Earth Ethics Institute Events
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MDC Wellness Resources
Earth Ethics Institute supports wellness and a culture of care at MDC

Student Food Pantry
Visit MDC's Student Food Panty: ACCESS Department, Room 1112 (Student Services area) 

Help Stock the Pantry
Items needed: feminine hygiene items, toiletries, proteins (canned tuna, sausage, peanut butter, etc.), tomato sauce, pasta, rice, beans, and breakfast items.

Campus Learning Community
The Campus Learning Community is an Earth Ethics Institute initiative that encourages learning about environmental topics of choice -- across classes and MDC campuses, each academic year.

Miami Dade College is a proud member of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

Please see the AASHE calendar for other events.

About Us 

Padrón Campus promotes Earth Literacy and environmental sustainability as an opportunity for innovation and collaboration. It involves students, faculty (including GSELS Faculty), staff, and administrators who are dedicated to enhancing learning and taking positive action. Efforts are supported by Student Life, different student Clubs, STEM and WeLearn 366 grant programming, Institute for Civic Engagement & Democracy (iCED), Learning Resources, Media Services, Single Stop, Honors College and other partners.

Earth Ethics Institute convenes and leads efforts to advance campus sustainability, and it has been making a difference at Miami Dade College for over 35 years.

Check out our YouTube Channel!

Bike Parking

Covered bicycle parking is available at street level in both garages -- accessible from 7th Street.

(Bicycle Parking -- South Garage)

(Bicycle Parking -- North Garage)

GSELS Classes & Student Scholars

Global Sustainability and Earth Literacy Studies (GSELS) classes at MDC -- which are part of different academic programs -- acknowledge the interconnections and interdependencies that define our world. Students can earn GSELS Scholar recognition, in part by doing well in GSELS classes (see the requirements).

Eco Club
The Eco Club (formerly known as the Padrón Campus YES for Environmental Sustainability (YES!) Club) is a student organization (sponsored by Earth Ethics Institute) whose mission is to highlight the importance of sustainability and biological diversity while educating others about the function of natural ecosystems and their intrinsic value.

Advisor: Albert Lenel

David McGuirk Memorial Zen Garden
Located across from the employee parking lot. Learn more about the Zen Garden Work Days!

Associate Professor David McGuirk (English, Literature and Sociology), who passed away in 2014, had a particular concern for environmental sustainability. Along with leading Earth Day and Sustainability Committee activities at Padrón Campus, he assisted faculty and staff in developing co-curricular learning opportunities for students in sustainability and earth literacy, as well as with efforts to create and maintain a ‘green’ campus environment.

UrbanaSpace (Pine Rocklands Habitat)
Located at the corner of SW 6th Street and SW 25th Avenue.

Pine rocklands are globally imperiled ecosystems native to Southeast Florida, with plant and animal species found nowhere else. After winning a Public Space Challenge offered by The Miami Foundation, Padrón Campus transformed part of its landscaping into pine rockland habitat.  

MLK Butterfly Garden
Located at the corner of SW 6th Street and SW 25th Avenue (inside the employee parking lot)

Student, faculty and staff created this garden in January 2022 as a way to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and help to improve the campus environment.

The Little Free Library is housed at the Urbana Space. Feel free to grab a book for yourself, or drop off a book to share with the folks in the surrounding Little Havana neighborhood.

Joyce DiBenedetto-Colton Earth Literacy Award

Named for our friend, longtime supporter, past director, and current Earth Ethics Institute board member, this annual Award celebrates a student's superior achievement and action in support of Earth and Earth Literacy.

Engineers for a Sustainable World
Padrón Campus Engineers for a Sustainable World mobilizes students and professionals through education, technical projects and collaborative action to impact local and global sustainability challenges. We envision a world in which engineering fosters environmental, social and economic sustainability to improve both the quality of life and the condition of our planet.

Advisors: Jykro Correo & Adolfo Mendez