Sustainable living Series
The Sustainable Living Series aims to inform, engage and empower participants to take individual responsibility for managing Earth’s limited resources. Through a discussion-to-action format, participants of the Sustainable Living Series learn to make wise use of resources, understand the impact of individual lifestyle choices, and assist households and communities to be more resilient and financially sound.
The program meets online once a week for seven weeks and incorporates live presentations, activities, and group discussions. Weekly assignments, including online videos and homework, supplement the live sessions.
Upcoming Dates for the Fall 2023 Sessions:
- Weekly on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM EST
- Starting September 13, 2023-October 25, 2023
Purpose & Goals
The purpose of the program is to educate participants about current sustainability issues within a personal and local context, and to provide participants with tools and resources to target their efforts to better manage and reduce resource consumption.
The goals of the program are to encourage individuals to:
- Reflect upon their own actions
- Acquire resources for action steps they can take
- Prepare a personal sustainability action plan
- Look at community-scale sustainability action options
- Increase their community engagement and leadership
Target Audience
The Sustainable Living Series is designed for local leaders, government officials and staff representatives, nongovernmental organizations, and community members interested in leading and living more sustainable. The course fee is $125.
COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1: Orientation
This session provides an overview of the program’s objectives, course materials, participant expectations and homework/assessment tools. It also Introduces the concepts of sustainability, resiliency, climate impact, the 5Rs, and systems thinking.
Session 2: Sustainability 101: Why Should I Care?
In this session, participants will:
• Learn to define sustainability and explore its history
• Increase knowledge about systems thinking and its impacts on sustainability
• Connect to national, regional and local sustainability resources and efforts
Session 3: Consumerism: What is My Footprint?
In this session, participants will:
• Gain a deeper understanding of a sustainable economy
• Understand traditional & alternative production strategies
• Apply the stages of LCA to a product of their choice and understand how the product of choosing moves through each stage
Session 4: Water: Our Lifeblood
In this session, participants will:
- Understand how water resources are closely tied to energy and food production
- Review important issues regarding water quantity and quality at the global, regional, and local levels
- Identify effective behaviors to reduce water consumption and protect water quality
Session 5: Energy: Powering Our Lives
In this session, participants will:
• Understand energy’s foundational role in our daily lives
• Identify opportunities to conserve energy and increase energy efficiency in their lives
• Be inspired to use creativity and critical thinking skills when evaluating their sustainable energy choices
Session 6: Food Systems: Understanding Where My Food Comes From
In this session, participants will:
• Identify and connect food system components and their impact on sustainability
• Review important issues regarding food production, consumption and access at the global, regional, and local levels.
Session 7: Bringing It All Together and Taking Action
• In this session, individuals will participate in activities and group discussions to tie the sessions together and to develop a personal sustainability action plan.
Program Takeaways
Participants will:
- Discover ways to take action in their homes and communities to reduce their footprints and increase their handprints
- Track data on personal, direct energy/water consumption, and vehicle miles traveled
- Create a personal sustainability plan
- Receive a digital badge upon completion of the course
To learn more about Sustainable Living Series, please contact:
Steve Yoder
Community Development Regional Educator
yoder46@purdue.edu
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