Notes from Brainstorm Session with First Student Focus Group
February 12, 2010
Participants:
Tyler Baxter (Env. St.)
Courtney Leek (Env. Ed.)
Cory ___ (History, Comm, TLA)
Britany Honish (Env. Sci.)
Erika Resnack (Sust. Self-design)
Lauren Squires (Fair., Hux., Coord. Env. Ctr.)
Tyler ___ (Comm., TLA)
Alex Wilson (Fairhaven.)
George Pierce
Rich Frye
Nick Zaferatos
Gary Bornzin
Notes from whiteboard: [What we want to know, and want others to know, about sustainability;
what we could get from this course:]
Students shared a general feeling that that sustainability requires integrative understanding which
brings together knowledge, ability, and values, a transformative kind of learning, Based on
earlier discussions with Carmen Werder, the term “Dialogue” was unanimously chosen to
replace the term “Discussion” in course syllabus and planning, using the TLA model of “read
choose best representive line reflect and connect to your experience.”
Student ideas clustered around a number of themes:
Empowerment:Everyone has an important role to play in creating a sustainable future.
How is sustainability relevant to me/us?
What can I do? How can I get involved on this campus, in my community, and in the larger
world?
What I do matters; I’m relevant; together we can make a difference.
My contribution is welcomed.
Encouragement: Sustainability is abut building healthy and fulfilling communities.
Sharing with others.
Sharing success stories: e.g., campus green energy, recycling.
Sharing powerful images.
Seeing the snowball effect.
Responding to the challenge.
Seeing how our passions are connected.
Seeing interdisciplinarity.
Stories, dance, poetry from all cultures– everybody can be a teacher.
.
Tools and ways of thinking: How to approach something so big.
We and the world need to learn ways to make decisions as groups.
We need alternatives to competitive, destructive, exploitative systems.
Unity principle: we’re all in this together; working together for the common good.
“Sustainability: everybody gets it.” It’s inclusive, accessible to all – not exclusive or
esoteric.
Class can be a model, a microcosm, of the new way, new order, new thinking.