University of California, Davis
ER-12: Sustainability Immersive Experience

UC Davis offers several immersive, sustainability-focused educational study programs. A few of the highlighted programs are as follows: UC Davis Summer Abroad: Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe This course examines principles of sustainability as they apply to urban areas. The concept of the class is to explore innovative urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture and infrastructure that address sustainability objectives such as reduction of energy, solid waste or water use, reduce carbon consumption and increase livability in urban areas. Innovations explored include: compact, mixed use, transit-(and pedestrian) oriented planning; high quality urban design for walkable cities, car-free developments, urban waterfront and brownfield development, bicycle friendly urbanism, alternative housing models like co-housing and deliberate communities, renewable energy sources (solar, wind, bio-fuels) and energy efficiency, recycling, reuse and reduction in solid waste, innovations in heating and cooling at the district scale, storm water management, natural areas restoration and preservation as part of the urban fabric, and similar topics that require a policy, planning and urban design response. Geology 136: Ecogeomorphology Each year, the Ecogeomorphology course examines an issue that impacts the management of river and stream ecosystems. During class, the students discuss this issue in detail, review published literature, and prepare individual reports for publication on the web. Following the period of classroom study, the students conduct a two-week field study of a selected watershed. These field studies involve collection of original information on aquatic and riparian ecology, hydrology and fluvial geomorphology. Students work in teams, sharing their unique expertise with other team member. Through collaboration the student becomes teacher, much as they will in their professional lives. With field studies in Alaska, northern California, British Columbia and the Grand Canyon, students also participate in a capstone course that they will never forget. Information for Geology 136 - Ecogeomorphology can be found at: https://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/~shlemonc/