Nominated by Community College of Philadelphia
What it is: Environmental science education and informal outreach conducted by faculty and students at the Community College of Philadelphia.
Where it is: Community College of Philadelphia serves the entire city of Philadelphia, as well as suburbs. The environmental education program is based on campus, with several off-campus 'partners' such as the Waterworks Museum, Heinz Wildlife Refuge, Schulykill Center for Environmental Education, Sierra Club, and Spring Gardens Community Garden.
Who is involved: This program is headed by Associate Professor Margaret Stephens with involvement by several additional faculty members as well as student leadership.
How is it funded: Specific environmental co-curricular programs are funded by the CCP Office of Student Life. In general, CCP is funded approximately 1/3 by student tuition, 1/3 by the City of Philadelphia and 1/3 by the State of Pennsylvania.
What is the motivation: Professor Stephens is passionate about environmental stewardship and student growth. Former Peacecorp volunteer, Professor Stephens infuses her previous experiences into challenging content for her students as well as providing ample opportunities for making a difference in the Philadelphia community.
Sustainability Narrative
Professor Stephens opens the eyes and hearts of her students, who may never have considered their urban environment before coming into her class. With her class and co-curricular programs, these urban students learned to work the soil, plant trees, remove invasive species, recycle, use energy-efficient and ecologically-based consumer products, eat healthier and local, and engage/education their families on urban environmental issues! Professor Stephens also provides her students with career exploration into the environmental field and advises the student organization, Earth Watch Alliance. Finally, she organizes campus-wide activities such as Earth Day, to expose students, faculty and staff to environmental and social issues.
Results
Through her coursework and program leadership, Professor Stephens directly reaches out to more than 150 students per semester...300 per academic year! Through her campus wide activities, like Earth Day and Earth Science Week, Professor Stephens reaches out to more than 500 students per academic year!
