THE GreenApps PROJECT: DESIGNING INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM MODULES ABOUT ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

No matter where our students go after they attend college, the issues of energy, environmental stewardship, and renewable resources will face them. As educators, we realize these issues will affect how productive they can be on the job or at home. Therefore, we have made the committment to teach these issues across the curriculum. The geoscience classroom is a natural starting point for introducing these issues. We have developed the GreenApps program to help faculty write and develop projects and lesson plans incorporating sustainability across the curriculum. Within the Science Department at Red Rocks Community College, several GreenApps modules have been created and tested in the classroom. The modules range from one lab period, to projects that extend several weeks during the semester. The challenge is to create curriculum modules that incorporate the ideas of energy and sustainability into existing courses and help students to see their relevance in their everyday lives. The GreenApps project is part of a multi-pronged approach to help the college create and sustain a green workforce.