• Next Session: January 8, 15, 22, 29 and Feb 5, 12 (9 AM - Noon)

  • Optional capstone workshop: Feb 19 (9 AM - 2 PM)

  • Location: Class sessions are online via Zoom. There will be three (3) optional field trips, dates and locations TBA.

  • Cost: $________ Scholarships available, please inquire.

  • Contact: [mynewaddress]@gmail.com for further information or to register for the course.

Course Overview:

This six-week course focuses on key areas of sustainability theory and practice. Topics include energy systems, consumption and waste, transportation, land and water, food systems, climate science and carbon accounting. Participants will:

  • gain a better understanding of the global climate crisis and the systems at play

  • learn to distinguish fact from fiction

  • explore a variety of sustainability challenges and solutions

  • learn practical ways to make a difference

  • get inspired to take meaningful action

This course examines sustainability issues through an ecofeminist lens which identifies systems of power and oppression that have led to the current climate crisis. It emphasizes the need for restoration and reciprocity with the natural world, embracing a holistic view of our responsibility to support the well-being of all people and the planet. This framework is supported by exposure to other ways of living and knowing that extend beyond typically Western views.

Participants will join each of six class sessions via Zoom. Sessions will include a combination of presentation, discussion, surveys and exercises. Each session will conclude with a “take action” challenge to spur practical action and explore concepts discussed in class. Optional field trips will be available to get up close and personal with various food, energy, waste and transit systems. The course will conclude with an optional capstone workshop, where participants can craft their own personal climate action plan.


About the Instructor:

Martha M. Larson, CEM, LEED AP, Certified Holistic Life Coach


Martha Larson is the Manager of Campus Energy at Carleton College. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and began her career as an acoustical consultant and project manager working on high profile municipal and performing arts projects. In 2009, she was inspired by her work on LEED-rated building projects to focus her career on environmental issues. She began with graduate courses in environmental management at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Martha transitioned to her role at Carleton just as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico during spring / summer 2010. She was Carleton’s first Manager of Campus Energy and Sustainability, which allowed her to take a strong role in crafting the campus sustainability framework and initiatives. Martha’s Carleton project management portfolio includes creation of the 2011 Climate Action Plan which targets net zero campus carbon emissions by 2050, installation of the 1.68 MW Kracum wind turbine and managing the campus district energy system transition from steam to low temperature hot water with geothermal heating and cooling. Thanks to hard work, dedication and support from the entire campus community, these projects have reduced Carleton’s carbon footprint by over 50% since its baseline reporting year of 2008. Martha is also an active participant in community sustainability efforts and has served as a member of the Northfield Climate Action Plan Advisory Board, the Northfield Energy Action Team, the Greater Northfield Sustainability Collaborative (GNSC) and a member of the Construction Advisory Team for Hillcrest Village, a net zero energy affordable housing development.

Martha M. Larson