AFVN MDC Earth Ethics Institute Sustainability & Resilience

With the onset of climate change, biodiversity loss through mass extinction, and other planetary changes brought through the industrial age, the need for sustainability and resilience has never been clearer. But sustainability is not just about the environment, it is also about social equity, a just economy, and cultural diversity. The goal of this project is to promote sustainability and resilience at Miami Dade College and the surrounding local community by establishing an integrated community of practice uniting efforts across the College from facilities/operations through academic and co-curricular activities. This project will foster the implementation of such high-impact practices as establishing a campus-as-laboratory initiative, project-based learning opportunities that assess and improve campus sustainability, and promoting, developing, and maintaining on-campus agroecology and organic gardens. There is a need to prepare students for the emerging ¿green economy¿ with the skills needed in a resilient workforce; creating opportunities for ¿future-proofing¿ students through Earth Literacy and Changemaking Education will be an overarching theme as this project develops. The underserved communities of Miami-Dade County represented through Miami-Dade College students will be served by this project. Miami Dade College serves low-income communities throughout Miami-Dade County. A 2020 Enrolled Student Survey showed that 67.2% of MDC's students are low-income, with 47% living below the poverty level. Additionally, most of MDC's students identify with commonly disadvantaged ethnic groups, with 76.6% being Hispanic/Latino, and 14.1% identifying as Black Non-Hispanic.