ENVE3000EVST3000: Borrowing the Earth from Our Children
Instructors: Mingming Lu & Teri Jacobs
Why take this course?
How can individual choices impact the future of the planet? This course challenges students to confront global issues like climate change, urbanization, pollution, and public health by starting with a personal question: What can I do as an individual and as a member of my community to make a difference?
In this seminar, students will:
Explore sustainable practices in the Cincinnati region and beyond.
Reflect on how local actions can create global impact.
Collaborate with community organizations to support climate and sustainability goals.
Develop the knowledge and skills to contribute to sustainable development in their careers.
Through experiential learning, students will gain confidence in their ability to influence what comes next—both locally and globally.
Description
Inspired by Wendell Berry’s words, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children,” this course explores the urgent challenge of climate change and sustainability through the lens of urban life.
With more than half the world’s population now living in cities, the focus will be on urban solutions to climate change and sustainable development, particularly in and around Cincinnati. Students will engage in activities such as field trips, seminars with community leaders, group projects, and volunteer work that connect classroom learning to real-world impact.
Key themes include:
Climate change as a global threat and local responsibility.
Sustainability as meeting today’s needs without compromising tomorrow’s.
Urban soil, revitalization, and community engagement as case studies in sustainable practice.
By the end of the course, students will understand not only how they can take action as individuals, but also how to participate in and lead efforts for sustainable urban development in their future professions.
Our group discovered many sustainable businesses and efforts that Cincinnati was already doing or trying to do that most people, including us, were unaware of at the time. It was exciting... to see local people start businesses with sustainability as their top priority. Something I learned... is that you just simply have to talk to people about climate change.... In order to create real change, you need people to push the movement along and people won’t do this unless they are empowered to do so.
Kelly Helton Student in Fall 2024 class
Sample Research Posters and Previous Marketing
