U.S. Colleges' 5 Best Eco-Professors and Green Classes

The fantasy draft: We scouted university catalogs nationwide to patch together a dream team of all-star teachers and sure-hit courses. Here are the academic picks for which we'd shell out private-school tuition:

CLASSES

Green Buildings and Behavior, Stanford University

To get into this limited-enrollment class, you have to write an essay about why you think campus sustainability is important. Once in, you get to dig through trash at Stanford’s recycling center and learn to implement a campus-wide energy plan. Students also get coached to draft and deploy conservation messages. After finishing the course, students are eligible to be sustainability coordinators of campus buildings.

Environmental Innovation Practicum, University of Washington

This seminar preps students for UW's annual Environmental Innovation Challenge, during which teams build prototypes and develop business plans for products that will help solve environmental problems. Bonus: The team that develops the winning gizmo gets $10,000.

Foundations of Ecopsychology, Lewis & Clark College

During this graduate-level class, Thomas Joseph Doherty, editor of the journal Ecopsychology, helps students examine the healing effects of natural places and guides them through ways that people develop "environment identities."

Ecogeomorphology,            UC Davis

Students get their feet wet during this multidisciplinary, 12-person class about watershed issues. Experts from Davis's Center for Watershed Sciences help students prepare peer-reviewed reports for publication. The fun part: a two-week trip into a watery ecosystem. Past excursions have gone to Alaska's Copper River, British Columbia's Skeena River, or Oregon's Grand Ronde.

Environmental Ethics and Policy, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Students pondering law school would do well to take this class, which examines the value of nature, as well as human obligations to other animals and future generations. Professor Jim Sheppard, a fan of such thinkers as Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Stuart Mill, helps students grasp why environmentalism is a matter of personal responsibility.

PROFESSORS

 MICHAEL POLLAN, Journalism, UC Berkeley

photo: Alia Malley

Rarely do a book's ideas seep so thoroughly into the collective mind as did those from Pollan's bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Though his theories resonate in diverse academic circles—food science, genetics, agriculture, ecology, dietetics—Pollan is by trade a journalist, and that's what he teaches at Berkeley. His recent classes have included Getting Over Wilderness, Science Reporting: Covering the Food Chain, and our favorite, The Editor as God.

JARED DIAMOND, Geography, UCLA

photo courtesy of UCLA

The Pulitzer-winning author of Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is one of the world's foremost experts on how humans' impact on nature can lead to disaster. Diamond's degrees are in physiology and biochemistry, but his classes, including Past Societies and Their Lessons for Our Own Future, are anchored in history. He's also a trailblazer in conservation biology, studying why some species are prone to extinction.

ELINOR OSTROM, Political Science, Indiana University

photo: Chris Meyer / Indiana University

Last year, Ostrom became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics. A pioneer in studying the management of communal resources, she teaches such opaque-sounding courses as Institutional Analysis and Development: Micro. But her topics are specific: how humans make collective decisions and whether individuals govern resources better than institutions do.

AL GORE, Interdisciplinary, Middle Tennessee State University

photo: Anne Hamersky

A polarizing figure? Perhaps. But the former VP has much to teach. After persuading 51 million people to vote for him to be leader of the Western world, he's clearly qualified to teach a class called Community Building.

 

 

JAMES HANSEN, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University

photo: Arnold Adler

The world's most famous climatologist, and the first to speak out loudly about a potential global-warming apocalypse, Hansen is an adjunct professor at Columbia. His class, Introduction to Planetary Atmosphere and Climate Change, must be popular, because he won the university's Teaching Excellence Award in the Humanities and was named Outstanding Teacher in the Core Curriculum.

—Avital Binshtock

No Impact Week: Energy

No Impact Man, a.k.a. Colin Beavan, took a yearlong vow to live a zero-waste lifestyle in New York City. The experiment inspired a blog, a book, a film - and others to embrace green habits. This week's tips will help you try a one-week carbon cleanse. Sign up here to share the results of your own No Impact Project.

Tip #4: Unplug Appliances

If you can't buy green power in your state, look for ways to reduce your energy consumption. Instead of relying on electrical appliances this week, you might hang laundry to dry on a clothesline or trade TV time for a family game night. Remember that computers, VCRs, and microwaves can suck power even when they're turned off, so unplug "vampire appliances" when they're not in use.

Share your tips: How do you reduce energy use at home?

Daily Roundup: September 1, 2010

Case of the Munchies: Canadian authorities will spare the lives of at least 17 black bears that were repeatedly fed dog food by marijuana farmers. The bears, discovered during a drug bust, will be fed until winter hibernation, which officials hope will disrupt their dog-food habit. Montreal Gazette and AFP

Eco-Extreme: A population-control activist took hostages at the Discovery Channel's Maryland headquarters, then was shot and killed. CNN and MSNBC

Cove Continued: Japan's annual dolphin hunt began today in Taiji. Ecorazzi

Just Say No: The Bahamas suspended the consideration of new oil-exploration applications. Bloomberg Businessweek

Before the Storm: Some North Carolina barrier islands have been evacuated as Hurricane Earl approaches the East Coast. A few surfers plan to ride the waves. AP and New York Daily News

--Della Watson

Outdoor Ed: Classes in Which No One Ever Struggles to Stay Awake

Backpacking trips, gear-loan programs, and rock-climbing walls are common college offerings nowadays. But these schools take nature-based extracurriculars to a whole new altitude.

From left: courtesy of UCSD, courtesy of Andrew Dreher, Montana River Photography

The Outdoor Program at the University of Montana trains students to become certified rafting guides as part of their undergraduate education. During a weeklong course, recruits negotiate the Blackfoot and Clark Fork Rivers' abundant rapids. The certification includes wilderness first aid, boat rigging, and river-rescue skills.

The ocean is just across the street from UC San Diego, so the school's surf team is superior. Members get a coveted gate key to legendary Black's Beach, where they meet at dawn throughout the school year. Casual wave riders can join UCSD's noncompetitive Surf Club or take a recreational surfing class.

The Grand Canyon's south rim is less than a two-hour drive from Northern Arizona University, which offers a "Grand Canyon Semester" in conjunction with the National Park Service; students hike, raft, and discuss stewardship. NAU also offers a ranger certification course.

Book Roundup Wednesday: National Parks

Every Wednesday, we review a selection of new and upcoming books addressing a specific aspect of environmentalism. This week, we're recommending books about national parks.

National Parks: The American Experience, 4th Edition (by Alfred Runte, $26, Taylor Trade Publishing, Mar. 2010) Runte, a prominent environmental historian, argues that America's national parks were not established for purposes of environmental protection but from a rising sense of nationalism. His book, an engaging and enlightening history of national park development, also contains beautiful color illustrations.

Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks (by Tyler Nordgren, $20, Praxis, May 2010) With breathtaking photos of night skies, Nordgren weaves an equally beautiful narrative that links astronomy to geology and history. The book explores everything from star formations to the autumn moon, highlighting the intricate connections between the heavens, natural landscapes, and the human culture reflected in our national parks.

Knowing Yellowstone: Science in America's First National Park (edited by Jerry Johnson, $16, Taylor Trade Publishing, June 2010) Each chapter explores a specific research project at Yellowstone, and how its findings inform policy at the national park. Johnson's narration clearly depicts how scientists continue to work to understand one of the world's largest ecological refuges.

No Impact Week: Food

No Impact Man, a.k.a. Colin Beavan, took a yearlong vow to live a zero-waste lifestyle in New York City. The experiment inspired a blog, a book, a film - and others to embrace green habits. This week's tips will help you try a one-week carbon cleanse. Sign up here to share the results of your own No Impact Project.

Tip #3: Eat Locally and Seasonally

By making just a few dietary changes, you can lower your carbon "foodprint." Avoid packaged, processed foods and opt instead for locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Raising livestock for food is responsible for more emissions than all modes of transportation combined, so try substituting vegetarian or vegan dishes when you might otherwise have eaten meat.

Share your tips: What's your favorite vegetarian recipe?

Daily Roundup: August 31, 2010

Making the Grade: A new proposal for fuel-economy standards would require that all new vehicles are marked with a colorful letter-grade sticker; electric cars would get an "A" and the least efficient vehicles would get a"D". NPR

Something to Celebrate: The champagne industry is working on a new, lighter bottle design in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. New York Times

Salmon Summer: Scientists and fishermen are pleased to see sockeye salmon populations boom in Canada's Fraser River. ENN

Leading the Way: California legislators approved the nation's first energy-storage bill. It will require utilities to find ways to store energy so as to avoid firing up extra power plants during peak-demand times. Grist

Algal Overload: Climate change or a genetic mutation could be causing the increasing quantities of didymo algae, a.k.a. "rock snot," in California rivers, scientists say. Sacramento Bee

--Allison McCann

The 6 Most Environmentally Improved Colleges

In the name of positive reinforcement, we applaud 6 surprise stars looking to increase their green GPA:

1. A year ago, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, had few eco-friendly initiatives and was committed to studying "clean coal." But after student activists rallied, university officials created a sustainability council, added native habitat, and agreed to offer organic food.

2. The University of Missouri completed a greenhouse-gas emissions report and added a sustainability office, which created an online energy "dashboard" that pits residence halls against one another in a contest to consume the least.

3. Appalachian State University, in North Carolina, staffed its new sustainability office with two full-time employees and five graduate assistants. A 100-kilowatt wind turbine also debuted, as did a solar heater that supplies 60% of the hot water for restaurants, locker rooms, and bathrooms.

No Impact Week: Transportation

No Impact Man, a.k.a. Colin Beavan, took a yearlong vow to live a zero-waste lifestyle in New York City. The experiment inspired a blog, a book, a film - and others to embrace green habits. This week's tips will help you try a one-week carbon cleanse. Sign up here to share the results of your own No Impact Project.

Tip #2: Choose Greener Transportation Methods

Colin Beavan and his family phased out all forms of mechanized travel, including planes, cars, taxis, subways, and even elevators, for their No Impact year. For your carbon cleanse, discuss ways to reduce your family's dependence on petroleum-fueled transit. If it's not feasible to walk or bike to work, consider carpooling or taking public transportation.

Share your tips: How do you green your transportation?

Daily Roundup: August 30, 2010

Upon Themselves: The EPA, after Congress failed to pass a climate bill, is issuing new rules to compensate for what the agency had hoped legislators would. NPR

Weather Delay: Due to bad weather, BP’s blowout preventer won’t be retrieved on schedule. Yahoo! Green

Shore Neglect: Testing California’s beaches for environmental health hazards has hit a 10-year low. Failure to test enough locations frequently enough threatens to expose people to water that’s too polluted to swim in. Los Angeles Times

Reverent Lookout: Yellowstone got a new $27-million visitor center. New York Times

For Sale: State parks are considering pursuing corporate sponsorship and financial partnerships with private companies. Huffington Post Green

--Avital Binshtock