Micronesian Educator Vol 14, 2010, Incorporating Sustainability into the

Incorporating Sustainability into the Curriculum: The Case of Green Projects in Coursework Yukiko Inoue, University of Guam With contributions by graduate students

Abstract School teachers in a graduate education research course at the University of Guam developed and conducted a green lesson during the spring semester of 2010. Those of the students who were not school teachers, working instead for private companies or government agencies, focused their projects on green communities or workplaces. The instructor of the course monitored their projects with reviews of each student's progress report, frequent in-class question-and-answer sessions, and regular electronic or oral communication . Students conducted their own projects based on inquiry-based learning, and this paper itself uses an inquiry-based approach. Samples of student projects are included. The paper discusses reasons why sustainability education must be an ongoing business, for as long as we live on this planet.

Keywords : green school behavior, sustainability, inquiry-based learning, project-based learning Introduction Almost daily reminders of vanishing polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and horrific weather patterns give us every reason to wonder if we are doing enough to assure a sustainable future on this planet (Johnston, 2009). Sustainability, in essence, "represents an interconnectedness of factors and force-environmental, economic, and social-that require new and more sophisticated analyses, teachings , and interventions" (Timpson et al. , 2006, p. 9.). And yet, "sustainability requires integrating the knowledge base of individual disciplines to create a holistic program that brings together the economic, social, and environmental understanding, practices, and policies of a globally and environmentally connected world" (Berry, 2006 , p. 103) .

"Safeguarding the environment ranks high on political and social surveys" (Marschall, 2006, p.

12); nevertheless, "a yawning gap exists between good intentions and reality. Although Americans express strong support for reducing air and ground pollution, few give up their cars or recycle their AA batteries instead of throwing them in the trash" (p. 12). In terms of changing habits and thinking green, the following passage by Joachim Marschall (2006) , a psychology student and freelance science writer in Germany, is intriguing and worth reading :

The theory of planned behavior assumes that we carefully consider pros and cons, which may be true in novel situations such as moving to a new city. But the theory neglects an important point: in everyday life we tend to be creatures of habit. We may have to overcome many habitual, or automated, acts to exhibit greener behavior. The decision to leave the lights on as we walk out of a room or to check the recycling symbol on a plastic container instead of just throwing it away may rarely involve conscious consideration. (p. 13) Marschall further argues: "Other characteristics, such as age, also influence how ecologically minded a person may behave. Although young people express concerns for the environment, they are somewhat less likely to behave in an environmentally sustainable way than are older people" (p. 13). Teaching sustainability is thus essential.

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If higher education does not lead the sustainability effort, who will?

'The most important role of universities," according to Joyce Berry (2009), the dean of Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, "is to provide the programmatic leadership that will educate tomorrow's environmental leaders .... Only by teaching sustainability as a broad-based, and outward-focused leadership endeavor will we be able to attain our ultimate goal of a better, more sustainable, and just world" (p. 104) . "All parts of the university are critical in helping to create transformative change in the individual and collective mindset.

Everything that happens at a university and every impact, positive and negative, of university activities shapes the knowledge, skills, and values of the students" (Cortese, 2006, p. xi). In order to achieve the educational experience in which all students are aligned with the principles of sustainability, Anthony Cortese (2006), the president of Second Nature, wrote: Higher education will form partnership with local and regional communities to help make them healthy, socially vibrant, economically secure, and environmentally sustainable as an integral part of higher education 's mission and the student experience .... The issue is not the ability of higher education to take on this challenge. It is the will and the timeframe of doing so. If higher education does not lead the sustainability effort in society, who will? (p. xiv)

"If higher education does not .... who will?" It is such a strong message! Timpson et al. (2006) support Cortese's point as follows: "The university is a microcosm of the larger community ... its daily activities are an important demonstration of ways to achieve environmentally responsible living and to reinforce desired values and behaviors in the whole community. These activities provide unparalleled opportunities for teaching, research, and learning" (p. xiv) .

Because inquiry-based learning has five stages, the section on Case Description in this paper includes five subsections. Each stage involves separate goals and activities that the students in the course accomplished. Students' submissions, as included in this paper, have been edited for brevity. Reflection especially allows me to analyze my experiences in the sustainability work.

Basically, I reflected on this work by answering each of my own questions.

Background I trust that the president of the University of Guam would like to provide leadership in the University's mission of sustainable development: advancing the social, economic, environmenta and cultural well-being of the local and global communities through teaching, research, and community service In 2008, the University's president announced a Going Green Initiative. Its goal is to develop a sustainable campus that can serve as a model for Guam and the other islands of Micronesia where the University is recognized as a regional learning center.

According to the University's Sustainability Committee, the Initiative will take place at three levels. The first level involves education to promote habit changes among students, faculty, and staff, in the direction of greener campus life and socially conscious living. The second level provides opportunities for the University and its surrounding community actively to engage in responsible management of resources and waste products through the procurement of locally produced and recycled goods, and the disposal of goods through recycling. The third level engages the local community, and private and governmental organizations in obtaining resources for the development of alternative energy systems that are the best fit for the environment of Guam.

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"The most successful changes are those in which the formal curriculum is an integral part of the other functions of higher education" (Timpson et al. , 2006, p. x) . Tim Beatley, a professor of sustainable communities, notes: "The curriculum to follow challenges students to overcome the passivity of our times and it gives them the knowledge and tools to become the kinds of ecological citizens we need more than ever today. I'm looking forward to seeing in my lifetime the changing awareness ... " (2009, p. xiv). I feel the same way and look forward to seeing the changing awareness among students in the University of Guam. Most important, I asked myself the following :

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How can I incorporate sustainable practices into teaching about sustainability?

Speaking of students, the University's Green Army was introduced by Schmokel (201 0) in the University's newspaper, Triton 's Call, and it should be noted here as well : At this year's Charter Day celebration, a record number of Green Army volunteers gave up their free time to help out, doing everything from sorting through trash barrels and picking up litter on the ground to simply walking around and talking to people about the importance of recycling .. . the results of the group's hard work showed an outstanding success: over 138 lbs of plastic bottles and 92 lbs of aluminum cans had been collected." (p. 8) The Green Army's work noted above is a good example of the second level of the University's Green Initiative-actively engaging in the disposal of goods through recycling .

Case Description "An old adage states: Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand. The last part of this statement is the essence of inquiry-based learning ... .Inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding" (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004, p. 1). We learn best by doing and students are responsible for their own learning. Students conducted their own projects based on inquiry-based learning, and this report is itself based on an inquiry-based approach. The inquiry-based approach requires that we 1) ask (articulating problems); 2) plan (designing strategies within a certain time frame); 3) explore (exploring resources for solving problems); 4) construct (synthesizing resources and providing solutions); and 5) reflect (discussing the implications for further enhancement).

The sustainability work documented in this paper was carried out based on Lim 's five stages: STAGE 1: through a review of the literature, approaches to be used in the work were identified; STAGE 2: a "green lesson" project was added as one of the course assignments. The course syllabus articulated the content of this assignment, emphasizing the 3Rs (reduce whenever possible, reuse as often as possible, and recycle as much as possible) ; STAGE 3: promoting awareness among my students (many of whom were public and private school teachers in Guam) regarding environmental issues and the sustainability ethic, the assignment was explained on the first day of class; STAGE 4: the assignment consisted of a lesson plan (based on the subject the participants were teaching), and an actual lesson report (how the 3Rs were adopted in teaching) . Students were to be interviewed in the middle of the semester; STAGE 5: this allowed me to analyze my experiences through the sustainability work, answering the following two questions: ,. What knowledge have I gained in incorporating sustainability into the curriculum? ~

How does it benefit students, teachers, the University, and the community?

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The purpose of the first level of the University's Green Initiative, as stated above , is to promote changes in habits among students, faculty, and staff, in the direction of greener campus life and socially-conscious living. Based on these students' opinions , it is fair to say that they are aware of the sustainability issues and the associated challenges of sustainable living.

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Green Lesson Plan Emphasizing the 3Rs, I outlined the format of a lesson plan, below, for students. Students who were not school teachers focused their projects on green workplaces or green communities.

Develop a 2-page lesson plan applying the 3Rs to your teaching, using the format below. If you are not teaching, think about anything you can do to apply the 3Rs at work or in the community.

1. Subject (content area, level, and so on) 2. Objectives (objectives are drawn from the broader aims of the unit plan but are achieved over a well-defined time period. V\lhat will students be able to do during this lesson? How will students demonstrate that they have learned and understood the objectives of the lesson?)

Materials/Media (a complete list of materials, including full citations of textbooks or story books used, worksheets, and any other special considerations are most useful. V\lhat materials or media will be needed? What textbooks or story books are needed?)

Lesson Description (this section provides an overview of the lesson in terms of topic focus, activities, and purpose. What is unique about this lesson? How did your students like it?)

Lesson Procedure (this section is divided into introduction, main activity, and closure.)

Assessment/Evaluation (you need to gather some evidence that students really participated in the project. This is done by gathering students' work and assessing the work using some kind of grading rubric that is based on lesson objectives. How will you evaluate the objectives that were identified? Have students practiced what you are asking them to do for evaluation?)

A sample lesson plan, below, was prepared by Student A, which was edited for brevity. I asked my students to fill out a student information form, including an item asking their future goals.

This student wrote: "Professionally, I want to be a business professor someday; I would like to teach at a university and share my understanding of the business field with the new generation.

Socially, I want to continue meeting people from different backgrounds and exchange ideas and thoughts . Personally, I want to have self-fulfillment in life and experience the real meaning of happiness ."

SAMPLE 1. Subject: Business Elective/Career Exploration; Grade 10 (30 students per period ) 2. Learning Objectives: Students will learn: why the world of work is changing; why every job requires job-specific and transferable skills; the importance of product innovation through recycling , reducing and reusing ; and how to make better decisions.

3. Materials/Media: Local newspapers, magazines, and dictionaries of occupational titles; and resources or media will be helpful in students' careec decision-making.

4 & 5. Lesson Description and Procedures: Day 1: Discussion: The World of Work (PowerPoint slides). On the first day, students will understand the chapter lesson through discussion . They will review examples of successful products that involve the 3Rs. They will also view a PowerPoint presentation to show sample project which will be guidance for their next group work.

Day 2-5: Group project: The World of Work. Students will be in groups of 4-5. Every group will choose a company that exists in Guam and choose a leader; the leader will delegate tasks to the members. All leaders will report to inform the teacher about the status of the group's project.

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