Susquehanna University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Our Global Opportunities (GO) program Puerto Rico mainly focuses on social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Students attend lectures which address biodiversity and the creation and upkeep of coffee plantations in the country. Students see the impact of nature on different villages; there is a waterway that floods during the rainy season and villages have to relocate so they will not be harmed during the flooding. The GO program to Nepal is a sustainability-focused educational program that teaches students about climate change. Nepal showed more indicators of climate change compared to the United States, including glacier loss, flooding, differences in snowfall patterns, and invasive species. Students learn about the social aspects of the simplistic lifestyle in Nepal including poverty and what the student’s role was in sustainability. The GO program to Iceland focuses mainly on the different energy sources on the island; including geothermal, hydroelectric, and wind energy. Students are able to see and learn about the different energy sources and how they were used. Economic sustainability in Iceland is focused on the abundance of energy the country has. The government wants to sell the excess amounts of energy to European countries but citizens do not want that to happen. Students are exposed to the differing opinions between the government and its citizens while in Iceland. The New Orleans GO proram is focused on service learning projects with non-profits like Common Grounds and Love Action Food Bank. Students work on environmental sustainability by saving and replanting wetlands and working in community food deserts. This program immerses students into a diverse area, learning about local environmental issues, disaster management and social inequality. The GO program to Northern Ireland focuses on social sustainability working with a youth center in Belfast for those who were impacted during the country’s political conflicts. SU students work with the youth group so that they will develop social and life skills in a safe and secure environment, accept responsibility, and make good life choices with sound information and support. Students will also learn about the conflict of Ireland and be able to see the impact from it. The GO program to the Philippines focuses on economic and social sustainability throughout the duration of their trip. Students are taken to Manila’s Smokey Mountain trash dump where they distribute different resources such as clothing, toiletries, and first-aid materials among the community. One year the group was awarded a scholarship of $750 and decided to invest the money in education. The group invested the initial $750 to help three Filipino students which eventually helped one student graduate from high school. The GO Hawaii program focuses on environmental sustainability by going to the He’eia fishpond. While there students will learn that the pond is not used for social or economic purposes but they use it to sustain the fish population around the island. The purpose of the pond is to grow fish back and then release them back into the wild to create a sustainable ecosystem.