Planting the Seeds of Equity in Sustainable Living and Environmental Justice Course

This is the second of seven First-Year Friday articles that will run every Friday through the end of June.

Elmira, NY (05/21/2021) — As the world navigates the negative impact of climate change, one Elmira College professor is keen to explore ways students can adopt everyday practices that limit their carbon footprint while advocating for systemic changes. Alexa Yesukevich, instructor in sociology and coordinator of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, will teach the First-Year Seminar course called Sustainable Living and Environmental Justice.

"I'm interested in the often-invisible value systems that lie underneath our everyday behaviors," said Yesukevich. "The connections between capitalism, justice, and the environment are complex but also fundamental to the way our society works."

The First-Year Seminar courses are foundational courses in liberal arts and sciences designed to develop critical thinking skills that will be important to students throughout their college careers and beyond.

Yesukevich grew up traveling and living on three continents and wants students to understand how pollution and climate change negatively impact some groups of people more than others.

She also wants to make sure students get outside to learn. She's planning field trips that will help students explore the value of their personal contributions to environmental sustainability and the importance of advocating for policy shifts and changes to the economic structures that incentivize the status quo. Students will then design a new community garden for the campus, bringing together their experiences of their natural world and their social world.

"I hope to encourage students to learn to create everyday lives for themselves that support their personal values, no matter what they are," she said. "In this class, we'll look for inspiration in ordinary people around us who have made a decision to do things differently. Students will study and visit local initiatives such as a youth farm which equates sustainability with racial justice; planned neighborhoods organized around environmental sustainability; and a business incubator that offers land, equipment, and training for new agricultural entrepreneurship. Whenever possible, our field trips will involve hands-on service learning."

Beyond the classroom, students can continue to explore environmental justice topics together by joining a Living Learning Community.

Facilitated by Rebecca Johnson, associate professor of education and director of the First-Year Seminar Program, the goal is for students to bring the conversations they are having in the classrooms into the residence halls and then channel that energy into action with community engagement.

"I believe that young people are the leaders on combating the devastating impacts of climate change, and I can't imagine a better place for young adults to work together on these issues than with peers in their first year of college," Johnson said. "I'm excited to see how our new campus garden will impact our community and our conversations on campus."

Learn more about these programs in previous articles (see below links) and look for more First-Year Friday articles through June 25. This series serves as a guide to students as they consider which courses to take and the Living Learning Community that best aligns with their own goals and aspirations.

PREVIOUS FIRST-YEAR FRIDAY ARTICLES:

Elmira College Programs Focus on Leadership From The Start

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