Hello Everyone,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as Bellevue College’s first Sustainability Curriculum Manager!
This new position was approved and funded by the Student Environmental Sustainability Fee (SESF) committee. My job is to promote and advocate for the infusion of sustainability into the college curriculum.
I will be working with faculty, students, the Sustainability Coordinator Deric Gruen, the SESF Committee, the ASG Board, and the Environmental Advisory Committee.
My goals this year are to research current efforts and best practices in sustainability curriculum and to develop sustainability curriculum outreach and education programs for faculty. There are many college campuses throughout the nation that will serve as mentors in our process to “green-up” our campus-wide class curriculum.
While I am new to this position since this summer, I am not new to the campus. In 2002, I was hired as a part-time instructor in the Interior Design Department. Since then, I have taught a variety of courses and I love my job as an interior designer and educator!
A spark ignited in me when I first discovered LEED-Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a voluntary building rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council. By the way, the new Science “S” Building on our campus is rated LEED Silver.
Many of my students were asking for instruction about green design and I thought about how I can integrate sustainable design into my practice and instruction. After teaching a few special topics classes, I decided to develop the Green Sustainable Design Certificate Program.
The Sustainable Design Certificate is a three class series that offers students instruction about global, national, local sustainability issues, and work that is happening to improve our built environment. You do not have to be an interior design major to take these classes. If you are a business major, you can choose to take these courses as part of the Associate in Arts in Sustainable Business Practices.
Last Updated September 29, 2011