Florida Gulf Coast University
ER-14: Incentives for Developing Sustainability Courses

Earth Charter Grant Program The Center supports environmental and sustainability education projects through faculty and staff mini-grants. As 2010 is the tenth anniversary of the Earth Charter, we have given special attention to education projects that incorporate the Earth Charter.

THE CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATES EARTH CHARTER MINI-GRANT PROGRAM, 2009-2010 According to our mission, the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education “works toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for Earth through scholarship, education, and action. The Center advances understanding and achievement of the goals of environmental and sustainability education through innovative educational research methods, emergent eco-pedagogies, and educational philosophy and practice based on ethics of care and sustainability. The Center seeks to elevate the environmental mission of Florida Gulf Coast University and serve the university community, the local community of the Western Everglades and Barrier Islands, and the wider community of scholars.” In order to advance this mission, the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education has developed a Faculty and Staff Associates program to provide a means of connecting the work of the broader Florida Gulf Coast University Community. In defining their professional and academic lives, Associates delineate specific activities that support the work of the Center and advance the environmental mission of the university. For the summer and autumn of 2010, the Center is pleased to offer small grants ranging from $250 to $1,000 to Faculty and Staff Associates. This year, the focus of the grants is scholarly projects that fulfill one or more of the four Center goals and are tied to the Earth Charter. FGCU will be celebrating Earth Charter + 10 in the Autumn semester 2010. A copy of the Earth Charter is available at www.earthcharter.org for your reference. The Center’s goals are as follows: I. To advance innovative educational research methodologies and pedagogies in environmental and sustainability education. This work will include developing methods for the assessment of sustainability, philosophical research, and curriculum and program development, and will take place in a variety of educational settings and geographical locations, ranging from local to global. II. To educate for an ecologically literate citizenry and to advance civic engagement in the critical environmental issues of the Western Everglades and Barrier Islands. Key areas of emphasis will include ethics, activism, and the literary arts. III. To provide professional development for educators in environmental education and education for sustainability. The priority audiences will include University administrators, faculty, and in-service and pre-service teachers. IV. To provide opportunities for faculty, administrators, staff, and students from across the campus to engage in scholarly activity, teaching, and service related to environmental and sustainability education. The Center will cooperate with other FGCU Centers and Institutes to advance common interests and to achieve the University's environmental mission. Scholarly projects fall under three broad categories: 1) Scholarly Projects – those that support teaching or research of environmental or sustainability education. 2) Seed Grant Projects – those that provide ground work for or explore the possibility of a grant or that enable Associates to complete a grant. 3) Specialized Training or Certification Projects – those that provide faculty with specialized training that results in certification or formally recognized credentials relevant to the mission of the Center. 4) Curriculum Development – those that provide support in time or research materials for faculty to incorporate the Earth Charter in the FGCU curriculum. It is the responsibility of each applicant to identify both 1) how the proposed project is tied to a particular Center goal and 2) how it is tied to an Earth Charter Principle. We invite proposals that include students. To request a grant, complete this form and return it along with a copy of your PDP (or that part of your PDP that includes your Center work) to Sharon Bevins, Senior Faculty Advisor, by Wednesday, May 5, 2010, if possible. Decisions about funding will be made by Friday, May 28, 2010. Center reviewers may request further information. A final project report, along with information included on your annual report, will be required, with an explanation of how the funding was used.