Sustainability Defines Dickinson
From Operations to Academics, Sustainability is a Way of Life
Dickinson College is a national leader in educating for a sustainable world. Our commitment to sustainability is manifest in our history, planning documents, and recent and ongoing transformations that are advancing and demonstrating sustainable solutions for the 21st century in our curriculum, campus facilities, operations, culture and civic engagements. Our approach to sustainability is distinctive for making sustainability a part of every student’s education, infusing it across our liberal arts curriculum, drawing on our strengths in global education to explore and compare experiences of different cultures, and using active learning methods that empower students to connect their classroom studies with sustainable campus operations, resources such as the Dickinson Organic Farm, and engagement with the world beyond campus borders.
We have made a commitment to educating for a sustainable world because the planet is on a trajectory that is not sustainable. Social, economic and technological changes of the past century and more have yielded tremendous benefits. They are also transforming the landscape, degrading the environment, changing the climate and depleting resources at scales and rates that threaten human health, material wealth, social wellbeing, and living systems, now and long into the future. These dynamic forces interact with and can compound continuing challenges of poverty, hunger, injustice and conflict.
Transitioning to a sustainable path is a critical challenge of our times. While the challenge is daunting, promising changes are emerging. To contribute to and help lead a successful transition, our graduates need 21st-century skills that prepare them to integrate knowledge about complex systems, learn from and adapt to changing conditions, and envision and implement sustainable solutions. At Dickinson, our students study sustainability in courses ranging from environmental and Earth sciences to Japanese and English Literature, from physics and biology to economics and social psychology, from international business and management to international studies. Our students also use our campus as a living laboratory in which to discover, test ideas, and make meaningful changes.