Guilford College

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that offers students an opportunity to explore how human beings and the natural world co-exist. Students study and address a fundamental issue of our time: the quality of the Earth’s environment and the sustainable use of its natural resources. They investigate the origin and impact of complex environmental issues by developing skills and perspectives from multiple disciplines.

The program’s focus on justice, global awareness, service to the larger community, and the concept of Nature as sacred, is in keeping with Guilford’s five academic principles and its Quaker heritage.

Guilford’s 300 acre campus is a living laboratory and the emphasis on experiential learning has our students posing real world questions as early as their first semester.  In order to propose solutions, students appreciate that environmental challenges must be understood from a broad outlook that includes not only the scientific data of natural systems but also the interaction with political, economic and cultural factors.

As an Environmental Studies major, you will join a growing number of students, faculty and staff on campus committed to helping you achieve your personal, community, and global goals for a more sustainable future. The number of students majoring in Environmental Studies has doubled in three years. Faculty from business, history, art and the sciences are adding courses and opportunities each year.  As a community, Guilford has made significant commitments to a sustainable future through increased energy efficiency, community gardens, a bike rental program, and the largest solar hot water system used by any college in the country.

In April 2009, the Environmental Studies Program of Guilford College was selected as one of the few colleges to receive a grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. One of the core purposes of the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation is to “preserve and promote the environment.”

We greatly appreciate the generous support from this foundation, and are proud to announce that these funds will be used to support merit-based student scholarships for study abroad and internship opportunities that demonstrate values and interest for the environment. Approved study abroad centers for Cargill scholars are EcoQuest in New Zealand and School for Field Studies.