Purpose
To provides students leadership skills, basic knowledge of sustainability issues, and opportunities for hands-on application of this knowledge at a local level.
Important Information
The class meets weekly. There are two sections - one on Tuesdays from 4-6 PM in MEZ 1.118 and one on Wednesdays from 4-6 PM in BEN 1.124 (first hour) and MEZ 1.122 (second hour). Students come on either Tuesday OR Wednesday, not both days.
Each class period is split in two. Half of the time is spent on a specific sustainability topic (4-5 PM) and half of the time is spent discussing a leadership skill (5-6 PM). Students can come to just the sustainability part, just the leadership part, or to both parts (though it's recommended to come to both).
This is the LAST TIME the class will be offered at UT, as the instructor is moving out of Austin. The class is free and provides *no* UT course credit. Anyone is welcome to come to the first session of the class (which is the week of January 23) to check it out and see if it's a match for you.
Click here for quotes about the class from previous students.
Click here to read a statement from the professor on why you should take the class.
How to Sign Up
Want to sign up for the course? Email instructor Corinna Kester (ckester@austin.utexas.edu) to sign up or if you have any questions. You do not register for this course through UT.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the concept of sustainability and the leadership skills necessary for sustainability-related programs to succeed. Sustainability is a broad topic; it includes social issues, environmental issues, and economic issues. The official definition of sustainability is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Sustainability addresses the understanding that environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic development are complementary approaches to enhancing quality of life.
Topics to be covered include:
Leadership Skills:
Sustainability Topics:
Course Structure
The course meets once a week for two hours; half of the time is spent discussing a leadership skill (5-6 PM) and half of the time is spent on a specific sustainability topic (4-5 PM). These skills and topics are then related to the UT campus, a microcosm of society. Students choose individual or group campus sustainability projects to which they will apply their new skills and knowledge. This practical application is a key part of learning new skills and will significantly enhance students' learning.
Time Commitment
The course is designed to be easy and low time commitment; the instructor is very flexible. It will require, at minimum, three hours per week - two for the course itself and one for course readings and work on the mini-project. Of course, students are encouraged, as their time permits, to select bigger and better mini-projects; the more important the project, the more the student will learn. All students are required to make a commitment to attend class the entire semester (this commitment is made after the 2nd class meeting, so anyone is welcome to come to the first class to try it out).
Course Requirements
Reading List
Course packet with brief summaries of the issues and skills listed above. Most readings will also be online; click on the title (see below on the schedule) to download the file.
Affiliation with the Campus Environmental Center
This course is affiliated with the Campus Environmental Center. CEC members enroll in this course under the Environmental Leadership Institute, and they agree to serve as a CEC officer for one year. Course spaces are also reserved for non-CEC members; these students enroll in the course under "Leadership toward a Sustainable World" and are not required to work with the CEC.
Schedule
All course materials are posted here, free for use by anyone. However, I strongly encourage taking the class if you want to learn the information - learning leadership skills takes place through discussion, Q&A, and (most importantly) practice, so simply reading these information sheets will not help you much. (Note: The majority of the info was taken from other websites; a few info sheets were edited or written by the course instructor.)
Week 1 (Jan. 24/25):
Week 2 (Jan. 31/Feb. 1):
Week 3 (Feb. 7/8):
Week 4 (Feb. 14/15):
Week 5 (Feb. 21/22):
Week 6 (Feb. 28/Mar. 1):
Week 7 (Mar. 7/8):
Week 8 (Mar. 21/22):
Week 9 (Mar. 28/29):
Week 10 (Apr. 4/5):
Week 11 (Apr. 11/12):
Week 12 (Apr. 18/19):
Week 13 (Apr. 25/26):
Week 14 (May 2/3): No Class
Course Facilitator Biography
Corinna Kester is Campus Sustainability Coordinator for the Environmental Health and Safety department at The University of Texas at Austin. In May 2004, she graduated from UT with a BS in chemical engineering and a BA in Plan II.
In 2002, Corinna founded the UT Campus Environmental Center, a Student Government agency that develops projects and partnerships focused on improving the campus environment. Her work with the CEC led to the creation of her current position and contributed to a variety of other campus sustainability projects, including the construction of UT's first certified green building. She has twice previously taught "Leadership towards a Sustainable World" and has extensive leadership training experience.
Corinna also served as a UN Environmental Program Youth Advisor for North America and as a member of the Steering Committee of SustainUS, the national youth network for sustainable development. Corinna is a recipient of a Truman Scholarship in public service.
Contact Corinna at ckester@austin.utexas.edu or at (512) 471-2033.
Why Take This Class?
The basic premise of the class is to teach you the basics of sustainability and the basics of leadership in two hours a week for a semester. In my eight years at UT, I learned all this information through my own effort. I put together the class to make it super easy for others to learn the information. Your leadership and knowledge of sustainability will both take a huge leap in the course of the semester.
Also, it's not very often you get someone who knows a lot about something willing to teach you everything they know. It's a great opportunity. And I've achieved a lot while at UT, including founding the Campus Environmental Center to help change the way the University approaches sustainability issues. Other people have recognized me as an outstanding leader; I won the prestigious Truman Scholarship, which is awarded to 70 people nationwide and is based on one's leadership and commitment to improving the world.
So why am I teaching it? Because I hope to provide others with the information I wish someone had provided to me. I had to figure it all out myself (it's a lot to figure out!), and you won't have to.
Not that I know everything, of course. But I have learned a lot, and everyone in the class contributes to the discussion, making it a rich place for sharing and learning.
So take the class! I've put a lot of time into it, and I hope it will be a transformative experience for you, bringing up ideas you've never heard of, connecting all of the major sustainability issues into a coherent whole, and allowing you to learn and practice valuable new leadership skills.
If you want to understand the world better and get more skills for changing it, then take my class. This is the last semester I'll offer it, so it's your last chance (since I'm moving away from Austin). Email me if you're interested.