Living & Learning Communities
Classes
As a student in the Environmental Sustainability LLC you will take three 2-credit-hour academic courses during your first year. All courses can be used towards a minor in Environmental Science. Service learning experiences are an important piece to the program and are incorporated throughout the first year.
Each quarter you explore a different aspect of environmental sustainability:
Fall Quarter (2 credits)
The first quarter course gives you a chance to develop a sense of place by discovering the local environment. This foundation is established with field trips to a local organic farm, Dinosaur Ridge National Monument, guest speakers, readings and activities. The quarter wraps up with you completing the first step in developing your own experiential service learning project.
Winter Quarter (2 credits)
In the winter, the course examines issues of development and its impact on our environment. Excursions outside of the classroom utilize DenverÂ’s resources and experts in green building, development and water quality on and off campus.
Field trips may include lower downtown Denver, the South Platte River and green housing development sites near campus. You will also continue to create your own experiential service learning project. During this quarter, you will decide which project to pursue as a group and do some initial investigation.
Spring Quarter (2 credits)
The topics of sustainability and energy resources drive the Environmental Sustainability LLC spring quarter course. Sustainability is examined by investigating energy, population, agriculture, and the use of resources. Hearing from local sustainability experts, taking a tour of a local power plant and visiting a hybrid car dealership allow you to really experience these topics first hand. You will continue to work on planning and implementing the experiential service learning project you designed, completing it by the end of the quarter.