Environment and Sustainability, Institute of the

Maarten Vonhof, Director
Main Office: 3900 Wood Hall
Telephone: (269) 387-2716
Fax: (269) 387-2272

Steven Bertman
Devin Bloom
Johnson Haas
Lynne Heasley
Denise Keele
Carla Koretsky
Daniel Macfarlane
Tiffany Schriever
Cybelle Shattuck

The Institute of the Environment and Sustainability is a dynamic, interdisciplinary unit that brings together faculty from a wide range of disciplines (sciences, social sciences and humanities) with a common interest in environmental conservation and justice. Our goals are to:

Foster environmental awareness, scientific literacy and sustainable practice in our students and the campus community;
Provide careful interdisciplinary training of majors and minors to provide multiple perspectives on complex environmental issues, thereby enabling our students to become creative problem solvers;
Develop real-world engagement with environmental issues and solutions.

The Institute also serves the Kalamazoo community and greater Southwestern Michigan as a center for environmental and sustainability expertise and action. We participate in and lead the larger community toward increased understanding of nature and how humans interact with their environment, awareness of environmental issues and their possible solutions, and engagement in activities that promote ecological, social, and economic sustainability and justice.

All three majors in the Institute, (Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Freshwater Science and Sustainability, and Sustainable Brewing) and one minor (Environmental and Sustainability Studies), are interdisciplinary and involve taking courses delivered by the Institute, as well as courses from many other academic departments on campus. The Environmental and Sustainability Studies major is a required dual major, while (Freshwater Science and Sustainability and Sustainable Brewing) are stand-alone majors.

Advising

Given the interdisciplinary nature of the programs, it is critical that students work regularly with College of Arts and Sciences advisors throughout their time at Western. Information about career choices, internships, summer jobs, graduate programs and second majors is also available from the Director and faculty of the Institute.