HISTORY

Even though environmental and social justice issues are prominent at UM, students' exposure to matters of sustainability is limited to a small number of degree programs and specialized courses. Consequently, many UM students may not see the relevance of sustainability to their disciplines, examine issues of sustainability on an ongoing basis, or comprehend the holistic nature of the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability.

However, as a signatory to the Talloires Declaration in 1999, as well as the ACUP Climate Commitment in 2007, UM has made an institutional commitment to "Educate for Environmentally Responsible Citizenship" and "Foster Environmental Literacy for All."

The former commits the University to:

• Create programs to develop the capability of university faculty to teach environmental literacy to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

The latter commits UM to:

• Develop a comprehensive plan, within two years, to attain climate neutrality as soon as practically possible....as well as the education and research necessary for all students.

In May 2002, the Environmental Focus Planning Cluster at UM similarly advised that we:

• Explore how to infuse environmental and natural resources literacy into curricula and to enhance the literacy of students, faculty, and staff on campus.

Given these commitments to sustainability literacy, we offer The Green Thread as a way to weave issues of sustainability into the General Education curriculum - a first step toward sustainability literacy among all UM students. In May 2006, the UM Sustainable Campus Committee approved a prior draft version of this document as a framework for initiating sustainability literacy efforts at UM.