Guilford College
ER-T2-8: Themed Semester or Year

The 2010-2011 school year was focused on sustainability and named Green & Beyond. This theme year was modeled after previous successful theme years at Guilford (The Year of the Arts, 2003-2004 and Spirit and Spirituality, 2005-2006) and seeks campus-wide participation. Green & Beyond is a collection of events, presentations, learning opportunities and focused challenges all dedicated to examining the topic of sustainability and to promoting sustainable individual and institutional practices. It will be a year of dialogue and discernment intended to grow our understanding of the many ways sustainability can be understood. The planning committee hopes that Green & Beyond can spark on our campus the critical and creative engagement the topic of sustainability deserves. The planning committee selected the title Green & Beyond after much discussion about the complexities of the term sustainability. The committee wishes to encourage open and careful debate on contested issues that might divide our community along cultural fault lines. We are also eager to support the examination of sustainability-related challenges and opportunities that extend beyond environmental or “green” concerns. As citizens of the globe we are concerned about the future health of our planet and its inhabitants. This alone is worthy of our time and attention. But as educators we are also compelled to ask ourselves to consider a slightly different but still familiar question: "What sustains a good life?"