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Campus Learning Community

Collaboratively exploring Earth Literacy, the Earth Charter, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other environmental topics

Featured Resources

Sustainable Cities Campus Learning Community and Symposium Exploring UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Urbana Literary & Arts -- for details, visit: https://www.urbanalit.com/

URBANITES Podcast Series

Featuring student-researched, written and produced podcast segments, this project aims to raise awareness about environmental issues. 

https://www.urbanalit.com
 

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Voices of Students

Voices of Students Video Collection
Featuring Science student reflections about aspects of sustainable cities and life in Miami.
(Professors Beth Cloues, Isabel Duque & Dr. Rene Revuelta -- Spring 2021)

https://tinyurl.com/VoicesofStudents


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UN SDG 11 Cento Poem
(developed by participants of the Artivism: Art and Storytelling for Social Justice workshop -- March 3, 2021,
led by Profs. Emily Sendin and Isabel Duque) 

 

The world already has enough for ALL of us
Dealing with more than technical issues
The daily practice of being a good creature is my success in this lifetime
Always crawling through the cracks of our own complacency
Constantly escaping doom
Our home is in our hands
Act, what you do makes a difference

Essential Questions

 

  • How do urban settlements, or cities, meet human needs (physical, social, and psychological)?
     
  • What is the history behind the rural to urban trend that has led to over half of the world’s population living in cities?
     
  • In what ways do cities reflect or manifest socio-economic inequalities?
     
  • What are the root causes of hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity at the local levels?
     
  • What role did segregation-era policies and other manifestations of systemic racism play in creating the current racialized inequities in our cities?
     
  • How might we improve access to affordable healthy food in our communities?
     
  • How might we make our cities more livable?
     
  • Would our society be less wasteful and more energy-efficient if everyone lived in cities?
     
  • How might the way we design and build our communities improve outcomes for its people?
     
  • How might we ensure that all city residents – regardless of neighborhood – have their needs met and their unique assets leveraged for the common good?
     
  • How might colleges and universities partner with community groups to make our cities more equitable?
     

Key Terms

 

  • urban / suburban / rural / peri-urban
     
  • urban infrastructure / basic services / waste management / waste water treatment
     
  • slum / informal housing / informal development
     
  • cultural heritage / natural heritage
     
  • disaster risk reduction / water-related disasters
     
  • air quality
     
  • sustainable urban planning / design / development / architecture / engineering
     
  • regional planning
     
  • natural resources (renewable & non-renewable) / natural resource management
     
  • sustainable energy
     
  • sustainable transportation
     
  • sustainable food production
     
  • food security / insecurity / justice / desert / apartheid
     
  • urban gardens / community gardens
     
  • socio-economic equity
     
  • Urban Renewal / Federal Aid Highway Acts / “redlining”
     
  • gentrification
     
  • urban ecology
     
  • public space
     
  • human-scale planning
     
  • Right to the City / tactical urbanism
     
  • affordable housing
     
  • segregation

Goal 11: Fall 2020 Campus Learning Community & Symposium (Poster)

Fall 2020 Symposium Schedule

Sustainable Cities Campus Learning Community and Symposium Exploring UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.


THANK YOU for making the Fall 2020 (November 16-20) Campus Learning Community (CLC) a success!

Faculty and students from all MDC campuses were encouraged to participate in the following events this semester or host their own Goal 11 related activities as part of the CLC. Some events below connected with other MDC efforts (symposia, etc.) that share aspects of the Goal 11 theme. 

 

 

Sustainable Cities Symposium:
 A week of virtual presentations, events, and happenings  

Monday, November 16th
 

  • 9:00 – 9:50 AM: Resilient 305
    • Sandra St. Hilaire with the Miami Dade County Office of Resilience discusses Resilient 305 and the county sea level rise strategy with Professors Walter Kozloski (World Languages, North Campus) and Mike Lenaghan (Social Sciences, North Campus) 
       
  • 10:00 – 10:50 AM: Sustainable Cities Student Presentations pt. 1
    • Student presentations with Professor Albert Lenel (Communication, Arts & Philosophy, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 1:00 – 2:15 PM: Keynote speaker—Mario Ariza
    • Local journalist and author of Disposable City: Miami’s Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe Mario Ariza discusses sea level rise and resilience in the Magic City, with Professor Juan Santelises (English & Communications, North Campus). To note, Disposable City is available to borrow via MDC Learning Resources.
       
  • 5:40 – 7:00 PM: Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Workshop
    • Houston Cypress from the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida leads this workshop on acknowledging and offering gratitude to the native peoples on whose land we sit with Professors Walter Kozloski (World Languages, North Campus) and Juan Santelises (English & Communications, North Campus)
  • 7:05 – 8:45 PM: GenCLEO: The Climate Crisis
    • Learn how students can participate in the CLEO Institute’s GenCLEO climate advocacy training,
       

Tuesday, November 17th

  • 9:50 – 11:05 AM: Struggle for Miami's Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH)
    • Adrian Madriz discusses gentrification and social equity with Professor Jaeson Clayborn (Mathematics & Natural Sciences, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Sustainable Cities: A Community Philosophy Talk
    • The philosophy and ethics of sustainability with Professor Darrell Arnold (Arts & Philosophy, North Campus)
       
  • 12:40 – 1:55 PM: GenCLEO: The Climate Crisis
    • Learn how students can participate in the CLEO Institute’s GenCLEO climate advocacy training, with Professor Juan Santelises (English & Communications, North Campus)
       
  • 5:40 – 7:00 PM: GenCLEO: The Climate Crisis
    • Learn how students can participate in the CLEO Institute’s GenCLEO climate advocacy training, with Professor Juan Santelises (English & Communications, North Campus)
       
  • 6:00 – 8:00 PM: Gather: The Fight to Revitalize Our Native Foodways 
    • Documentary film screening with MDC Learning Resources and Professor Isabel Duque (Learning Resources, Padrón Campus). 


Wednesday, November 18th

  • 9:00 – 10:00 AM: Gather Reflections
    • Student reflections on the documentary Gather with Professors Adrianne Thompson (World Languages, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 10:45 – 11:45 AM: Sustainable Community: Narrow Ridge
    • Mitzi Wood-Von Mizner, the Director of the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center in rural Washburn, TN discusses sustainability, community, and Ecospirituality with Professors Carmen Mise (English & Communications, North Campus) and Sandra Castillo (Social Sciences, Kendall Campus
       
  • 3:50 – 5:30 PM: GenCLEO: The Climate Crisis
    • Learn how students can participate in the CLEO Institute’s GenCLEO climate advocacy training, with Professor Juan Santelises (English & Communications, North Campus)

Thursday, November 19th

  • 8:25 – 9:40 AM: For Earth’s Sake!
    • Student reflections on issues currently affecting Miami’s resiliency with Professor Rene Revuelta (Mathematics & Natural Sciences, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 9:50 – 11:05 AM: Climate Refugees
    • West Campus YES! Club immigration and climate change panel and discussion with Professors Sarah Jacob (Social Sciences, West Campus) and Steve Kronen (Learning Resources, West Campus)
       
  • 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Mapping Food Security
    • Anthony Olivieri guides this interactive session on GIS mapping, food security, and what it means to be a “food citizen” with Professors Ben Augustyne (Social Sciences, Wolfson Campus) and Oscar Gonzalez (Communication, Arts & Philosophy, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 12:40 – 1:55 PM: SDG #11 Escape Room
    • Educational and fun virtual “escape room” with Professor Emily Sendin (Communication, Arts & Philosophy, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 2:00 – 3:20 PM: Black Lives Matter
    • Interactive virtual discussion with the North Campus Sociology Club and Professor Scott Murphy (Social Sciences, North Campus)
       

Friday, November 20th

  • 8:00 – 8:50 AM: Sustainable Cities Student Presentations pt. 2
    • Student project presentations and discussion with Professor Albert Lenel (Communication, Arts & Philosophy, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 10:00 – 10:50 AM: Sustainable Cities Student Presentations pt. 3
    • Student project presentations and discussion with Professor Albert Lenel (Communication, Arts & Philosophy, Padrón Campus)
       
  • 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM: Why Tiny Houses?
    • Global Sustainability and Earth Literacy Studies (GSELS) presentation by Professors Scott Murphy (Social Sciences, North Campus) and Carmen Mise (English & Communications, North Campus)

Read the Spring  2021 CLC WELCOME Statement

 

(for details about the Fall 2020 CLC Symposium, click here and scroll down)

Spring 2021 Schedule

Sustainable Cities Campus Learning Community and Symposium Exploring UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.


THANK YOU for making the Academic Year 2020-21 Campus Learning Community (CLC) a success!

Faculty and students from all MDC campuses were encouraged to participate in the following events this semester or host their own Goal 11 related activities as part of the CLC. Some events below connected with other MDC efforts (symposia, etc.) that share aspects of the Goal 11 theme. 

 

Sustainable Cities Symposium:
 A week of virtual presentations, events, and happenings  


Monday, April 5 

  • 8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Envisioning Miami in 2070 Student Presentations with Professor Albert Lenel (Philosophy and Ethics)  
     

  • 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Sustainable Cities Student Short Films with Professor Billy Oliver and community partners 
     

  • 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. Harmful Algal Blooms in South Florida with Dr. Larry Brand, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
     

  • 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Sustainable Cities Student Presentations with Professor Albert Lenel (Philosophy and Ethics)  
     

  • 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. Sustainable Cities: East/West Connections & Emerging Sustainable Miccosukee Community with Professor Amar Sawhney (Architecture) 
     

  • 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. CESI Directors Panel: Changemaking and Sustainable Cities with Sandra LaFleur, Josh Young, Dr. Mohammad Homayounvash, and Mike Matthews 
     

  • 7:00 p.m. Student Sustainability Podcast Series with Professor Emily Sendin (English) and her students -- release of latest Urbanites podcasts  

     

Tuesday, April 6 

  • 8:25 – 9:40 a.m. Student Reflections on Reconnecting through Voluntary Simplicity: Sustainability in Miami (Session 1) with Professors Beth Cloues (Library Science), Isabel Duque (Library Science) and Rene Revuelta (Environmental Science) 
     

  • 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. Everglades Song Book Everglades-inspired music performance with Live Arts Miami
     

  • 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sustainability, Climate Change, and Just Energy Transitions with Dr. Matthew S. Henry, University of Wyoming  
     

  • 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Student Project Based Learning (PBL) Presentations with Professor Ginny Peterson-Tennant (Social Sciences) 
     

  • 12:40 – 1:55 p.m. Developing a Critical Planetary Romanticism for the Earth with Dr. Whitney Bauman (FIU Speaker Series) 
     

  • 5:40 – 7:20 p.m. The Climate Crisis, A Race We Can Win! with Olivia Collins, The CLEO Institute (a Resilient Communities sponsored event) 
     

  • 5:40 – 8:10 p.m. Civic Action Portfolio Student Presentations with Professor Oscar Gonzalez (English)  

     

Wednesday, April 7 Sustainapalooza! student-led events 

  • 8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Endorsing Miami’s Need for Sustainability, with Padrón Campus YES! Club and the This4That project 
     

  • 8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Student Reflections on Reconnecting through Voluntary Simplicity: Sustainability in Miami (Session 2) with Professors Beth Cloues (Library Science), Isabel Duque (Library Science) and Rene Revuelta (Environmental Science) 
     

  • 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Students discuss the documentary film Fire & Flood with Professor Sarah Jacob (Philosophy) and the West Campus YES! Club
     

  • 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. The Earth on Fire artist talk with Miwa Matreyek and Live Arts Miami 
     

  • 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Recycling Workshop with North Campus YES! Club 
     
     

  • 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Student Reflections on Reconnecting through Voluntary Simplicity: Sustainability in Miami (Session 3) with Professors Beth Cloues (Library Science), Isabel Duque (Library Science) and Rene Revuelta (Environmental Science) 
     

  • 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. Activity Hour student sessions:

    • Kendall YES! Club Recycling w/Waste Management & Recycling Activity

    • PBL/GSELS Presentation: Plastics in Our Oceans

    • PBL/GSELS Presentation: Creating Awareness about Climate Change
       

  • 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. Activity Hour student sessions:

    • Creative Writing: Fabric Waste and Fast Fashion
      & Eating Disorders in the LGBTQ Community  

    • Abilities Unlimited Renewable Energy for People with Disabilities

    • Creative Writing: Renewable Energy

    • Venezuelan Student Alliance: Germinating Sprouts
       

  • 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. Earthverse spoken word performance with Live Arts Miami, featuring Darius Daughtry and Marino Toussaint
     

  • 4:00 – 4:50 p.m. Vegan Cooking Show with Wolfson Campus YES! Club 
     

  • 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. Small Island Big Song panel and discussion of the film with Live Arts Miami
     

  • 7:00 p.m. A Library Week screening of Seeding Change: The Power of Conscious Commerce with Professor Isabel Duque (Library Science) 

     

Thursday, April 8 

  • 8:25 – 9:40 a.m. Student Reflections on Reconnecting through Voluntary Simplicity: Sustainability in Miami (Session 4) with Professors Beth Cloues (Library Science), Isabel Duque (Library Science) and Rene Revuelta (Environmental Science) 
     

  • 11:15 a.m. –12:30 p.m. Tiny House Movement with Professor Scott Murphy (Sociology) 
     

  • 11:15 a.m. –12:30 p.m. A Global Effort for Local Change: The Slow Food Movement with Dr. Douglas Kincaid (FIU Speaker Series) 
     

  • 12:40 –1:30 p.m. Story of More student presentations with Professor Emily Sendin (English) 
     

  • 2:05 – 3:20 p.m. The Everglades and Us with Dylann L. Turffs, Everglades National Park ranger 
     

  • 5:40 – 8:10 p.m. Civic Action Portfolio Student Presentations with Professor Oscar Gonzalez (English) 

  

Friday, April 9 

  • 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Student Reflections on Sustainable Cities with Professor Scott Murphy (Sociology)
     

  • 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. Water Rights and Water Policy – Rising Voices with Dr. Jen Veilleux (FIU Speaker Series) 
     

  • 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Students discuss the film Seeding Change with Professors Adrianne Thompson and Frederick Richmond (World Languages) – connecting with Padrón Campus Teaching & Learning Symposium
     

  • 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Science Students Engage in Padrón Campus Learning Resources by Way of Immersion in Sustainability, with Professors Beth Cloues (Library Science), Isabel Duque (Library Science) and Rene Revuelta (Environmental Science) – connecting with
    Padrón Campus Teaching & Learning Symposium

  • 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Student Black Lives Matter Panel with North Campus Sociology Club  
     

  • 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. The Nature of Borders. Borders in Nature; Dr. Ulrich Oslender discusses climate change and geographic boundaries (FIU Speaker Series) – connecting with Padrón Campus Teaching & Learning Symposium