecosystems, or the physics of climate change. Although science is vital, there are a range of other green-collar fields, that students are anxious to accquire skills in. People who dream of being green architects, or starting their own organic farms, or becoming environmental policy advocates in Washington, will benefit from knowing more than just science. The "environment" is a political and social as well as a scientific issue, so it demands an interdiscplinary approach.
The faculty are currently in the midst of discussions about how the EUS curriculum should be shaped. If you're interested in getting involved, share ideas with Kris Feder (teacher of the course "Ecological Economics") or attend the Open House on this Tuesday the 17th of November, 4-6 in the multipurpose room. Lily says, "Bard needs a full-fledged revolution, step by step, and the Environmental and Urban Studies class is the first priority..... every single person I talk to have has something to say about this issue. I have amazing conversations where people are really excited. It's like we're all working together on this huge thing...... its like we all know this wonderful secret, and we're working to spread the news."
Lily's statement captures beautifully a feeling people get when they join the Environmental Movement. If Bard can strengthen its EUS program, maybe more Bard students will become inspired to be a part of this "Green Surge."
Challenge: Read 350 pages of a book that shows you a novel perspective on an environmental issue.
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