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Sustainability and Environmental Studies Courses
Fall 2026

ENV 101 - Intro to Sustainability and Environmental Studies 

This interdisciplinary, introductory seminar explores current sustainability and environmental issues from a variety of perspectives (historical, social, and scientific) and disciplines (humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences). Attitudes toward the natural world and approaches to public and private decision-making are examined in terms of environmental justice issues. Field trips are taken to examine local and regional practices and issues. CGER NSW-MBP Natural Science & Wellness: Mind, Body, & Planet

Alysa Remsburg      TuTH 2:15-3:40 pm

                                  TuTh 3:55-5:20 pm 

TBD                           TuTh 7:45-9:10 am 

Jan Welik                 TuTh 11:00-12:25 pm

                                  TuTh 12:40-2:05 pm 

Richard Frost           MW 2:15-3:40 pm 

                                  MW 3:55-5:20 pm 

Margot Higgins        TBA INTERNET 

                                  TBA INTERNET 

                                  TBA INTERNET 


ENV 310 - Food, Culture, and the Environment 

This course provides an opportunity to investigate reasons for our food choices and impacts of the food system. Students meet professionals in the food system and ask questions that are both personal and societal. What led to our "normal" food options? Why is food waste a big deal for the planet? How are other people affected by our food choices? Is organic farming a solution? What can we do to reduce our carbon and water footprints? To investigate these kinds of questions, the course incorporates interviews, photography, video presentations, readings, service learning, food sampling, and discussion groups. 

Alysa Remsburg          TuTh 9:25-10:50 am 

                                      TBA 


ENV 354 - Sustainability, Indigenous Knowledge, and the Environment 

This class explores sustainability through Indigenous perspectives, emphasizing relationships among people, place, and the more-than-human world. Students begin the semester by examining oral traditions and the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous people and the natural environment. Students then consider land and water management practices, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), Indigenous food systems, the Land Back Movement, Nature's Rights, and climate adaptation. Through readings, discussions, and experiential learning, students critically engage with how Indigenous knowledge can inform sustainable futures while recognizing the importance of sovereignty and reciprocity.

Margot Higgins          W 1:10-3:55 pm 


COURSES PLANNED FOR FUTURE SEMESTERS

Spring 2027

ENV 315 Sustainability: Principles and Practices

ENV 316 Occupying the Driftless

ENV 350 Justice, Injustice, and Activism

Fall 2027

ENV 314 Bicycling the Wisconsin Landscape

ENV 351 Feeding the Planet: Environmental Justice of our Food Systems

ENV 313 Woodlands of the Driftless

Spring 2028

ENV 311 The Mississippi River: Mighty and Managed

ENV 315 Sustainability: Principles and Practices

ENV 353 Rural Livelihoods: Sustainability and the Environment in the Upper Midwest

Mission

The UW-La Crosse Environmental Studies Program educates and transforms students through interdisciplinary and experiential learning. We foster student engagement with the principles of sustainability, stewardship, justice, and citizenship, from local to global levels.

Values:
• innovative approaches that enhance the integration of the natural sciences,
social sciences, arts, and humanities
• shared experiences, service learning, and field trips, which create a sense of
individual identity and group cohesion
• personal connections to local environments and cultivating a sense of place
• knowledge of and commitment to environmental stewardship, through
community partnership and shared expertise