Environment & Sustainability
Scott, I will not be able to attend in October. The one I am most interested in is next year in Michigan, if that is an option. Thanks! Mary
I am most interested in designing engagement for social change on campus and in our relationships with our city (Richmond), a place with significant inequality. I am co-leading a faculty learning community on climate justice where many of us from across campus are exploring this topic.
Yes, most of my classes in the last 17 years could be described as related to environmental justice. It is still challenging on an over-busy campus. My work originally was international but for the past decade it has been in collaboration with marginalized and frontline communities here in Virginia. It is always a struggle to engage students - many from privileged backgrounds - in this work around waste and energy (my specialities). The course I would like to redesign is 'Green Schools,' something I taught a decade ago, but mainly focused on comparing our campus to other schools. I am bringing campus research into a global climate investment course now with student projects on waste, energy and divestment-reinvestment. I'd like to offer both courses with one focused locally and the other globally.
I am also interested in learning about the workshop series. I give lots of workshops in the community, but most are offered one by one (as requested) and not offered in a series. I would like to develop a series in the area of climate justice working in collaboration with community partners.
Last spring, our University Senate have passed a Senate Climate Justice Resolution. There are two recommendations for the campus that are in the resolution that I would like to explore with the class.
1) Identify opportunities for educational and transformative greening of community relationships
2) Increase transparency of labor conditions and material supply chains
How did you hear about opportunity
From our Center for Civic Engagement - Derek Miller
- Green Schools course
- Environmental justice
- Climate justice
- Community engagement
- Greening in higher education
- Research and analysis on-campus efforts
- Social change and inequality
Mary Finley-Brook, an Associate Professor at the University of Richmond, plans to redesign the "Green Schools" course focusing on environmental justice and climate change engagement. The seminar will explore greening processes in higher education, emphasizing research and group analysis of on-campus sustainability efforts. Additionally, she aims to develop a workshop series on climate justice in collaboration with community partners, addressing educational greening and transparency in labor conditions.
- Course: Green Schools, taught by Mary Finley-Brook at University of Richmond.
- Focus: Environmental sustainability, climate justice, community engagement.
- Future offering: Fall 2024.
- Interest in redesigning course with local and global perspectives.
- Community workshops on climate justice desired.
- Senate Climate Justice Resolution passed at the university.
