www.unity.edu Adventure-Based Environmental Education Adventure Therapy Biology Captive Wildlife Care and Education Conservation Law Enforcement Earth and Environmental Science Environmental Policy, Law, and Society Marine Biology
Be Part of the Solution
Art and Environment Environmental Writing and Media Studies
Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Arts
America’s Environmental College Stephen Mulkey, President of Unity College
90 Quaker Hill Road Unity, Maine 04988
PAID
Unity, Maine Permit No. 2
Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE
“Unity College has a leadership role to play on the national stage.”
Training students to be the next generation of environmental leaders.
Innovation Leadership Action
2.9 130,000 2,100 5,710 1,500 43,200 1,008
Metric tons of carbon emissions per student last year: about one-third of the average for selfreporting four-year schools Number of dollars used to start the Unity College Sustainability Fund Square foot residence TerraHaus uses 50-75 gallons of oil per year for space heat, less than 10 percent of the heating load for a home this size in this climate Pounds of move-out waste donated or recycled last spring and kept out of the landfill Number of seats sold out during the Portland, Maine 350.org Do The Math Tour with Bill McKibben, featuring Unity College Number of kilowatt hours annually expected from Unity’s library solar electricity array Square feet inside the new teaching and production greenhouse
THINKING. WORKING. SOLVING.
Campus Sustainability by the Numbers
By focusing on sustainability science and the transdisciplinary approach to problem solving, Unity is not only pursuing the leading edge of global environmental problem solving, it is training students to be the next generation of environmental leaders. Our unifying framework of sustainability science stresses the connections among many disciplines and prepares students to serve as knowledge brokers in environmental leadership roles. At the same time, students gain a solid liberal arts foundation to help them communicate and think critically about the complicated environmental challenges of our time.
Sustainability science, recognized by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is defined as “an emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet’s life support systems.”
President Stephen Mulkey is an expert climate change scientists and his research spans over three decades. He has pursued research on the functional ecology of forests in Eastern Amazonia, tropical forest canopies in wet and dry forests of Central Panama, and tropical alpine rosette species in East Africa. Under Dr. Mulkey’s leadership, Unity transformed into a leader in cutting-edge, hands-on, experiential environmental programs and sustainability science that has gained the College a national presence. Dr. Mulkey led the charge in Unity’s divestment of fossil fuels and continues to relentlessly secure Unity College’s position as the leader in sustainability science education.
Unity College First in the Nation to Divest On November 5, the Unity College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to divest the College endowment from fossil fuels, making Unity College the first college in the nation to take this action. On November 13, 2012, President Mulkey announced the divestment on stage with Bill McKibben at the State Theater in Portland as part of the 350.org Do the Math tour. As a result students at hundreds of American colleges and universities are demanding that their schools divest from investments in fossil fuels.
ACTION
Unity is on the leading edge of sustainability science. Since its inception, Unity College has been a leader in experiential education and we continue to innovate as one of the first institutions to embrace sustainability science as a curricular framework.
Climate Change Leader and Champion
LEADERSHIP
Our transdisciplinary approach to sustainability science unites knowledge from diverse disciplines, ensuring that our students can develop practical solutions to complex problems in their world.
INNOVATION
What is sustainability science?
What’s Hot on Campus Animal Lab and Barn Opened fall 2012, the lab augments the Captive Wildlife Care and Education (CWCE) department with additional applied learning opportunities. Animals will be used in classes where animal training, animal health observations, live animal handling, enrichment programs design, and behavioral observations are emphasized. Species include mammals such as ferrets, and hedgehogs; reptiles such as a ball python, and red-eared slider turtles; invertebrates; and amphibians. The animal barn, newly renovated, will be home to pasture fiber goats and chickens starting spring 2013.
Bear Tagging Program
Library Solar Energy Project
Unity is partnering with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Research Division to conduct research on the Maine black bear during the spring 2013 semester by tagging and fitting a bear with a camera. Students will participate in the multifaceted project providing the opportunity to analyze real-life data, participate in an important hands-on field study focused on sustainability science, and witness movement patterns of live bears. Students will conduct DNA analysis of hair samples, coordinate public outreach and communication, and will develop education components as movement of black bears is documented in response to effects of climate change and other influences on their food resources and habitat.
Unity College partnered with ReVision Energy, a local renewable energy contracting company, to bring a significant solar array to campus in September 2012. The 144-panel photovoltaic array is mounted on the Dorothy Webb Quimby Library and Thomashow Learning Labs roofs and is expected to produce about 45,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, more than 80 percent of previous demand. This installation is an important visible addition to our diverse energy portfolio which includes an existing solar array at the Unity House. This installation is an important step in reaching our climate emission reduction goals and adds another strong component to our sustainability education.
GIS/Multi-Media Lab
The Unity College Greenhouse
Unity College installed a state of the art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-media lab on campus in July 2012. The technology tools are among the best and most advanced and include 30 HP Z1 workstations, six Apple iMac desktops, and a large-format high-quality photo printer. Each machine is loaded with a collection of software packages including Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection and ESRI ArcGIS software. The impact of the multi-media classroom is far-reaching, touching virtually every part of the curriculum, giving Unity the tools to pursue a forward-leaning approach that reflects its comprehensive focus on sustainability science and communications.
The 1,008 square foot, heated greenhouse was built on the campus in 2012 in coordination with Veggies For All, a local organization working to fight hunger with fresh, local food. The greenhouse offers students a learning laboratory and hands-on experiences. Students learn to start seeds and cuttings, to transplant seedlings, and to extend the vegetable crop growing season. Early in spring 2013, vegetable seedling production will be in full swing with the assistance of student workers, as the College and Veggies For All embark on another growing season together.
America’s Environmental College
www.unity.edu