More new construction is going
‘green’, such as
the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine
Science currently being built on the campus
of UC Davis (artist rendering above). UC Davis
Extension’s Green Buliding and Sustainable
Design Certificate provides training that enables
individuals to make decisions that support
sustainable design.
photo courtesy
of UC Davis Extension
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CE Goes ‘Green’: Programs Focused
on Sustainability Blossom
From the October/November 2007 Issue of InFocus (PDF)
CE Goes 'Green': Programs Focused on Sustainability Blossom
Climate change and global warming have recently become far more than buzz words in the mainstream media. This growing concern in balancing the interests of the planet and those who inhabit it is reflected in the increase of university-level programming concerning the environment. Popular programs are now focusing on "sustainability"-a concept that incorporates making ecologically sound and economically viable decisions. CE units are helping the public make intelligent decisions concerning their impact on the planet.
Innovative Programming
In 1987, the United Nations convened a panel that defined sustainability as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." At the University of California-Davis Extension, they are teaching students to do just that. The Green Building and Sustainable Design Certificate Program (GBSD) began in the Fall of 2006 as a joint project between two successful UC Davis Extension programs: Land Use and Natural Resources and Business & Management. The program combines elements from architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture, land-use planning, ecology, and construction management and is geared toward the planner, landscape architect, developer, or anyone interested in creating a healthier community through the implementation of sustainable design strategies. The program has even attracted lay people who are looking to build or re-build their own homes in a sustainable way. The program drew substantial interest from the community-each of the seven core courses had a maximum enrollment of 30 students, with each course having at least 10 students on a waiting list. Early informational sessions drew more than 200 interested professionals.
"It was a natural outgrowth of what we were already doing," explains Jeff Loux, Director of the Land Use and Natural Resources Program at UC Davis Extension. "We had an audience already interested in sustainable approaches to planning and design through our long-standing land use and environmental program."
The curriculum addresses the emerging trend toward developing a healthier and smarter environment by defining effective ways to conserve resources like water and energy, reuse and recycle materials and water, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels by changing our land use and development patterns. It's more than just using environmentally-friendly materials or energy-efficient technologies-there is a "big picture" approach to sustainability. "We're not just focused on the building like some programs," says Loux. "You have to start with regional, community and neighborhood planning. You can have the 'greenest' building in the world, but if you put it in the wrong place with unsustainable infrastructure, you have not done much," he says.
Sixteen students are poised to receive their certificate in Green Building and Sustainable Design by December 2007, while an additional six are on track to receive certificates by Spring 2008.
"This program was instrumental in broadening our visibility within the community," Loux continues. "Because of the program, we have students from construction management, real estate, interior design, and environmentally conscious people in the community seeking out our classes. This interest has been exciting because it reinforces our belief that green building and sustainability are adaptable to any lifestyle."
Informed Decision-Making
When lawmakers in New Zealand passed the Resource Management Act of 1991, the main piece of legislation that outlines how the country should manage its environment, they wanted to be sure sustainability was at the core of environmental management and that local communities were involved in decision-making processes. When difficult decisions over policies or practices need to be made, many community and public institutions hold a hearing to resolve points of contention. The University of Auckland Centre for Continuing Education now delivers a program designed to equip people with the skills they need to run effective hearings and to make informed decisions about how resources will be used. Designed by the Ministry for the Environment and Local Government New Zealand, The Resource Management Act: Making Good Decisions Program, is breaking new ground-with excellent results.
"This program has been widely accepted as having had an impact on decision making in hearings," says Program Director Susan Geertshuis. "The program's quality is due in no small part to the excellent relationship that has been established between the Ministry for the Environment staff and the university team and to the blending of the expertise that each party brings to the project." The program has since been written into law as a prerequisite for appointments to hearing panels.
Since its launch in 2004 by the Ministry for the Environment, more than 930 individuals have been trained and will receive certification by the end of 2007. The program comprises a two-day workshop preceded and followed by written assignments. Each workshop is made up of presentations, discussions and a mock hearing. It is presented by a lawyer and a planner, and is managed by a facilitator. So far, there have been 38 two-day workshops in 19 cities throughout New Zealand between 2005 and 2007. Successful graduates are issued a certificate, which is valid for three years.
"This project is a model for how universities can work with high-level government agencies towards the sustainability of our environment," Geertshuis explains.
Practitioners of sustainability are starting to find a home in universities all over the world. Programs like these show how institutions are aiming to harness the power of basic research to solve particular problems, not just at the global level but on a community scale.
-Kandace Gilligan |
