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Environmental Stewardship The most influential environmental citizens are those who can draw on a breadth and depth of experience and knowledge. Creative and effective approaches to living in harmony with the earth, and to solving complex environmental problems are never “just” scientific or technical nor “only” political or economic. Rather, environmental stewardship at its best involves a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on knowledge and skills from a range of disciplines. People committed to good stewardship of the earth, no matter their disciplinary focus, are concerned with the concept of sustainability. Sustainability means more than the stark facts of managing limited natural and economic resources; it also involves the aspirations of individuals and societies for a “better” life. A useful way to think about sustainability is to consider the interaction of a combination of factors that bear on environmental impact. Some describe this interaction in terms of the “IPAT equation.” Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology The IPAT equation encourages careful consideration of the importance of each factor. For instance, although technological developments may lead to environmental degradation, advances in technology are vital to the long-term health of the environment and to quality of life improvements. Growing populations in many societies and yearning for increased affluence have the potential to overwhelm even the best technological innovations, resulting in a net increase in environmental degradation over time. As informed stewards, then, the more we know about each factor in the IPAT equation, the better we are able to make environmentally sound decisions. Responsibility entails preparedness. Environmental Programs at Earlham seek to prepare students by uniting the breadth of a multidisciplinary approach with the depth of a disciplinary approach (a “major”). What this means for students interested in the environment is the choice of one of two approaches:
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Earlham College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |