Background

In the absence of government action on climate change and sustainability, US colleges and universities are devoting significant resources to improving campus sustainability.  Over six-hundred campuses have signed on to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), publicly committing to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and train students to “operate a sustainable society” in the future.  ACUPCC signatories are required to taking actions making “climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for all students” (Climate Leadership 2009).  Duke is a signatory of the ACUPCC; the 2009 campus Climate Action Plan commits Duke to make sustainability and climate neutrality part of curricular as well as co-curricular experiences for all students (Growing Green 2009)

One way that Duke is attempting to meet the curriculum goals in its Climate Action Plan is by engaging the “gatekeepers” of the curriculum, faculty, via “sustainability in the curriculum” workshops.  In May 2010, 9 faculty from Duke met with 21 faculty members from 7 North Carolina colleges and universities for a curriculum workshop.  This year, approximately 10 Duke faculty members will attend a one-day, on-campus sustainability workshop in May 2011.  This model for faculty engagement in sustainability is based on the established Piedmont and Ponderosa Projects, which operate at Emory University and Northern Arizona University (NAU), respectively.  The rationale behind these workshops is that by engaging and providing support (and in some cases, financial support) to diverse faculty members via workshops focused on 1) learning about and discussing sustainability issues and 2) grappling with how to incorporate these issues into their classes, students will be exposed to sustainability from multiple perspectives and in a myriad of courses throughout their undergraduate careers.