Sustainability Across the Curriculum and Living Laboratories

Carleton College is committed to expanding participation in “sustainability across the curriculum”. In addition to supporting broad opportunities, goal 6 of our strategic direction supports place-based sustainability learning including living laboratories and the special learning opportunities we have on campus (the arboretum, the student farm, campus operations) in complement to community engagement. We champion connecting faculty to each other, the sustainability and community experts on campus, and finding ways to listen, learn, and support the community around us. This approach features interdisciplinary, place-based, and community engaged learning. It also includes building respectful relationships with Dakota and Ojibwe peoples and builds upon ongoing Indigenous engagement efforts at Carleton.

2025-2026 Academic Year Overview

This Carleton launched a multi-year Sustainability Across the Curriculum initiative supported by Carleton’s Learning and Teaching Center (LTC), Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies Program (ENTS), and the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).

Activities are described below:

  • A Virtual Preview (October): Introduced the “Sustainability Across the Curriculum” model, exploring interdisciplinary examples and Institutional Level Outcomes (ILOs).
  • The Full-Day Workshop (December 10, 2025): Faculty from more than half of all majors at Carleton attended this workshop to integrate sustainability as a lens for their specific disciplines, ranging from including sustainability literacy within a single course activity to the design of community-engaged courses that embed sustainability literacy and Academic Civic Engagement (ACE). Faculty teaching sustainability shared examples, and staff shared resources, connections, and opportunities to engage authentic campus and local sustainability challenges.
  • Community of Practice (Winter 2026-Fall 2026) Faculty participants are meeting during the spring or fall term to discuss how their curriculum development or implementation is going or went. This will inform the supporting resources and community activities planned ahead.
  • Activity Showcase: Faculty completing the sequence receive a $2,000 stipend upon the development and sharing of a new teaching activity that will make visible how faculty are teaching sustainability. See stipend expectations.

Please reach out to Sarah Fortner if you have any questions about the Sustainability Across the Curriculum initiative.

In addition to the launch workshop, several additional opportunities were planned such as:

Interdisciplinary Learning: Environmental Studies Major

Environmental studies (ENTS) at Carleton looks at environmental issues through multiple lenses: scientific, economic, ethical, social, political, historical, and aesthetic. The major emphasizes critical thinking as well as laboratory and field research, and encourages participation in internships and off-campus studies.

Find more course information and major requirements on the ENTS website. ENTS also supports cross listing with other majors.

Academic Civic Engagement Classes

Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) at Carleton is an approach to education focusing on community-based learning, community-based research, and service learning. ACE courses may be Applied, which generally indicates that a civic engagement project is an integral part of the course, and often involves collaboration with community partners. ACE can also be Theoretical, meaning that it focuses on the theoretical exploration of civic engagement.

Courses that include sustainability can also be ACE courses. Consult with Emily Seru.

Academic Experiences in the Arboretum

Learn more about how the Cowling Arboretum is used by all disciplines and majors, from drawing classes to biology and geology research. The Arboretum is home to many academic activities including curricular activities and ongoing research.

Indigenous Engagement in Place

Building our relationships and connections with Dakota and Ojibwe peoples is important to honest story telling and respectful relationships and learning and engaging for sustainability and environmental justice. Learn more about initiatives for faculty, students and staff. Indigenous related courses are also mapped for students.

Sustainability Comps Projects

Students complete sustainability-related capstone projects, or comprehensive projects in a number of different majors (thank you, liberal arts!).