Earth Ethics Institute Events
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Earth Ethics Institute Online Resources
Additional online resources
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.
Help collect empty pill bottles and other First-Aid items for use in Haiti. For details, contact Profs. Nathalie Cajuste & Rebecca Sanchez.
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 (MDC) is a proud member of The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Please see the AASHE calendar for other events.
Padrón Campus Environmental Sustainability & Innovation 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.
News & Resources
-- Every Tuesday --
Garden Volunteering @ 3pm
& Wellness Walks @ 4pm
Volunteers should dress for outside work and bring drinking water. Tasks include watering, weeding, cleaning & harvesting (you can volunteer on other days and times, too!)
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When Biodiversity has a Problem, Humanity has a Problem
Biological diversity — or biodiversity — is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans.
As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to [or role within] the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.
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SGA and YES Club are helping to compost used coffee grounds on campus with the help of our two cafes and different kitchenettes.
So far, the effort has diverted over 150lbs of waste from landfill!
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Connecting with the UN SDGs and Earth Literacy, we are increasing our freecycling efforts!
There's now a freecycle box (aka "FREEBAY") on campus by the Learning Commons. Freecycling keeps useful items in rotation and out of landfill, moving us towards a more circular economy
Please feel free to take anything that you can use and to donate items that might be useful for others.
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Miami Dade County is Taking Climate Action
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The City of Miami:
We ALL Need to Take Climate Action
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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 at MDC, in part by doing well in GSELS classes (see the requirements).
In April 2022, student Daniela Cerrato earned GSELS Scholar recognition.
YES! Club
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
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
Joyce DiBenedetto-Colton Earth Literacy Award
Named for our friend, longtime supporter, past director, and current EEI board member, this annual Award celebrates a student's superior achievement and action in support of Earth and Earth Literacy.
In April 2022, Giselle Jimenez received this Award for Padrón Campus, as nominated by Professors Albert Lenel and Emily Sendin (Communications, Arts & Philosophy).
In April 2023, Diego Faria received this Award for Padrón Campus, as nominated by Professor Emily Sendin (Communications, Arts & Philosophy).
Urbana Space (Pine Rocklands Habitat)
Located at the corner of SW 6th Street and SW 25th Avenue.
Pine rocklands are a globally imperiled ecosystem 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.
David McGuirk Memorial Zen Garden
Located across from the employee parking lot.
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.
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.
Project Drawdown: Climate Solutions 101 (free online course)