Middlebury School of the Environment
“I’ve always cared about the environment, and now I’m ready to do something about it.”
This summer, build your capacities for problem solving and leadership in Monterey with the Middlebury School of the Environment.
Upcoming Information Session
Join program staff for a virtual session to learn more about the summer 2024 program in Monterey. Register here for Zoom information.
The Middlebury School of the Environment offers a six-week place-based curriculum in sustainability and leadership on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
Monterey is a microcosm of the world’s environmental challenges and an exemplar of sustainability planning. For six weeks Monterey will be our laboratory for exploring the world’s most pressing needs. For example:
- Climate resilience
- Food Justice
- Restoration of marine ecosystems
- Urban sustainability
- Political and social commitment to change
Monterey exists at two poles. On one hand, it is among the wealthiest communities in the United States. It’s progressive environmental ethic is visible through plentiful organic foods and farms, easy access to nature and wilderness, renewable energy development, electric car charging stations, outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, a multitude of environmental organizations and other common symbols of environmental progress.
On the other hand, as the breadbasket of America, environmental impacts from farming are severe. Water is in short supply and drought conditions persist. Working conditions for farm laborers are substandard. Inequality also runs high, as pockets of wealth and poverty exist side-by-side. Monterey Bay’s marine ecosystem is world class, but the pacific garbage patch swirls just a few miles off the coast. And every summer wildfires burn in the mountains.
At the Middlebury School of the Environment, we welcome complexity. We see two Monterey, Californias. The first, bucolic and sustainable. The other, challenged by wicked problems.
The dichotomy visible in Monterey highlights the principle challenge that we face as environmental leaders. That is, weaving multiple realities into one, united around our common planet. Join us this summer to develop your skill set for meeting this goal.
You will earn credit for three Middlebury College courses which are transferable back to your home institution.
