Photo by Paul Martens
Summer 2003—”Prairie-in-the-Planters” project
Do you have a New Year’s resolution? If not, there are dozens of IU staff, faculty, students and administrators on campuses throughout the state who would be happy to suggest one—make the world a greener place.
From prairies in planters, to bean-powered buses,
to reforestation of riverbanks, IU is doing its part
to utilize precious resources and promote best practices.
‘A …myth of higher education is that we can adequately restore that which we have dismantled. In the modern curriculum, we have fragmented the world into bits and pieces called disciplines and subdisciplines. As a result, after 12 or 16 or 20 years of education, most students graduate without any broad integrated sense of the unity of things. The consequences for their personhood and for the planet are large.’
—David Orr in the journal In Context, and author of
Earth in Mind and Ecological Literacy
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From the Editor: “IU Home Pages” plans to feature
projects on IU campuses that foster environmental sustainability
in future issues and welcomes suggestions from its readership.
IU’s campuses provide textbook case for promoting environmental literacy A driving force in the environmental literacy effort at IU Bloomington is the Council for Environmental Stewardship (CFES), which was founded in 1998 to review campus programs, policies and activities for environmental impact and move the campus toward greater success in environmental stewardship. The council is comprised of nearly 30 administrative, academic and student groups and functions through three working groups: Green Landscaping; Environmental Literacy; and Paper Reduction.
In 2002, the CFES, in collaboration with the Landscape Architect’s Office, Campus Division, the IUB Department of Biology, Bloomington’s Wild City Initiative and various student groups, undertook the green landscaping project of naturalizing several large planters behind Jordan Hall Atrium with native grasses and prairie vegetation. Dubbed the “Prairie-in-the-Planters,” this natural habitat provides food, water, cover and places to raise young for area wildlife.
Heather Reynolds, assistant professor of biology and project director, collaborated with SPEA graduate student Jenn Hanink and landed a grant from the National Wildlife Federation, which provided seed money for the green planters. The principle behind green landscaping, Reynolds explained, is that “it works with nature using plants, avoiding pesticides, fertilizer and water, and celebrates the land’s natural heritage. Green landscaping is easy on the environment and fosters biodiversity year-round.” Although one might suppose the planters would be “dormant” this time of year, nothing could be further from the truth, said Reynolds. Native species of birds feast at the planters daily throughout the winter months. Those involved with the planter project hope that it will serve as a model for other green landscaping on the IUB campus.
To learn more about the Prairie-in-the Planters Project, or for tips on how to do green landscaping:
http://environment.indiana.edu/html/Current_Projects/Green_Landscaping/Green_Landscaping.html
Upgrading the environmental literacy of IUB students and the Bloomington community is another goal of the CFES. To that end, last year the group sponsored a seminar series which featured IU faculty as presenters, including Scott Russell Sanders (English), Keith Clay (Biology), David Haberman (Religious Studies), and Jeanne Sept (Anthropology), as well as two nationally prominent figures in the field of environmental stewardship—David Orr of Oberlin College and Christopher Uhl of Penn State University. The seminar series, co-coordinated by Reynolds and Eduardo Brondizio of the Department of Anthropology, will eventually appear in an edited volume of its proceedings, with possible publication by IU Press.
The interdisciplinary environmental literacy working group brings together representatives from more than a dozen departments and schools at IUB.
“One of our most important achievements is simply bringing people together from so many departments who are enthusiastic about environmental literacy and truly dedicated to educating students about the environment,” said Briana Gross, a doctoral candidate in biology and the group’s current leader.
Jim Capshew, director of graduate studies at the IUB Department of History and Philosophy of Science, has been with the group since its inception. He believes that, to be successful, approaches to environmental literacy must be fully integrated with student life and environment, not add-ons.
“Fundamentally, we are trying to figure out the best ways to increase ecological knowledge and environmental awareness among the greatest number of students,” Capshew said. “IU is poised to take advantage of its historic interest in campus conservation. Along with his predecessors, IU President Herman B Wells insisted on retaining the woodland character of the campus. During his administration, the campus footprint increased ten-fold, to nearly its present size. Wells realized that a campus could be a ‘work of art’ in the ceaseless effort to enhance the learning environment.”
More information about environmental literacy at IUB, including course offerings and events, is available online at:
http://environment.indiana.edu/html/About_the_Council.html
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