State University of New York at New Paltz
AC-5: Immersive Experience

SUNY New Paltz offers an Alternative Spring Break program during which a select group of students spends 7 days engaging in different community service related activities. These include sustainability projects such as working with Scenic Hudson (invasive plant species removal & biodiversity), Habitat for Humanity (sustainable housing), People's Place and Queen's Galley (food justice), and Mohonk Preserve (land conservation). Through a partnership with SUNY Purchase, SUNY New Paltz students can enroll in the Coral Reef Biology and Ecology Winter Session Program. Students learn about coral reefs, one of the most diverse and endangered ecosystems on earth, human impacts on coral reefs, and current threats to coral reefs. The three-week hands on, experiential learning program takes place in the Bay Islands of Honduras. http://purchase.abroadoffice.net/internal-program-description-Coral-Reef-Biology-and-Ecology-in-Honduras-53368-107.html Through a partnership with Stony Brook University, SUNY New Paltz students can participate in a three-week winter session program called Sustainability and Renewable Energy in Costa Rica. The program offers hands-on environmental learning experiences in an off-the-grid educational community. Students learn about renewable energy, waste, and various organic and sustainable farming methods, including permaculture. The course has lectures on renewable energy, triple bottom line business practices, slow food, economics and agriculture, green building, environmental literature, and community development. http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/studyabroad/outgoing/programs/winter/costarica.html Through a partnership with the University at Buffalo, SUNY New Paltz students can enroll in a three-week long study abroad program on the Sociology of Food in London. This winter session program includes a focus on the issues of urban gardening and genetically modified foods, as well as addressing sustainability in a much broader sense by looking at a range of social and environmental factors. http://buffalo-sa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10082 Through the International Partnership for Service Learning (IPSL), SUNY New Paltz students can participate in study abroad and service learning programs across the world that incorporate hands on service to promote equitable relationships, social justice, sustainable change, and a commitment to humanity. The program combines academic study with volunteer service. The programs incorporate sustainability, international development, and global understanding. http://www.ipsl.org Through IPSL's Graduate Program in International Development and Service, SUNY New Paltz students can participate in a program designed to meet the global demand for ethical leaders who can engage and facilitate partnership in global communities. Students are prepared for careers with non-profit and community organizations. http://www.ipsl.org/grad