"PLU seeks to empower students for lives of thoughful inquiry, service,
leadership and care - for other people, for their communities, and for
the earth."
- PLU Mission Statement: PLU 2010.
PLU offers an Environmental Studies degree in which students take a regimin of inter-departmental courses to gain a broad understanding of environmental issues. Climate change, preservation, ecological diversity, economics, and politics are just some of the areas the program touches. Check out the Environment Studies website for more information.
Contact Dr. Swank, the head of the program, at swankdd@plu.edu or (253) 535-7556 for more information.
Many courses at PLU have service learning components in which students engage the greater community in academic-related volunteer work. In many cases this comes in the form of volunteering time to environmentally conscious groups around Parkland, Tacoma, and the greater Pacific Northwest. Some science classes study local ecology and volunteer time to such initiatives as Clover Creak restoration while other classes might work with environmental advocacy groups and NGOs.
The Environmental Studies degree is the formal area of study geared to environmental and sustainable education. But along with that major are a number of classes throughout PLU's curriculum that focus on issues of sustainability. Environmental Literature (ENGL), Environmental Economics (ECON), Ecology (GEOS), Global Climate Change (INTC), and Environment Ethics (PHIL) are just a few of the classes that educate on the inter-disciplinary subject of sustainability.