The Environmental Sustainability program students meet twice a week for the in-class portion of the semester at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), one of the nation's premiere nonprofit research and advocacy organization that promotes sustainable food, farm, and trade systems. Nestled in South Minneapolis it's an easy location to bus, bike, or walk to and students have found the meeting area to be cozy and inviting. A great many guests and field speakers—activists, authors, researchers, and other experts and community members—join the group at IATP each semester, but also lots of learning occurs outside of the classroom walls. A number of the field trips taken during the semester are overnight experiences. Recent excursions have been to:
Southeast Minnesota
On this trip students travel south along the Mississippi River to the towns of Redwing, Kellogg and Lake City. The group stops at Red Wing Grain company to tour a grain elevator and barge company. The day focuses on the sociopolitical and ecological aspects of an experimental drawdown of water levels on the Mississippi River. The afternoon ends at Ralph Lentz’s sustainable beef farm where students spend time dining, telling stories, camping in the pasture, and learning about Ralph’s vision of sustainability. Students do a tour of several farms the following day.
White Earth
Students visit the White Earth Land Recovery Project in northern Minnesota, founded by Winona LaDuke. Here the group explores Native history and learns from members of the White Earth Indian Reservation about work to recover their original land base, strengthen their cultural heritage, and promote sustainable land stewardship. Students also visit a wind turbine owned by the Land Recovery Project and discuss alternative energy generation and distribution.
Western Minnesota
On this trip students meet with community activists at Buffalo Ridge in western Minnesota where they also get an upclose look at wind turbines to learn about their form and function of converting kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. A highlight of the trip West is a visit to Moonstone Organic farm, home of Audrey Arner and Richard Handeen. Here the group tours their family farm and ecotourism center, and participates in a local and sustainable foods potluck with community residents. The following day students go to Montevideo MN to visit with local activists at their community coffee shop, Java River.
Other recent program excursions and highlights include:
- An investigation of the Mississippi River Gorge where students learn about climate vulnerability and adaptation with Ann Pierce from the MN Department of Natural Resources.
- A slideshow and discussion with Macalester professor Christie Manning on the psychology of sustainable behavior.
- A powerful day of international climate action where students work alongside local organizations, policy makers, and members of the citizen-powered coalition "MN350" to call for a future free from fossil fuels and runaway climate change.
- A bike ride down the Minneapolis Greenway to Peace Coffee where students enjoy organic, fair trade cups of Joe while learning about sustainable business and local economies from Director Lee Wallace.
- A road trip to Dream of Wild Health, a "Native-Owned and Native-Grown Farm" in Hugo, MN, where students explore the relationships between culture, land, and food with Executive Director and author Diane Wilson.
- A hands-on tour of Summit Academy's green jobs training program where students hear from an organizer from H.I.R.E. Minnesota about the importance of building a green economy that helps lift people out of poverty and reduces racial disparities.
- A visit to Minneapolis City Hall where students can meet with their local representatives and learn about the city's work on sustainability issues.
