Sustainability

What is sustainability?

The EPA says it's the principle that "Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment."

The U.N. uses it as a development term for "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

One Urban Dictionary entry calls it "a hippy dippy cosmic cupcake term loosely applied to just about everything environment related to sound like you know what you're talking about."

It's a broad term that invites big thoughts, and we're inviting you to jump into the conversation!

Through a combination of daytrips, talks, and tours, we'll talk look at energy, food, waste, and water, mix in some discussion of consumption, community, and citizenship, and come out with a great foundation for defining what sustainability means to us, on our campus and in our region.

Come prepared to engage in a varied itinerary including outdoor activities requiring some physical exertion, readings and discussions, tours of facilities that may or may not be loud and/or smelly, and spending time with other first-year students and enthusiastic trip leaders who can't wait to meet you.

Questions about general Leading Edge logistics and registration? Contact leadingedge@wlu.edu.

Specific questions about the Sustainability Leading Edge program? Contact Jane Stewart, director of sustainability, at jcstewart@wlu.edu.