nmental Education “
Sustainability is the No. 1 challenge for humanity. We can’t stop. We have to do more and more and more in terms of education...We have to internationalize sustainability and as a country we have to practise what we preach.” – Steve Grundy
Dan Anthon photo/Royal Roads
SO CLOSE
Royal Roads University VP Academic and Provost Steve Grundy has been working on environmental programming at the university since its inception in 1995. bring them into this environment where they’re removed from their decision-making, exposed to new ideas and rejuvenated with respect to sustainability and environment,” Grundy explains. “Then you put them back into their decision-making jobs and if that works well you should get fairly significant change occurring: that’s the whole strategy.” Similarly, undergraduate programs set up students with less professional experience to be the green leaders of tomorrow. “All the feedback I get from employers who have taken our students is very positive,” Grundy says. “They’re not superspecialized, but very applied and they can hit the ground running. They can see the bigger picture. They understand sustainability.” Looking to the future of environmental education at Royal Roads, Grundy says there will be added emphasis on carbon management. The university has been experiment-
ing with some short courses in carbon trading and management with a view to seeing if there’s potential for a specialization in a grad program in that area. But the main focus moving forward, Grundy says, will be on developing partnerships with other institutions. Already, Royal Roads is leading the way with its joint Master of Arts in Environmental Management in partnership with Tianjin University of Technology, which launches this year. It will be China’s first environmental management program at the graduate level. “Sustainability is the No. 1 challenge for humanity,” Grundy says. “We can’t stop. We have to do more and more and more in terms of education. The more we can do and the more global we can be in that education, the better. We have to internationalize sustainability and as a country we have to practise what we preach.”
AND GO SO FAR.
You don’t have to leave Victoria to move forward on your career path. At Royal Roads University, we offer options you can’t find anywhere else in the country. Tourism and Hospitality, Environment and Sustainability, or Business, Communications, Education, Leadership, or Conflict and Disaster Management – we’ve got a program for whatever interests you, so you can get ahead while staying close to home. Our flexible admissions process allows us to add your real world experience to your formal education, so you can follow your passion in our blended face-to-face and online programs without sacrificing your work or family life. Check us out at www.royalroads.ca then chat with an Enrolment Advisor to learn.more@royalroads.ca, or call 250-391-2528.
V I C TO R I A B C C A N A DA COMMUNITY GREEN SCENE • FEBRUARY 2012 • 13