State University of New York at New Paltz
EN-12: Continuing Education

The following continuing education courses were offered by the Lifetime Learning Institute of the State University of New York at New Palz. For more information about this continuing education program, visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/lifetime/

UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH’S CLIMATE SYSTEM
Chris Bernabo
Gain an understanding of the Earth’s climate system, the history of past climates, the forces that drive climate change and the significance for our future. Climate is a key environmental variable that has continually shaped the planet and life. Learn the history of climate from primordial snowball, to eons of worldwide tropics, to the periodic Ice Ages and now human-induced global warming. Understand the mechanisms of climate change and how the atmosphere/oceans/land and biosphere interact. We will conclude by discussing how human activities are impacting our future.

Chris Bernabo has a PhD in Climatology. He has worked for governments, businesses, universities and environmental organizations on projects in the U.S., Europe and Asia. His activities include research, teaching and consulting.

LIVING SUSTAINABLY: NATURE’S WAY
Lyla Yastion

Recent scientific reports warn that human-induced climate change is accelerating at an alarming rate and that it is just a matter of time before the dire effects are felt by all species, including our own. It is incumbent upon humanity to understand how we participants in Western industrialized culture have disturbed Earth's natural sustainability and how we can remedy the situation by adopting a sustainable life style based in the perception of Earth as a living, nurturing organism worthy of our respect and care. We will trace the history of how human beings, through a cultural worldview of mastery over nature, have arrived at this perilous juncture, examine alternative perspectives – particularly that of indigenous cultures – and explore ways to transform society by cultivating a new mindset in relationship to the natural world.

Lyla Yastion received a doctorate in anthropology from SUNY Albany and has taught courses in anthropology and religious studies at the college level for 19 years. As recently as 2018 she was part of the adjunct faculty at SUNY New Paltz. Lyla has written two books: Pause Now: Handbook for a Spiritual Revolution and Homesick: finding our way back to a healthy planet. The course Living Sustainably: Nature’s Way is based on the latter book. Lyla is also a reiki master with training in shamanic healing.