Taking Sustainability to the Outer
Limits
Perspectives of Sustainability as
Identified by Students at the College
of Menominee Nation
William Van Lopik, PhD
AASHE 2011 Conference
Pittsburgh, PA.
The Menominee Nation
• Located in
Northeast
Wisconsin
•358 miles² or
235,000 acres
•pop 4,562
•128 lakes and 4
rivers, (Wolf
River)
www.wikipedia.org
The distinctiveness of the Forest can be seen from space
in contrast to surrounding farmland
GLCF, LandSat ETM+, Path 24R29, True color
A 2-Year Tribal College where sustainable development is
integrated into the curriculum and operations.
Demographics of the College
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Total graduates
659
Average age at graduation
33
Alumni ethnicity 72% Native, 28% non-Native
Top degree choices – Business, Nursing, Education
Gender of graduates – 26% male, 74% female
Interactive Dynamic Dimensions
Upon which Sustainable
Development Depends
Land and Sovereignty
Natural Environment
Institutions
Technology
Economy
Human Perception, Activity & Behavior
Menominee
Autochthany
Course Content of Introduction to Sustainable
Development
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Part 1: Human Behavior, perception and attitudes
Population scales and monitoring
Demographic distribution
Population growth patterns
Economic inequities
Part II: Land and sovereignty
Indigenous land rights
Human rights
Resource extraction
Globalization
Part III: Technology
Appropriate and alternative technologies
Renewable energy
Globalization of communication technologies
Part IV: Institutional development and sustainability
Non-profit institutions
Funding sources
Social Activism
Part V: Natural Environment
Global environmental threats
Global Climate Change
Permaculture
Part VI: Economics
Triple bottom-line accounting
Green economies
Business ethics
Sustainable career options
Texts for Introduction to Sustainable
Development Course
Topics Selected
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Green Businesses
Personal Reflections on Sustainability
Alternative and Renewable Energy
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Education for Sustainability
Waste Management/Recycling
Sustainability Interests of 462 Students
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Environmental Degradation/Pollution
Native American Issues
Sustainability and Nursing
Menominee Sustainability and Forestry
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Social Sustainability
Green Construction Design
Food/Gardening
Global Climate Change
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Oneida Sustainability
Ogoni Human Rights
Sustainable Non-Profits
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Social Work
Appropriate Technology
Green Restaurants
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Household Cleaning Products
Environmental Sustainability
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Environmental Toxins and their threat to humans
Herbicide use on Menominee Forest
Invasive species
Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf
Colony collapse of honey bees
Water quality issues
Destructive mining practices
Solid Waste Management/Recycling
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Recycling e-waste
Recycling shoes
Starting a clothing exchange project
Recycling paper
Diaper alternatives
Unsustainability of nuclear repositories
History of landfills
Enforcing recycling policies
Littering
Packaging
Sustainable art – art from discarded materials
Sustainability and Native Issues
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Native American Land Rights
Indian Gaming and Tribal Sovereignty
Sustaining Native Culture*
Crandon Mine story
Tribal initiatives for sustainability
Government policy threats against tribal sovereignty
Native American confederacy
Sustainability and Social Work
• Psychology and sustainable development*
• Using the Trans-theoretical Model of human change
from the field of substance abuse counseling as a
way to confront a climate change denier.
• The way we treat ourselves is how we treat nature
• Empowering people to change
FOOD
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Sustainable gardening
Vegetarianism
Organic/Sustainable Farming
Food and ADHD/ADD
Eating locally produced food
Household Cleaning Products
• Proper disposal of products
• Effects of products on the environment
• Procurement methods
Oneida Sustainability
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Oneida Seven Generations Corporation*
Oneida Community Integrated Food Systems
Environmental restoration on the reservation
Oneida tribal values that promote sustainability
Three sisters’ planting
Role of casino in maintaining tribal sustainability
Menominee Sustainability
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Forest Management
Menominee history of sustainability
Menominee Tribal Enterprise
Wild Rice
Sustaining people through culture and wellness
Carbon sequestration as income generation
Sustainability through Menominee eyes
Ingrid Washinawatok – Menominee martyr for
indigenous rights in Colombia
• Menominee wisdom of the forest
• Termination and its effect on sustainability
Sustainable Technology
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Vermiculture and composting
Designing with Hemp
Designing a grey water system
Rainwater harvesting
Ogoni
• Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
• Human rights and mining for oil
• Ken Saro-Wiwa’s fight for indigenous rights
• Oil mining, poverty and environmental degradation
Social Sustainability
• Threats to the rainforest and the indigenous people who
live there
• Homelessness
• Threats to oceans
• Conflict gems
• Poverty
• Domestic abuse and its threat to a sustainable society*
• Unsustainability of consumerism
• Maintaining water quality in water parks
• Human rights and sustainability
Non-Profits and Sustainability
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Some students choose to explore more deeply the
work of these organizations such as: CARE, Doctors
without Borders, Defenders of Wildlife, Green For All,
SERRV Int’l, American Forests, and the Center for
Health, Environment and Justice
Alternative and Renewable Energy
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Fusion gasification
Methane gas as a renewable source
Appropriate renewables for Wisconsin
Alternative transportation fuels
Biomass
Identify alternative energies
Climate Change
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Indigenous Perspectives from Elders
Carbon Sequestration strategies
How to talk about it with children
Mitigation Strategies
Effects on Wildlife
Policy Debates at international and national level.
Green Building
Green architecture
Earth-Sheltered houses
Green housing development in Indian Country
LEED certification and energy efficiency
Sustainable building materials
Sustainability and Nursing
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Sustainability in nursing homes
Managing medical waste
Usages of the placenta
Disposal of pharmacuticals and contamination of the
water supply
Nurses as sustainability change agents
Nursing shortages in Africa as a threat to healthcare.
Recycling medical supplies
Greening hospital facilities
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E.org)
Sustainable Business*
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Green efforts in transportation freight industry
Greening a grocery store
Sustainability and the cosmetic industry
Organic and sustainable breweries
Fair trade products (coffee, chocolates, clothes)
Greening of the military “Green Hawks”
Socially responsible investments
Green burials
Sustainable Wal-mart (pros and cons)
Starting a green auto repair shop
“Greening” a golf course
Hotel maintenance and sustainability
Environmentally friendly diapers
Sustainability in the Home
• Creating a sustainable home
• Changing the way I live
• Working with my family on practicing sustainability in
our home
• Leading by example
• Choosing a career path that supports sustainability
Green Restaurants
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Green initiatives by McDonalds
Creating a sustainable bar and grill
Sustainability and restaurant operations
Knowing where the food comes from
Education for Sustainability
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Teaching sustainability to pre-schoolers
Classroom activities to promote sustainability*
Creating a sustainable classroom
Examples of “green” schools
Creating sustainable head-start programs
Energy savings in day-care center
Using art and play to promote classroom sustainability
What does this teach us?
Students embrace the concepts of sustainable
development when they realize their place in the world and
that their actions can have a profound negative or positive
influence
Menominee elder – Everything we have comes from
Mother Earth – from the air we breathe to the food we
eat – and we need to honor her for that. In treating the
forest well, we honor Mother Earth