In order to focus its efforts and engage as many students, faculty and staff as possible, the Sustainability Steering Committee has decided to theme its events for the upcoming academic year on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that began in April and was only recently shut down. Although the story has faded somewhat from the headlines, the extensive economic and ecological damage the spill caused is still ongoing, and provides innumerable learning opportunities.
One way to integrate this theme into the college community is to encourage faculty to incorporate the oil spill into their classes. The form that this takes can be as simple as a single assignment, reading, or class activity. If you are interested in incorporating some aspect of the oil spill into your classes, either this fall or in the spring, please let me know. If I cannot help you myself, I can certainly point you to some people who can. If you already have something planned, or are interested but do not need help, please let me know anyway. I would love to report what you do to the Sustainability Steering Committee, so that it can use the information to further promote sustainability at MCC.
Another way to promote this theme is to sponsor events that deal with the issue. The first event will be on October 27th at 12 PM in the Empire Room. Dan Robertson, Chair of Chemistry and Geosciences, will discuss the challenges of undersea oil drilling, and provide an important context for the disaster that we all watched unfold throughout the summer. The event will be streamed to DCC. More information will follow as we draw nearer to the event.
Matthew Fox
Sustainability Steering Committee
10/01/2010 |