Spring 2023
Introduction to Sustainability
Michaela J. Thompson PhD, Lecturer in Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This course explores contemporary understandings and practical implications of the idea of sustainable development. Throughout the semester we investigate the meanings and measures that different groups have given to sustainable development; explore tools for analyzing the complex social-environmental systems that we seek to develop sustainably; and examine how societies have avoided depleting resources while instituting practical action that advances sustainable development effectively and equitably.
Fall 2022
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Global Development
Lindi Dorothee von Mutius JD, Director, Sustainability and Global Development Practice, Harvard Extension School
The twin goals of this course are to introduce concepts of development, sustainability science, law, policy, and economics and prepare students to take further courses in sustainability and global development practice; and to prepare students to master writing and research competency commensurate to graduate-level scholarship at Harvard University. Students learn about six emerging topics in the fields of sustainability and global development. They conduct their own research project over the course of the semester, culminating in a final paper. The process of research and writing that students learn in this course should serve them well as they journey through these two programs and their thesis, capstone, or consulting capstone project.
Prerequisites: Proficiency in English and knowledge of APA citation format. A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42b or EXPO E-42c are highly recommended.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Global Development
Lindi Dorothee von Mutius JD, Director, Sustainability and Global Development Practice, Harvard Extension School
The twin goals of this course are to introduce concepts of development, sustainability science, law, policy, and economics and prepare students to take further courses in sustainability and global development practice; and to prepare students to master writing and research competency commensurate to graduate-level scholarship at Harvard University. Students learn about six emerging topics in the fields of sustainability and global development. They conduct their own research project over the course of the semester, culminating in a final paper. The process of research and writing that students learn in this course should serve them well as they journey through these two programs and their thesis, capstone, or consulting capstone project.
Prerequisites: Proficiency in English and knowledge of APA citation format. A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42b or EXPO E-42c are highly recommended.
Fall 2022
Design of Renewable Energy Projects
Ramon Sanchez ScD, Research Associate, Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
This course helps develop the skills to design, fund, and implement renewable energy projects in the United States and around the world. It is aimed at anyone who would like to understand the relationship between energy and the environment, but is particularly helpful for energy developers and current or future professionals in the practice of renewable energy. Students learn the basics of how to design photovoltaic, wind, biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, wastewater to energy, solid waste to energy, and other large scale sustainable energy operations. Students also learn about the best global practices for engaging rural and indigenous communities in renewable energy projects while maximizing economic development and social equity. They learn how to deal with other important issues like negotiating land rights for renewable energy projects, how to encourage public utilities and private corporations to sign long-term agreements for purchasing renewable energies, how to prepare project proposals for international financial institutions and private investors who fund these projects, how to estimate the basic health and environmental benefits derived from proposed renewable energy projects, how to monetize health effects of renewable energy projects, and how to quantify the social benefits of such projects in the community.
Prerequisites: High school math and science.
Spring 2023
Innovative Technologies and Practices for Climate Change Resilience
Ramon Sanchez ScD, Research Associate, Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Students in this course learn how to analyze emerging innovative technologies and practices comprehensively, how to assess their climate change and health impacts, recommendations to facilitate their implementation, and how to use green and social financial instruments to foster equitable social development while decreasing community vulnerabilities and increasing climate change resilience. Among some of the technologies and practices analyzed are advanced low-energy desalination systems, rainwater traps, advanced sustainable aquaculture systems, sustainable irrigation and soil reforming for sustainable agriculture, techniques to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in meat and protein production, biodegradable solar systems, bladeless wind generation technologies, microalgae farming for food and fuels, biodegradable plastics manufacturing, plasma gasification of agricultural and municipal waste for electricity generation, carbon capture and sequestration technologies in power plants, lithium extraction from fossil saltwater in fracking operations, advanced hydrogen production systems using renewable energies, and advanced electric vehicles and geoengineering technologies. Students also assess community vulnerabilities and recommend risk reduction technologies and practices to increase resilience. Additionally, students learn how to monetize health, environmental, and social benefits for each technology or sustainable practice to use municipal bonds, green financing mechanisms from banks, carbon offset exchanges, and some government grants to fund their implementation in the community.
Prerequisites: Basic high school math and science.
Fall 2022
Confronting Climate Change
Daniel Schrag PhD, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard University - Thomas Andrew Laakso PhD, Science Teacher, Boston College High School
This course considers the challenge of climate change and what to do about it. Students are introduced to the basic science of climate change, including the radiation budget of the Earth, the carbon cycle, and the physics and chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere. We look at reconstructions of climate change through Earth history to provide a context for thinking about present and future changes. We take a critical look at climate models used to predict climate change in the future and discuss their strengths and weaknesses, evaluating which forecasts of climate change impacts are robust, and which are more speculative. We spend particular time discussing sea level rise and extreme weather (including hurricanes, heat waves, and floods). We look at the complex interactions between climate and human society, including climate impacts on agriculture and the relationship between climate change, migration, and conflict. We also discuss strategies for adapting to climate change impacts and the implications of those strategies for sub-national and international equity. The second half of the course considers what to do about climate change. First, we review the recent history of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as various national and international efforts to limit them in the future. We discuss reducing carbon emissions using forestry, agriculture, and land use, and then focus on how to transform the world's energy system to eliminate CO2 emissions. We conclude by examining different strategies for accelerating changes in our energy systems to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The course emphasizes the scientific and technological aspects of climate change (including the clean energy transition), but in the context of current issues in public policy, business, design, and public health.
Spring 2023
Sustainable Ocean Environments
George D. Buckley MS, Consultant
The world's oceans provide food, careers, climate moderation, oxygen, recreation, and other vital services to humankind. This course explores the diversity of marine life and habitats in the oceans and sustainable management practices to protect them. Course topics include the ecology and management of estuaries, coral reefs, and the deep seas; the importance of seaweeds, fisheries, and aquaculture; coastal resilience, marine biodeterioration, and emerging blue technologies; and the impacts of development, pollutants, and tourism, while investigating nature-based solutions to environmental problems.
Prerequisites: High school biology.
Spring 2023
International Political Economy of Decarbonization
Juergen Braunstein PhD
Starting with the economic aspects of global decarbonization, this course examines emerging issues raised by the transition to a low carbon economy its impact on jobs, inequality, finance, trade, mobility, and infrastructure for citizens, societies, and nations. Choices about global decarbonization are highly contested in terms of material interests and ideologies, and they raise a set of new questions at the intersection of climate change, geo-economics, national policies, and global politics. These questions include: how does the energy transition affect the global economic order? Will a greener future lead to fewer resource conflicts around carbon resources? Is green the new gold? How does the low carbon transition affect the value of carbon assets? Is the US equipped to sustain its role as global leader in finance? How does the sustainable transition affect international trade flows? Is a carbon adjustment tax a stepping stone towards decarbonized trade? What is the prospect of green trade wars erupting?
Fall 2022
Measuring and Mitigating Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Michael Macrae PhD, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Enel North America - Marlon Robert Banta ALM, Director, Product Definition, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation - Richard Goode MBA, Managing Director, Alvarez Marsal
This course allows students to investigate the best approaches to measuring and mitigating indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These emissions include all indirect GHG emissions that occur in a value chain, and therefore outside the direct control of a typical organization. Supply chain emissions frequently are the largest overall source of an organization's GHG emissions and are becoming an increasingly relevant topic as more and more companies outsource manufacturing, logistics, and other key functions to third parties. Waste, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions are still incurred in bringing products and services to consumers, but they are often not fully accounted for. Proper accounting for these emissions that are known contributors to climate change is coming under increasing scrutiny. Students investigate how to gather data from disparate sources, how to calculate or estimate emissions, and how the procurement of supplies, services, and travel can be managed to mitigate or even reduce indirect emissions. The course also familiarizes students with leading measurement and goal setting standards (that is, The Climate Registry, Science Based Targets, and the Carbon Disclosure Project) and investigates indirect emissions reduction efforts that are underway at several leading Fortune 500 companies as well as universities, municipalities, and government agencies.
Prerequisites: ENVR E-116 is encouraged but not necessary.
Spring 2023
The Carbon Economy: Calculating, Managing, and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Richard Goode MBA, Managing Director, Alvarez Marsal - Marlon Robert Banta ALM, Director, Product Definition, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation
The global economy is undergoing a fundamental transformation to low-carbon technologies from electric vehicles becoming mainstream and large-scale solar, wind, and even battery installations. Many countries and companies understand that this fourth industrial revolution will change everything, and face risks as well as opportunities. Some countries are establishing policies that decarbonize their economy to avoid the worst effects of a 2 degrees Celsius rise in temperatures. Organizations should start to develop and implement a 2 degrees Celsius strategy by clearly understanding their exposure to climate-related risks and identifying best practices for adapting to new carbon regulation, along with transforming their businesses by deploying sustainable energy practices. Understanding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including how to calculate them and the importance of reporting them publicly, is vital to understanding how to identify sources of emission and how to reduce them. This course teaches students how to measure, report, and reduce GHG emissions with an eye toward understanding the roles that energy choices and usage play in reducing emissions.
Fall 2022
Sustainability Leadership for the Twenty-First Century
Leith Sharp MEd, Director, Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - John D. Spengler PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
This course is designed to enhance individual change agency skills as applied to a variety of organizational contexts including education, business, government, nonprofit, church, and community. The course explores what change leadership for sustainability is and guides students to advance their related capabilities, competencies, and strategies. The personal, interpersonal, organizational, and technical dimensions of change leadership for sustainability are addressed. A variety of specific case studies and examples of sustainability in practice, including everything from green building design and renewable energy to environmental purchasing are explored. Interdependencies between finance, politics, relationships, capacity building, and technology are discussed. Students leave with an experiential knowledge of change management because they are required to complete a project involving a real-life change leadership project of their choice.
Fall 2022
Sustainable Tourism
Wendy Purcell PhD, Research Associate, Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Travel and tourism (T T) was growing at pace and scale before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the T T sector contributed 10.3 percent to global gross domestic product (GDP), over US $8.9 trillion, supporting one in ten jobs (330 million) worldwide, and one in five new jobs over the last five years, with 3.5 percent growth in 2019 compared to the global economy at 2.5 percent. The sector had seen six decades of consistent growth, with tourism outpacing the United Nations (UN) growth projections over the period 2010-2019 and 45 percent of international travel arrivals to emerging economies in 2017. Late 2019 forecasts predicted that these trends would continue, with tourism arrivals forecast to grow 3-4 percent globally in 2020, despite a number of expected economic, political, and health disruptions. For many countries, T T is the dominant sector generating income, tax revenues, and economic security for millions of individuals and their families. The health and economic crises of the pandemic threw the disruptive forces acting on T T into sharp relief, drawing attention to the interconnected and hyper-dependent nature of sustainability, health, and business. It is clear that the negative impacts of T T on people and the planet cannot continue as the sector recovers and seeks to build back better. This means that sustainability needs to be positioned as a strategic driver within the industry. Indeed, this global sector has enormous potential to drive fulfilment of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). The unique interdependency of T T with many other sectors, such as energy, transportation, buildings, and food systems create challenges and opportunities for advancing sustainability systemically. This course presents innovative case studies and expert speakers from the sector and challenges students to surface the tensions and dilemmas inherent in driving growth and recognize the technical, economic, and political dimension in scaling sustainability solutions. It widens the view of sustainability beyond immediate operational impacts to consider the broader systems in which T T operates, and the sustainability leadership practices that drive innovation. It pays attention to the trade-offs and dilemmas presented by T T activities and the enormous potential of the sector to educate the traveler and drive conservation. This course encourages student to re-imagine the sector and pursue more sustainable T T, focused on attenuating its negative impacts and advancing the contribution T T makes to global citizenship and a more balanced economy and equitable society.
Spring 2023
Decarbonizing the Building Sector
Paul Ormond MS, Efficiency Engineer, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
We can decarbonize the building sector within the next few decades. This can be accomplished with a combination of better buildings, such as Passivehouse, and a renewably powered grid. Buildings can also be built with their own on-site renewables to create a net zero energy building. This course provides a comprehensive exploration of our greening grid, zero energy buildings, and Passivehouse buildings. Topics include grid fundamentals, building energy dynamics, emissions profiles, renewable systems, energy economics, passive architecture, energy budgets, site and source energy, policy, codes, financing, and incentive structures. A variety of assignments, projects, and teaching tools are used in this course. These include analysis assignments, a team pitch, weekly report-outs, a textbook and numerous references, live guest speakers, and a guest speaker library.
Fall 2022
Sustainable Cities
Julio Lumbreras PhD, Visiting Scientist, Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk Program, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health - Fernando Fernandez-Monge MPA, Research Fellow, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
More than half of the world's population (54 percent according to the World Health Organization) live in urban areas, and this share is expected to grow in the future (65 percent by 2050 according to the United Nations). However, urban life is currently far from sustainable due to inequality, poverty, poor air quality, high risk of natural disasters and climate change, and lack of access to energy, water, and waste treatment. Faced with these challenges, member countries of the United Nations adopted in 2015 an agenda for 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with one of these goals focused on "making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable." Therefore, the future of urban societies, and thus of most of the world's population, depends on our ability to design, build, and run cities in a sustainable manner. This course aims at contributing to this goal by surveying the scientific principles of sustainability at the urban level, exploring cities and their metabolism as systems of systems. It covers the main challenges that cities of every size are facing: governance, inclusive urban economic development, national/regional development planning, safety, citizen participation, risk and vulnerability reduction, air quality, resource efficiency, and access to universal basic services, housing, and infrastructures. By paying attention to the contextual factors in which these challenges play out for different types of cities, students not only gain a general understanding of the key dimensions of urban sustainability, but they also learn tools to further analyze and tackle urban sustainability challenges. Some of the tools presented are life cycle assessment, social impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria decision making, and urban indicators. Special attention is also paid to fundamental governance aspects in cities, such as the need to create partnerships and establish radical collaborations between diverse stakeholders to foster urban transformations.
Spring 2023
Sustainable Infrastructure
Cristina Contreras Casado ALM, Founder and Managing Director, Sinfranova LLC - Judith Irene Rodriguez MA, Senior Research Associate, Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Sustainable infrastructure (SI) has been recognized as the central pillar of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable infrastructure strives to enhance access to basic services, promote environmental sustainability, and support inclusive growth through its endeavor to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs), while looking for pathways to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This course introduces students to the current landscape of sustainability assessment tools and explores the benefits that sustainable projects bring to public and private entities, to local communities, and to the planet in general. We ask the following key questions: what is sustainable infrastructure? What are the main features of a sustainable project? How do these features overlap or differ from the SDGs? How can infrastructure and urban development projects align with both SI practices and the SDGs? To answer these questions, we use real-world case studies. Considering the mandate of the 2030 agenda, "leave no one behind," specific attention is given to how different stakeholders participate in the process.
Fall 2022
Transforming the Built Environment for Resilience and Sustainability
Grey Lee MPA, Business Development Manager for Sustainability, Environmental, Social, and Governance Specialist, S P Global
How can real estate and buildings become more responsive to climate risk and other challenges to our communities? The greening of buildings has grown exponentially over the past decade, but is the transition fast enough to meet the needs of our communities in the dynamic times ahead? Can urban resilience become an intrinsic dimension of real estate development to prevent widespread disruptions caused by climate change? The built environment of our communities creates energy and material utilization patterns and subsequent ecological effects. Climate change challenges existing buildings and infrastructure, which has led to new policies and professional responses. Building design and location are a critical determinant of wellness, comfort, and productivity for occupants. This course introduces students to the principles of sustainability and resilience in our communities with a focus on systems dynamics. We use the framework of social equity and basic environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics to explore how urban design and policy can embrace priorities for human well-being. Students become familiar with international standards for sustainable design, operations, and management of buildings more favorable to the integrity of communities such as the US Green Building Council's LEED certifications, passive house, WELL Building Standard, the Living Building Challenge, and other concepts related to sustainable design. We ensure hands-on engagement with local policy protocols and meet practitioners who have participated in the advancement of best practice in sustainability and resilience.
Fall 2022
Improving Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Reporting
Kevin Hagen MBA, Vice President, Environment, Social and Governance Strategy, Iron Mountain - Kevin Wilhelm MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Business Consulting
Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of a corporate sustainability environmental, social, and governance (ESG) program. But how do you implement a reporting program that meets the ever increasing demands of investors and other stakeholders while creating the most value for the business? From global reporting initiative (GRI) to carbon disclosure project (CDP), task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD), sustainability accounting standards board (SASB) and more, this course unravels the alphabet soup of corporate reporting frameworks and guidelines. Offering practical steps and process to help company executives, functional managers, and corporate responsibility leaders' design, implement, or accelerate an ESG reporting program. The course work is grounded with case studies and leverages the real world experience of guest speakers and the instructors.
Prerequisites: A firm understanding of change management in the business setting, climate change, and other environmental issues.
Fall 2022
Local to Global Agroecology
Daniel Goldhamer MS, County Director and Horticulture Agent, Colorado State University Extension
Agriculture is one of humanity's oldest pursuits and yet it is far from perfected. In this time of climate change and ecological degradation, a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions and damage to ecosystems can be traced back to the way in which humans produce food, feed, fuel, and fiber. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 10-12 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are due to agriculture. Agriculture is also tied to ecological degradation including deforestation, depletion and contamination of water and soil resources, and chemical pollution. However, many individuals and organizations are discovering innovative and tailored solutions to these problems. Addressing the ecological and climate change challenges of agriculture in the next ten years will be essential to ensure a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and to creating resilient production systems. This course provides a broad introduction to the underlying biology and ecology of crop and animal agricultural production systems. We explore how different production techniques including conventional, organic, and regenerative, operate in both a dryland and irrigated setting. Students in this course gain a greater understanding of the realities that agricultural producers must face every day in their quest to feed themselves and the world. The goal of this course is to equip students with a basic understanding of the ecology of agricultural systems, gain applicable vocabulary and concepts related to agriculture, and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities farmers face when seeking sustainable solutions. We explore crop and animal agriculture at scales ranging from kitchen gardens to thousands of acres. We also explore the various tools, techniques, and technologies farmers employ throughout the globe.
Prerequisites: Course work in biology and environmental studies. High school biology and chemistry.
Spring 2023
The Role of Soil Health in Creating Sustainable Food Systems
Emily Lynn Holleran ALM, Instructor, Arizona State University School of Sustainability - Helen D. Silver JD, Principal, Silver Sustainability Strategies
Ninety-five percent of the world's food is grown in topsoil, but current farming techniques are eroding this soil and stripping it of essential minerals, microbes, and nutrients needed to support human and planetary health. The United Nations has stated that if soil degradation continues, we may only have 60 years of farming left. Loss of topsoil through agricultural practices is a major contributor to water and air quality degradation and biodiversity loss. Replenishing degraded soils may be a critical element in battling burgeoning health crises such as micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, and related diseases. Increasing soil health will also be a critical response to combating and adapting to the climate crisis. Though strong market, political, and social forces perpetuate the status quo, policymakers, agricultural producers, and the general public are taking note and developing, examining, and implementing a wide array of interventions to reverse soil degradation. This course explores the global food system from food production to disposal from the premise that agricultural soil health must underlie any sustainable food system that supports public and planetary health and social equity. We address the current state of agricultural soil health globally and the current and future effects on public and planetary health, including effects on water, air, climate, and nutrition, and social and economic equity. We explore whether adopting sustainable agricultural practices that support and enhance soil health can feed the growing global population while simultaneously buttressing achievement of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, we examine the key interventions put forth to support agricultural soil health, including direct farmer education and subsidies, social movements such as food sovereignty, labeling requirements, corporate initiatives, consumer education, and increased organic waste recycling.
Spring 2023
Sustainable Business in the Twenty-First Century
Matthew Gardner PhD, Managing Partner, Sustainserv, Inc.
. These three modules (the business case for change, driving change at scale, and purpose driven systemic change) are expanded upon with guest speakers, real world case studies, and in-depth discussions. Each week students analyze examples from companies in a variety of industries to show how sustainability is integrated into their business models and to explore what opportunities still exist for companies to improve. The course uses case studies from publicly traded companies, augmented by links to various forms of information for students to compare and contrast throughout the semester. Information is presented from academic research, white papers published by respected scholars and experts, and the actual disclosures of major multinational companies. The case method is used to provide a participative and realistic forum that enables students to learn about sustainability while also developing the skills to use the information. In addition to receiving course credit, students who successfully complete this course for undergraduate or graduate credit can earn a certificate of completion from Harvard Business School Online.
Fall 2022
Introduction to Sustainable Finance and Investments
Carlos Alberto Vargas PhD, Faculty, EGADE Business School
Sustainable finance is a main topic on the international agenda. Financial decisions worldwide are increasingly influenced by the scarcity of resources, the search for profits through efficiency, and climate change. We observe an increasing investment appetite for green bonds. Investment funds and asset managers worldwide search for innovative products that increase profitability but also create environmental and social value. This course studies finance and sustainability as integrated subjects beginning with an introduction of financial and investment principles and moving through financial analysis, financing, and valuation. The course covers diverse aspects of sustainable investments and offers tools for effective financial valuation and risk assessment.
Spring 2023
Sustainable Investing in Practice
Graham Sinclair MBA, Senior Responsible Investment Strategist, Parametric
Making the sustainable investing case is a crucial skill for every type of professional, whether in private, public, or not-for-profit sectors. Every investment has implicit environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, because every decision on planet earth relies upon humans to buy, make, or do something and employs the rules of law to govern contractual relationships. This course takes lessons from the professional investment industry and makes them accessible to every kind of profession. Investment decisions are made in the investment industry, but capital allocations are also made every day by governments, companies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The investment decision for any investor pulls forward to today the prospects for the firm and values the investment in today's money. ESG may surpass $41 trillion assets under management in 2022. ESG scrutiny can shine a light on issues like climate pollution; workplace safety; employee health and wellness; diversity, equity and inclusion; executive compensation; business ethics; and corruption. In every sector and situation, one is increasingly expected to identify, measure, and report material ESG risks. The course blends the academic literature with current industry research and activities to ensure students learn the most modern material. The course is grounded in industry experience, investment policies and portfolios, cross-disciplinary academic literature, and Harvard Business School case studies. We leverage the real-world experience of the instructor and industry experts from around the world to examine multiple perspectives. Students work on their own and in groups, with short work assignments and very short presentations. This course uses the novel approach of promoting students' experiential learning by building up components of their own simulated investment recommendations. Students have many opportunities to explore topics and situations of interest to them, including those drawn from news headlines and that apply to course curriculum.
Fall 2022
Fundamentals of Ecology for Sustainable Ecosystems
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
Conserving and managing biodiversity and ecosystem services in diverse landscapes across the globe is a major sustainability challenge of this century. Solutions critically rest on fundamental concepts and principles in ecology. This course adopts an unusual, holistic approach by embedding understanding and integration of these principles through a series of ecosystem case studies focused on desert, savanna and mountain ecosystems, wetlands and other aquatic systems, boreal, temperate, and tropical forests, and agroecosystems. These ecosystems exemplify different challenges, but similar ecological processes at work for successful management, whether the goal is protection of natural systems and biodiversity, ecological restoration, or maintaining ecosystem services in agricultural and other human-dominated landscapes. Through this approach, the fundamental topics covered in typical ecology courses are exemplified. The historical, evolutionary, and ecological processes determining the distribution of ecosystems, habitats, and species are introduced. Evolutionary processes responsible for the adaptations of individuals are examined to understand the diversity of species and their features. Ecological processes of competition, predation, disease, and mutualism help explain the functioning of biological communities and larger ecosystems. Among other activities, teams of students conduct background research on specific ecosystem sites to understand the ecological, economic, sociocultural, and multistakeholder context of sustainability challenges and integrated solutions.
Spring 2023
Evaluating Sustainable Food Systems and other Enterprises in Rural Areas, With a View from Tuscany
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
Globally, metropolitan areas have prospered economically while rural areas have been left behind. The course focuses on sustainability opportunities and enterprises in these rural landscapes. Emphasis is on the benefits of regenerative farming and small-scale organic farm enterprises, typically with diverse production systems, common historically and now resurgent in the farm to table and local food movements as alternatives to industrial agriculture. Although of global relevance, the course focuses on comparisons between New England and Tuscany; in both these regions, ecological and economic sustainability challenges in the rural landscape include producing food and forest products for niche markets, managing watersheds, conserving biodiversity and other environmental services, such as carbon sequestration, and diversifying income streams with ecotourism. Optimizing this mix of functions while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution addresses sustainability goals. Online required class sessions discuss readings on models and analysis of sustainable food production systems, including organic, permaculture, and forest farming systems. Assignments and readings develop skills in spreadsheet modeling of production integrated with financial analysis of small-scale enterprises. The centerpiece of the course is an intensive and mandatory week long learning experience, May 1-May 8, in residence at Spannocchia, a historical Tuscan farming estate near Sienna. The educational mission of the Spannocchia Foundation is to promote sustainability in organic agriculture and animal husbandry, forestry, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, and energy and waste management practices. Students work in small teams, conducting fieldwork on the 1,200 acres of the estate, evaluating models for these practices from ecological, economic, and policy perspectives, and debating creative ideas for sustainability futures in this inspirational setting with local experts. Students may also help establish experimental trials to test hypotheses about improved production and financial performance. These field exercises and discussions at Spannocchia are augmented with an all-day field trip to a nearby biodynamic winery site and onwards for the afternoon to the hill town of San Gimignano. Students should not have other work or study commitments during this period. Participating students must have proof of complete COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters before registering, and then comply with any Harvard, Italy, and Spannocchia-specific additional vaccine boosters and required testing before traveling to Italy and while at Spannocchia. The course involves some hiking and fieldwork on several days over uneven ground; because these are critical course activities, students must be physically able to participate. Although mild, sunny spring weather is common, unusually cold and rainy or hot days can occur, not unlike New England. Students are housed at Spannocchia in either the Fattoria or Villa rooms in the main building; rooms are typically shared doubles, spacious and historical. Meals feature organic products from the estate. View the Spannocchia website for photos and descriptions of accommodations, programs, and the estate property. Students with documented disabilities should contact the Accessibility Services Office no later than two weeks before the course begins. In addition to completing all required assignments for the course, students must attend the entire week at Spannocchia to pass the course (you cannot arrive late or leave early). If you neglect to register with Spannocchia or miss their deadlines, you will not pass the course. Harvard Extension School (HES) spring term registration, drop, and withdrawal deadlines apply to ENVR E-143. See the calendar. If students drop the course, HES will refund tuition payment according to standard refund policy. HES is not responsible for payments made to Spannocchia, travel, or other expenses that students may incur. Costs: in addition to the course tuition, students are responsible for: Approximately $900-$1,000 USD paid to Spannocchia by January 10. This includes room and board for May 1-May 8 (seven nights) and educational fees. Course members rendezvous in Siena on Monday, May 1, and then share taxis to Spannocchia after a group dinner. US health insurance that provides coverage outside the United States. Transportation to and from Spannocchia (via Siena). Shared per capita cost of bus/van rental and driver for the field trip, and shared taxi or van to and from Siena or Florence to Spannocchia. (Students also have some miscellaneous individual costs: for example, meals in Siena and San Gimignano, and a wine tasting fee if students participate). The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed). Costs of any required COVID-19 vaccinations, boosters, and tests, both in home country and Italy, depending on regulations at the time.
Prerequisites: No previous courses are required; however, ENVR E-129 (offered previously), ENVR E-129a, ENVR S-129b, ENVR E-129c, ENVR E-140, and ENVR E-210 are relevant sustainability courses providing background. Familiarity with Excel spreadsheets is helpful, but not required. Students must be at least 18 years old.
Fall 2022
Life Cycle and Supply Chain Sustainability Assessment
Gregory A. Norris PhD, Director, Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise (SHINE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The field of industrial ecology includes advanced tools and methods to assist practitioners seeking to redesign and realign industrial systems and activities to be more ecologically and socially sound. Central within the field of industrial ecology is life cycle assessment (LCA), which involves systems analysis of the full range of environmental impacts, product life cycles, and supply chains. Social impacts are also being addressed in life cycles and supply chains, leading to the definition of life cycle sustainability assessment. This course enables participants to develop a hands-on, in-depth understanding of the frameworks, principles, tools, and applications of life cycle assessment. As part of the course, students learn to use and apply professional software tools and databases that address sustainability-relevant impacts in global supply chains. We also review the state of life cycle practice and current initiatives involving companies, governments, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). We ground the entire course on the goal of making human activities, from the personal to the global, truly sustainable.
Prerequisites: College math, and/or chemistry are helpful, but students have thrived in this class without that background.
Fall 2022
Sustainable Product Design and the Innovation Ecosystem
Ramon Sanchez ScD, Research Associate, Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
This course is for anyone who would like to learn how to design and launch a new product with the smallest environmental footprint. Students acquire many tools and skills in the course: how to do market intelligence (technological benchmarking and reverse engineering), how to incorporate real sustainability into new products (and identify green washing), how to use structured tools to enhance creativity and innovation to conceive and develop new products, how to design and implement a new product introduction process, how to do and implement the design of experiments to select the most robust features for products, how to write and submit a patent application to decrease legal costs, how to protect copyrights and trademarks, how to fund intellectual property by using funds from business incubators and accelerators, how to select the right materials and processes to minimize the product's environmental impacts (using green chemistry principles, sustainable sourcing of components, and sustainable certification for raw materials to promote conservation), how to reduce energy use by new products, how to build and test prototypes in an inexpensive way, and how to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging and transportation. Students also learn the basic components of an innovation ecosystem and how high technology hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York work.
Prerequisites: High school math.
Fall 2022
Environmental Justice
Lindi Dorothee von Mutius JD, Director, Sustainability and Global Development Practice, Harvard Extension School - David Mears JD, Executive Director, Audubon Vermont and Vice President, National Audubon Society
Within the United States and globally, there continue to be stark racial and economic differences in the distribution of environmental harms and goods, and the determination of who meaningfully participates in environmental decision-making processes. This course examines how environmental processes and policies interact with race and class to differentially affect people's exposure to environmental harms and their ability to participate in environmental decision making. We review the history of the environmental justice movement in the US and use an environmental justice framework to examine various case studies and responses to environmental injustice. Through these examinations, students enhance their ability to analyze the impact of environmental work on vulnerable communities and improve their ability to work with diverse social groups in the US.
Fall 2022
Applied Circular Economics
Manuel Maqueda MS, JD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, SUPER.ngo - Brian J. Bauer ALM, Director of Circular Economy and Institutional Partnerships, Algramo
This course gives students the essential concepts, tools, and skills needed to take part in the transition to a circular economy in a wide variety of economic sectors and areas of human activity. Ecosystems tend toward a stable equilibrium, or homeostasis, and have the ability to regenerate and thrive for thousands of years. Likewise, the circular economy seeks to maintain the value and preserve the stocks of materials, components, and goods, while eliminating waste and pollution and restoring natural capital. The circular economy allows for a better economic and ecological performance than today's prevailing economy which follows a take-make-waste linear model that destroys value, depletes stocks, and degrades living systems. The transition to a circular economy is mandated by the ecological and physical boundaries of our planet. Without an accelerated transition it will be impossible to meet the Paris Agreement targets. At the same time, the transition to a circular economy is a tremendous opportunity that would unleash global economic growth and create an estimated 95 million new jobs worldwide while also boosting economic resilience. The European Union, Canada, China, and other leading economies have outlined aggressive roadmaps towards a circular economy. In the United States, 60 percent of chief executive officers plan to transition to a circular economy framework. This course challenges not only what, but how students think about sustainability. Students are encouraged to think in systems and material flows, while embracing a radical collaboration mindset. Along the way we visit different areas of opportunity that range from biomass management to industrial symbiosis; examine circularity in sectors as diverse as food, electronics, and plastics; outline the role of related disciplines such as biomimicry and permaculture; and discuss innovative business models where products are servitized, dematerialized, and completely redesigned to foster modularity, repairability, upgradeability, and cradle-to-cradle life cycles.
Spring 2023
Regenerative Economics
Manuel Maqueda MS, JD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, SUPER.ngo
In this course we examine ways to accelerate the transition towards an economy that enriches, restores, and regenerates the Earth's biosphere at scale while reversing climate change. Although regenerative economics is still an emergent field, this course focuses on praxis rather than on theory, seeking to equip participants with ideas and tools to solve real-world problems and to create innovative, regenerative economy initiatives in a variety of sectors. To this effect, we illustrate the topics with case studies and are joined by guest speakers who are leading practitioners in their domains. In this course, we visit different areas of regenerative opportunity that include regenerative agriculture and permaculture, agroforestry, and large-scale ecosystem restoration; as well as labriculture (in vitro food production) and bio-based materials and products (grown instead of made). In addition to the circular economics framework, we discuss the planetary boundary framework, and look at several large-scale human-Earth models, including National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA). Earth observation, the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain are discussed as technologies to foster, manage, and measure regeneration, both locally and at planetary scale. Other emerging technologies such as synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and geo-engineering are examined with a precautionary, biomimetic, and critical lens.
Spring 2023
Sustainable Fashion
Kelly A. Burton ALM, Chief Sustainability Officer, Material Exchange
The global fashion and apparel industry has changed dramatically in the last 20 years to become an industry that today produces between six and ten percent of the world's greenhouse gases. This course explores the historical, social, and environmental aspects of the global fashion industry and the current tools and methodologies available to improve it. It enables students to understand the connection between sustainable development and the apparel industry; think critically about both the common and less discussed aspects of the apparel industry, including consumption, durability, and sustainable design; appreciate the complexities of the economic impacts of externalities both positive and negative on the industry; and explore the social and environmental impacts and the tools available to monitor and measure positive impact.
Spring 2023
Toxics in Consumer Products
Kathleen Sellers MS, Technical Fellow, Environmental Resources Management
Concerned about toxics in consumer products? This course demystifies underlying scientific concepts, including the science that drives outrage and brings concerns over toxics to the fore. We explore what it means for a chemical to be toxic and take a systems approach to understanding exposures to chemicals that can result in risks to human health and the environment. Case studies of headline issues and guest speakers from the industry make abstract concepts come alive. This course provides students with the tools to support effective action to make products more sustainable and to make better choices as a consumer.
Fall 2022
Global Land Conservation Practice
Frank Lowenstein MS, Senior Director, Make It Personal, Rare - Henry Tepper MA, Conservation Consultant
Land conservation drives sustainable development and biodiversity conservation around the world. This applied course is one of only a very few courses in the academic world that focuses on the skills and intellectual frameworks necessary to effectively secure and manage protected areas. Today, more than 15 percent of the world's terrestrial area and 10 percent of coastal waters are encompassed within protected areas. Their management is likely to strongly influence the future richness of global biodiversity, the economic future particularly of rural and indigenous communities, and the severity of future global climate change. The course covers the global origins and growth of land conservation tools and strategies and their relationship to other social movements such as the expansion of national independence movements, free trade, climate action, democratic and multilateral institutions, and the movements supporting women's rights, indigenous and community rights, and environmental justice. Land conservation is examined in the context of global change, including changes in biogeochemical cycles, climate, land use and cover, population, education, and economic attainment. The course includes a detailed examination of the advantages and limitations of major tools of international land conservation, including direct government action (for example, national parks), private land conservation, and the growth of community-based conservation. We focus on the practical application of conservation tools and teach students the skills they need to operate as conservation practitioners around the world.
Fall 2022
Water Resources Policy and Watershed Management
Scott Horsley MA, Lecturer, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University
This course presents a comprehensive approach to water resources management by integrating environmental science (geology, soils, and hydrology) and policy (planning and regulatory analysis). It is intended for both students with and without technical backgrounds. We use numerous case studies from the instructor's experience as a consultant to the US Environmental Protection Agency, state and local governments, industry, and nongovernmental organizations. The course examines groundwater, lake, riverine, wetland, and coastal management issues at the local, state, tribal, regional, national, and international levels and relies heavily on practical case studies. We focus on an integrated water management approach that links drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management seeking opportunities to keep water local and for re-use, balancing hydrologic budgets, and minimizing costs in the face of climate change. A broad range of water resource management strategies is examined including structural/nonstructural, regulatory/nonregulatory, and prevention/restoration approaches. Smart growth and low impact development techniques are presented as effective growth management and climate adaptation techniques. Incentive-based management strategies are presented to modify behaviors and to optimize public participation. Green infrastructure is presented as an innovative and alternative approach to conventional grey technologies and includes shellfish aquaculture, bioretention, reforestation of riparian buffers, ecotoilets, and wetlands restoration.
Spring 2023
Wetland Science and Policy
Jennifer Cole PhD, Associate Professor of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
This course is intended for students interested in geological, hydrologic, biological, and social sciences with an specific focus on wetland environments and resources. In this course, students gain an interdisciplinary overview of physicochemical, biological, and cultural aspects of wetlands. We cover definitions, classification systems, origins, and natural processes of wetland environments. We discuss wetlands across the globe, including in boreal, temperate, and tropical climates. We investigate hydrology, soils, and vegetation and their relationship to ecosystem processes, societal values, and management. We examine human use, modification, exploitation, jurisdictional delineation, and management options, along with legal and political aspects of wetlands. This is a broad course, encompassing forestry, coastal management, energy, climate change, agriculture, history, and ecosystem succession, in addition to the areas listed above.
Spring 2023
Case Studies in Development Economics
Bruno S. Sergi PhD, Professor of International Economics, University of Messina and Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Sustainable development includes not only a healthy economic base, but also a sound environment, stable and rewarding employment, adequate purchasing power, distributional equity, national self-reliance, and maintenance of cultural integrity. This course explores the many dimensions of sustainability and their relationship to economic growth, and the use of national, multinational, and international political, legal, and economic mechanisms including environmental and trade law, and economic incentives to further sustainable development. The inter-relationship of global economic/financial changes, employment, and working conditions; the environment in the context of theories of development, trade, and employment; and the importance of networks and organizational learning are examined. Mechanisms for resolving the apparent conflicts between development, environment, and employment are explored.
Fall 2022
Managing Conservation Trade-Offs
Blake Simmons PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Colorado State University
Faced with limited resources and complex environmental problems to solve, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers must make tough decisions. Environmental decision making in the twenty-first century requires thinking through multidimensional choices characterized by uncertain science, diverse stakeholders, and difficult trade-offs. Too often, however, important decisions are made opportunistically or on an ad hoc basis, leading to suboptimal investments, poor implementation, and unintentional outcomes. This course prepares students to tackle contemporary environmental problems using structured decision making and systematic conservation planning to maximize impacts for people and nature. Students learn about trade-offs, moral dilemmas, and other complexities of conservation in social-ecological systems. Through practical labs, students gain a variety of quantitative and qualitative skills to inform, design, and prioritize effective and equitable conservation interventions. Labs include introductory-level data analysis in R and spatial analyses in QGIS.
Prerequisites: B or higher in ENVR E-101.
Spring 2023
Socio-ecological Systems Thinking to Support a Regenerative Future
Katherine von Stackelberg ScD, Research Scientist, Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
This is a course on the economy in society and in the biosphere focused on supporting planetary health. Even as we recognize that human well-being depends on the natural environment, we are experiencing unprecedented environmental challenges largely as a consequence of unsustainable interactions with nature based on linear systems of extraction to waste rather than regeneration. We are increasingly putting our well-being at risk through the unintended environmental consequences of modern life. Industrialization and development at the expense of natural resources, energy- and pollution-intensive food production, and an economic system that fails to account for natural capital: these are just a few examples of how we are failing to work effectively within a socio-ecological system. In this course we explore the evidence for the ways in which the natural environment supports well-being, talk about the implications for sustainability (of what to whom), identify actionable strategies for sustainability that explicitly recognize the coupled human-natural system, and challenge conventional disciplinary norms by integrating social and natural sciences for more effective decision making. We explore themes related to the essentiality of biodiversity to ecosystem services, working with nature, biophilic design, biomimicry, permaculture and multifunctional agricultural landscapes, and collaborative decision making, and identify quantitative approaches for decision making based on systems thinking and dynamics.
Spring 2023
Introduction to US Environmental History
Zachary Bostwick Nowak PhD
How did people in what is now the United States shape their environment, and how were they shaped by it? And how does US history fit into larger global environmental history? This course examines how humans thought about and used the natural world over the centuries and the consequences of both use of and thoughts about the nature. Topics include food, climate change, pollution, conquest and resistance, environmentalism and environmental justice, and energy. This course actively seeks to show the importance of the material world and the contributions of a broad spectrum of historical actors to US history, among them Indigenous Americans, enslaved people, women, working people, and outlaws, as well as the climate, microbes, and animals. While the focus is on what is now the US, the course frequently looks outward to the rest of the world.
Spring 2023
Sustainability Solutions for Small Businesses
Scott Curtis Stenger ALM, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force
This course communicates to students the knowledge they need to carry out sustainability actions in a small business. Background information on sustainability is used to provide business owners and employees with a clear understanding of climate change. The course then has a focus topic of the week; some examples are small business emissions, comparing the cost of operating sustainable small business vehicles, opportunities to save money and lower emissions with sustainable lighting, lowering costs and gaining revenue with effective recycling programs, government sustainability assistance for small business, renewable energy, sustainable office materials, and sustainable supply chains. This course differs from other courses by offering a topic of the week with practices and products a small business can adopt to make changes to become more sustainable during the semester. This course teaches practical and achievable lessons that can be implemented each week by a small business. Many in-class lessons are also applicable to make sustainability changes at small nonprofit organizations.
Spring 2023
Implementing an Environmental Stewardship Plan
Jenny Kehl PhD, Professor of Business, International and Political Economy, Concordia University
This course is designed to offer an advanced understanding and practical application of environmental conservation for business, agency, and community partners. It is a practicum in natural resource management and environmental consultancy. The course includes policy analyses, data analyses, evaluation of natural resource consumption and supply chains, climate change risk assessment and mitigation, and innovation in stewardship and sustainability. It focuses on resource management practices that are environmentally sustainable, economically transformative, socially equitable, and stakeholder inclusive. The final product is an actual environmental stewardship plan for a business, agency, or community partner.
Spring 2023
The Food System: Environment, Health, and Ethics
Sparsha Saha PhD, Lecturer on Government and Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
The course has three units. In the first, students learn about the environmental, health, and ethical costs of animal agriculture (with a global focus though the United States is highlighted). Topics include: animal agriculture's impact on climate change, as well as other less well known planetary boundaries like biodiversity loss, nitrogen/phosphorus cycles, water use, and land use; animal agriculture's impact on health, including both communicable and non-communicable diseases; animal agriculture's ethical costs, with a focus on marginalized black and brown populations who disproportionately bear these costs. In the second unit, we turn our attention to the lack of attention on these costs in policy, with a focus on the United States. Here, the topics include: subsidies (highlighting the lack of public investment in alternative proteins, in contrast to the approach taken by other countries like Singapore, Israel, and China); regulation (explaining how factory farms are virtually unregulated due to exemptions and lack of willingness in the US); legislation or proposed legislation (including the Green New Deal, the Biden Plan, and the Paris Agreement). In the third unit, we showcase the vast array of actors who are part of the food systems shift. The course aims to show students that they have opportunities to be part of the change by connecting them with other actors in the space including policymakers and staff, industry leaders in the plant-based sector, health professionals, academics, and advocates and activists.
Spring 2023
Renewable Energy Mini-Grids for Rural Community Development
Scott Kennedy PhD, Chief Executive Officer, ClearSky Power and Co-executive Director, Energy Action Partners
Renewable energy mini-grids are a key technology for extending electricity access to over 500 million people worldwide. Yet, for such a critical infrastructure, the mini-grid sector is far from standardized and faces several challenges. This course takes a deep dive into the rapidly evolving technologies, business models, policies, and project development approaches that are driving innovation in rural electricity access. Students learn the context of energy poverty, how limited energy access underlies numerous development challenges, and the various current approaches for rural electrification. The course then focuses specifically on renewable energy mini-grids, introducing the technology stack generation, power conversion, energy storage, distribution, and metering their different architectures and business models for service delivery. Students learn specific tools and methods for the mini-grid project development process, including feasibility studies, demand estimation, risk assessment, and project financing. Students also learn participatory planning and community engagement techniques that align project design with community expectations and increase community agency. The course draws on case studies and contributions from active practitioners, particularly from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Students completing this course come away with a deep understanding of mini-grid technology, the opportunities and challenges around rural energy access, and the latest tools and methods for mini-grid project development.
Prerequisites: High school math and science. ENVR E-102 recommended.
January 2023
Urban Agriculture
Zachary Bostwick Nowak PhD
In this intensive January session course, we ask: what do gardens in cities do for people? Urban agriculture is a catch-all term that covers community gardens, vegetable plots at prisons, didactically-minded gardens in schoolyards, gardens planted illegally on vacant lots, high-tech hydroponic companies, and farmers' markets. Students develop knowledge about how these spaces differ across variables like legality, goals, and actors. Students in this course learn about how growing food in Global North cities has a long past. We debate whether urban agriculture is an excellent way for city dwellers to reduce hunger and assert their control over urban space, or whether it's just another subtle manifestation of neoliberalism. A core goal of this course, above and beyond the content, is to develop research skills in multiple disciplines that will be useful for other courses.
Fall 2022
Critical Analysis of Environmental Systems
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
Understanding the dynamics of complex ecological and environmental systems and designing policies to promote their sustainability is a formidable challenge. Both the practitioner and policymaker must be able to evaluate scientific research, recognizing fundamental pitfalls in research design and data interpretation. Moreover, most important environmental problems involve interactions among variables as dynamic systems, so forecasting the impacts of potential environmental changes or policy interventions is critical. To develop these skills, students conduct practical exercises illustrating a range of modeling techniques, including statistical analysis of ecological and environmental data, and system dynamics modeling. Computer simulation modeling ranges across diverse issues in sustainability science, such as climate change, human population dynamics, population viability analysis of endangered species, and economic appraisal of projects that have an impact on natural resources. The course also focuses on developing skills in scientific writing, critiquing primary research literature, and communicating about environmental science. Quantitative techniques are taught at an introductory level; some data analysis and simulation modeling is conducted using Excel spreadsheets.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42b or EXPO E-42c are highly recommended. Experience manipulating data and algebraic equations on spreadsheets is helpful.
Spring 2023
Critical Analysis of Environmental Systems
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
Understanding the dynamics of complex ecological and environmental systems and designing policies to promote their sustainability is a formidable challenge. Both the practitioner and policymaker must be able to evaluate scientific research, recognizing fundamental pitfalls in research design and data interpretation. Moreover, most important environmental problems involve interactions among variables as dynamic systems, so forecasting the impacts of potential environmental changes or policy interventions is critical. To develop these skills, students conduct practical exercises illustrating a range of modeling techniques, including statistical analysis of ecological and environmental data, and system dynamics modeling. Computer simulation modeling ranges across diverse issues in sustainability science, such as climate change, human population dynamics, population viability analysis of endangered species, and economic appraisal of projects that have an impact on natural resources. The course also focuses on developing skills in scientific writing, critiquing primary research literature, and communicating about environmental science. Quantitative techniques are taught at an introductory level; some data analysis and simulation modeling is conducted using Excel spreadsheets.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42b or EXPO E-42c are highly recommended. Experience manipulating data and algebraic equations on spreadsheets is helpful.
January 2023
Crafting the Thesis Proposal in Sustainability
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
This intensive January session course helps students develop critical thinking, scholarly writing skills, and research abilities while developing their individual thesis proposals. Class meetings feature lectures and discussions on different scientific approaches, group discussions, and intensive, constructive discussion of proposed student thesis research projects and proposals, from definition of research goals and hypotheses through research design and expected data analysis and presentation. Students are encouraged to contact their research advisor well before prework is due to discuss possible thesis topics and should not register for this course unless they are ready to engage in the entire thesis process. They should consider if this is the right time to start independent research, as the goal of the course is to move from crafting the thesis proposal to thesis registration with no extended breaks. Students should begin the thesis project during the next semester.
Prerequisites: Registration is restricted to officially admitted candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, who have received prework approval. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Students must have completed eight courses toward the degree and fulfilled their research methods requirement. All students must be in good academic standing. Students submit their prework by October 1 to thesis_prework@extension.harvard.edu. See prework guidelines for details.
Fall 2022
Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Capstone
William O'Brien MBA, JD, Professor of Practice, School of Management, Clark University
This course is a capstone for students earning a Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability degree. Course deliverables include a detailed actionable/measurable sustainability action plan (SAP) as well as a presentation to be given to the class and to client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client to develop and deliver a customized SAP focused on reduction of operating costs, minimization of the environmental footprint, brand differentiation and improvement of environmental sustainability practices. Class time is devoted to addressing client requirements and developing actionable solutions. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Consulting with Clients for Sustainability Solutions Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, consulting track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in March with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR S-598a, in the previous Harvard Summer School term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Spring 2023
Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Capstone
William O'Brien MBA, JD, Professor of Practice, School of Management, Clark University
This course is a capstone for students earning a Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability degree. Course deliverables include a detailed actionable/measurable sustainability action plan (SAP) as well as a presentation to be given to the class and to client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client to develop and deliver a customized SAP focused on reduction of operating costs, minimization of the environmental footprint, brand differentiation and improvement of environmental sustainability practices. Class time is devoted to addressing client requirements and developing actionable solutions. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Consulting with Clients for Sustainability Solutions Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, consulting track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in May with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR E-598a, in the previous fall term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Spring 2023
Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Capstone
Neil Hawkins ScD, President, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation
This course is a capstone for students earning a Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability degree. Course deliverables include a detailed actionable/measurable sustainability action plan (SAP) as well as a presentation to be given to the class and to client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client to develop and deliver a customized SAP focused on reduction of operating costs, minimization of the environmental footprint, brand differentiation and improvement of environmental sustainability practices. Class time is devoted to addressing client requirements and developing actionable solutions. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Consulting with Clients for Sustainability Solutions Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, consulting track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in May with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR E-598a, in the previous fall term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Fall 2022
Independent Research Capstone
Richard Wetzler PhD, Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
This course offers students the overview, direction, and support for completing an individual capstone project, creatively engaging their professional and personal interests. It catalyzes the thinking, designing, implementing, and dissemination essential to successful research. Participants are guided in the processes of heuristic question formulation, hypothesis testing, data collection and analysis, writing, and oral presentation through four approaches. Starting with their preliminary proposals and needs assessments, students meet individually with the instructor during the term, ensuring research is on track and benefitting from available literature, experts, and other resources. Lectures and discussions explore challenges and opportunities in project scoping, boundary delineation, stakeholder inclusion, impact assessment, and sampling design; logical consistency, lateral thinking, case study analysis; prototyping, benchmarking, and bet hedging; effective writing, editing, graphic presentation, and information search; and public presentation and network-building. In recurring workshops, participants present their work-in-progress for constructive input from the class. At semester's end, the professional community is invited to an online symposium anchored by students' research presentations. A web-archive of resulting video-recorded and written capstones serves sustainability professionals globally. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Independent Research Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, capstone track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in March with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone course, ENVR S-598, in the previous Harvard Summer School term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Spring 2023
Independent Research Capstone
Michaela J. Thompson PhD, Lecturer in Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This course offers students the overview, direction, and support for completing an individual capstone project, creatively engaging their professional and personal interests. Lectures and discussions explore challenges and opportunities in project scoping, boundary delineation, stakeholder inclusion, impact assessment, and sampling design; logical consistency, lateral thinking, and case study analysis; prototyping, benchmarking, and bet hedging; effective writing, editing, graphic presentation, and information search; and public presentation and network building. Students are asked to prepare a poster of their work to present to the wider graduate community at the end of the semester. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Independent Research Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, capstone track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in May with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR E-598, in the previous fall term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.