Sustainability

Through our sustainability programs, develop a solid understanding of the interconnections between economic prosperity, societal wellbeing, and ecological stability.

Overview After Principia Faculty

Sustainability students are passionate about making a difference! Our graduates have entered careers in energy economics, restoration ecology, journalism, natural resource management, policy and justice, sustainable finance, renewable energy, and socially conscious retail, investment, and food businesses. They join the Peace Corps, and excel as graduate students at some of the nation’s best universities. Learn more about Principia College's Center for Sustainability.

Major and Minor Offered

Sustainability (BA major, minor)

Why Study Sustainability at Principia College?

We work with students to develop transferable skills, such as systems thinking, “triple bottom line” problem solving, leadership, and communication skills.
Our students design and implement sustainability projects on campus. Beekeeping, aquaponics, permaculture, water and energy use, recycling, composting, land stewardship, and community outreach are just a few examples.
Our students get involved in operational policies by developing green purchasing standards, zero waste road maps, and greenhouse emission targets.
We support student travel to regional, national, and international conferences.
Our students visit and network with a variety of organizations involved in sustainable business or product design, green building, renewable energy, social entrepreneurship, conservation biology, and sustainable development.
We’ve developed career-related internships and community service opportunities in state government and at the Owl Research Institute, Three Rivers Community Farm, AmeriCorps, The Willows, and the Evergreen Institute, for example.
We provide stipends for students to partner with faculty on research projects, such as studying the home range and habitat use of the timber rattlesnake in Principia’s forests.
Our students join the student-run Sustainability Club and often serve as house eco-heads.
We support students in earning professional credentials, such as the LEED Green Associate credential, Permaculture Design Certificate, or Home Energy Auditor license.
Become part of Principia College's Center for Sustainability.

Abroads

Principia abroad programs are open to all majors, and students are encouraged to apply for any abroad program that interests them. All abroads involve individual research that students can tailor to their interests. The Finland Abroad, with a focus on education and sustainability, is especially popular with our minors.

Note: See the College Catalog for more detailed information about our program and departmental learning outcomes.

“The Sustainability Minor at Principia expanded my view of the world and allowed me to develop my interest and passion for combating global climate change at the intersection of business and the environment. During my work over the past year as an Advisory Consultant, this passion has manifested itself in a Leadership role on the National Practitioner Sustainability Initiative at Deloitte. This grassroots program strives to empower professionals to become sustainability champions on their project teams, advocating for more environmentally friendly choices while traveling and throughout the work day. Additionally, on a recent pro-bono project, I helped a non-profit focused on grasslands conservation develop a cost-benefit calculator/model to bolster their work with ranchers, showing the economic and environmental benefits of combining infrastructure improvements with a shift to adaptive land management. My time at Principia prepared me for these experiences; specifically, my leadership role as the president of the Sustainability club and my ‘green roof’ capstone project gave me the tools to feel comfortable interacting with clients and developing solutions to ambiguous and complex problems.”

– Jeff Lewis (C’18), a Financial Advisor at Deloitte in Denver

soap Our graduates are leading the 21st century as innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, collaborators, and changemakers!

From Our Alumni

“Minoring in Sustainability provided a lens through which I viewed all my other classes – and it continues to shape my career in environmental policy and conservation. I always find deeper meaning and purpose when I ask myself: ‘How can I use this information to create a world that sustains current and all future generations?”

–A 2018 grad, currently a Program Assistant at The Ocean Conservancy in Washington D.C.

“The sustainability program at Principia helped me gain a deeper understanding of the environmental challenges we face in today’s world. More importantly, the program embodied solution-based thinking. Being able to understand the complexities of climate change and potential solutions set a fantastic foundation for me as I help homeowners switch to solar energy.”

–A 2018 grad, currently a Solar Consultant at Sunrun

"What I learned in my sustainability courses at Principia continues to inform my academic and personal trajectory in life. Through Principia’s program, sustainability emerged for me as a call for our time – applicable and necessary in every movement, every academic discipline, and throughout our daily lives. I received a top notch education that prepared me for a master’s program in Global Studies, and gave me the tools to think about how to engage, ask questions, creatively understand and actively participate in politics and citizenship."

–A 2017 grad, currently in graduate school in Pretoria, South Africa

“I loved the interdisciplinary nature of combining an environmental studies major with a sustainability minor. And I found that it connected ideas I was learning about in history, art, political science, and other areas of study.”

–A 2015 grad, who went on to complete a master’s program in environmental management at Duke University and currently works for Raftelis.