Education For Sustainable Living Program

Course Info

Spring 2009:
Wednesdays, April 1 - June 3
5:10PM - 7:00PM
Storer Hall 1322
CRN for Undergraduates: 73841
CRN for Graduate Students: 73897

2009 ESLP Syllabus.doc
ESLP_Syllabus_2008.doc

What is ESLP?

The Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to realize a sustainable community throughout the University of California. This course is structured as a 2-unit seminar series, hosting guest lectures by renowned educators, authors, environmentalists, and progressive thinkers. Lectures are open to the public free of charge to encourage collaboration between the campus and local community. The course encourages reflection upon and analysis of the principles of sustainability, and is designed to encourage dialogue between students, faculty, staff, administration, local community, and the entire UC system. For 2 additional units, students have the option to form Action Research Teams (ART's) in partnership with guest lecturers, faculty, administration, and community members to implement tangible change. These groups focus on campus specific issues such as sustainable transportation, socially & environmentally preferable purchasing, energy consumption reduction, waste reduction/prevention, and green building. Such experiential learning inspires participants to internalize the concept of sustainability, and carry it in practice beyond academia into a greater society. Students may enroll in this course to receive two units of academic credit for selected departments, or may opt to take the course for four units by participating in the Action Research Teams.

Additionally, this lecture series is open to everyone in the Davis community.

Objectives for Course

I. Explore the meaning of "sustainability."

II. Explore specific ways to apply the concepts of sustainability to daily lives and to our university.

III. Encourage communication and collaboration between all members of the campus community to envision, initiate, and enact tangible change locally, nationally, and globally.

IV. Challenge participants to think beyond the short term interests that currently drive global systems; examine how our present decisions and action affect future generations; apply a cross disciplinary systems level analysis to our community decisions and consider their regional and global effects.

Schedule for 2009

4/01 - Course Introduction & ART Introductions

4/08 - Erik Knutzen - Urban Homesteading

Author, activist, and blogger extraordinaire

4/15 - Matthew Wolf-Meyer - Medical Anthropology

Associate Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz

4/22 - Frank Loge - Why Your Wastewater May Save Your Life

Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis

4/29 - Green For All - Creating a Green Collar Economy

5/6 - Panel Discussion on Energy

5/13 - John de Graaf - Taking Back Your Time

Author, activist, filmmaker

5/20 - Sharon Davison

Educator, activist, progressive thinker

5/27 - Stephen Wheeler -

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design at UC Davis

6/03 - Action Research Team Presentations

Schedule for 2008

04-01 - Course Introduction

04-08 - Kevin Wolfe - Sustainable Living

Founder of N Street Co-Housing

04-15 - Margot Higgins - Biomimicry - Nature as a Model, Measure, and Mentor

04-22 - Joan Ogden - Hydrogen and Society

Associate Professor, Environmental Policy and Planning, UC Davis

04-29 - Jason Mark - Sustainable Food Systems

Author, activist, and farmer

05-06 - Veg Rev - Vegetable Oil Fuel Systems and Demonstration

05-13 - Ellis Jones - Socially Responsible Consumption

Professor of Sociology, UC Davis

05-20 - Nikki Henderson - Social Justice as a Pillar of Sustainability

Master's Student, UCLA

05-27 - Action Research Team Project Presentations

06-03 - Gary Snyder - Deep Ecology

Poet, Deep Activist

For lecture topics and speakers or for course information from 2007: http://cce.ucdavis.edu//content/view/16/34/

Action Research Teams (ART's)

The purpose of these “action research teams” is to involve students in a process of experiential learning by collaborating with faculty, staff, administration, and community members to implement tangible change at our university. Action Research Teams are lead by graduate students, students, or even community members, and meet weekly, outside of scheduled class time. Students earn an additional 2-units (total of 4 units w/ lecture and ART) for participation in an ART. Specific areas of focus could include but are not limited to:

Food Systems & Agriculture
Community Development
Green Building
Transportation
Renewable Energy
Natural Resource Management
Environmental justice
Public policy
Religion and spirituality
Sustainable Consumerism

The Education for Sustainable Living Program is requesting proposals from graduate students, undergraduates, or community members to lead action oriented research groups related to sustainability in our campus community. If you are interested in coordinating an “action research team” please express interest TODAY! If interested in leading an ART, we ask that a general project proposal (approximately 2 pages in length) be submitted to Natalie Yahr at ncyahr@ucdavis.edu by Wednesday, March 18th. After submission, proposals will be reviewed and organizers for the course will work with you to develop specific project guidelines by the end of winter quarter. Please contact Natalie Yahr (ncyahr@ucdavis.edu) or Stephanie Castle (stcastle@ucdavis.edu) for more information!
ART_Form.doc

2009 Action Research Teams

Developing the Low-Impact Vehicle Education (LIVE) Center - Bryan Jungers, bryan.jungers@gmail.com
Green Building at the Domes - Bryan Jungers, bryan.jungers@gmail.com
Gleaning Project - Maggie Lickter and Liz Fitzgerald, molickter@ucdavis.edu
SolArising - Brennan Bird, bbbird@ucdavis.edu
Experiments with Collective Transportation - Christopher Salam, mrsalam@ucdavis.edu
Strategic Communication - Isabell Call and Sara Diamond, divingskylark@gmail.com
Organizing in the Community - Lauren Jabusch and Jessica Bray, lkjabusch@ucdavis.edu
Consensus Documentary - Jessy Schmidt - jaschmidt@ucdavis.edu
Local Food Week/Real Food Week - Danielle Lee and Jen Heinlein, danielle.louhrine.lee@gmail.com

2008 Action Research Teams

Oxen Powered Farming-Shosha Capps, sacapps@ucdavis.edu
Sustainable Food Systems for UC Davis- Maggie Lickter, molickter@ucdavis.edu
Sustainable Housing- George Hubert, george.hubert@stantec.com
Bicycle Education Documentary- Ken Celli, kcelli@energy.state.ca.us
Our Salt March?: Thinking about Change - Tobias Joel, thjoel@ucdavis.edu

Tobias here—this ART will really be a lot of fun. We will address the elephant in the room. That is, slow down and look critically at the change we (as a movement) are trying to enact, and explore the modes of thought underpinning the problems we work to solve. That means taking responsibility for their causes and, from that point, considering how we can move forward. As we dig into these issues we will awaken our movement to a renewed introspection and, moreover, self-doubt. The goal is NOT to simply devise some homogeneous, systemic understanding of "sustainability". That would only replace the artificiality of mainstream culture with our own home-grown myths. Instead we will create a space to recognize sustainability's plurality of meanings and consider, What are we actually trying to do?

We will read one short (but rich) text a week and meet to discuss. Each participant will produce a small reflection on these issues by the end of the quarter (an essay, poem, drawing, performance piece—whatever you like!). Those will be the only assignments. It's about thinking. The flavor will be laid-back, calm and happy. Finally, the ART will organize a public demonstration in which all of ESLP can participate. That will be fun. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE AND COME TO ANY MEETINGS.

Tentative syllabus (readings made available in a reader): Salt March Syllabus.pdf

Presentation for ESLP 27 May: http://strangedays.viewbook.com/salt_marching

Sustainable Campus Transportation Design Collective - Chris Congleton, cdcong@gmail.com

Project Titles, followed by contact person for those projects:

Revive the Campus BUG (Bicycle User's Group)

Skyler (wsblakeslee@ucdavis.edu)

Summer Freshman Orientation: 5 minute film on biking convenience (and safety?)
Social Costs and Benefits of Travel Choices Focus Group Study

Chris C (cdcong@gmail.com)

Car-Free Downtown Davis on Weekends

Chris S (mrsalam@ucdavis.edu)

Design and Build Covered Bike Parking
Build some Bike Trailers or a 7 person Bike Bus

Will (wpklein@ucdavis.edu)"

Sustainable Crafts with Kids- Aisha Young, theyoung@ucdavis.edu

Topics for Action Research Teams from 2007 and 2006

Pedal Power - Built a pedal powered work desk to run your laptop while you cycle.
Open Sustainable Modern Media Distribution (Video/Audio Casting, aka Podcasting) - Creation & Distribution of lectures via modern media using Free Open Source tools
Green Business - Organized a Panel of Professionals on Green Business in Practice
Sustainable Food Systems - Surveyed Coffee House patrons about their preferences and knowledge of Organic, Fair Trade food.
Sustainable Food Systems II - How far does it take food to get to the table, and how do you measure the global impact.
Campus GreenMap
Starting a Non-profit
Sustainable Food Systems
Campus Transportation
Green Building (LEED)