POULTNEY—Green Mountain College and Audubon International, two organizations at the forefront of advancing sustainability, announced a partnership to promote environmental stewardship and make sustainability education programs available to all on May 11.
Staff at Audubon International’s vast network of environmentally responsible facilities will receive discounts to enroll in GMC’s online graduate curriculum in one of four sustainability disciplines. GMC graduate students can apply place-based education by exploring and implementing Audubon International’s programs alongside professional staff.
Through education, technical assistance, certification, and recognition, Audubon International facilitates the implementation of environmental management practices that ensure natural resources are sustainably used and conserved. To date, Audubon International has enrolled over 3,000 properties and communities in its rigorous certification programs. Based in Troy, N.Y., Audubon International is incorporated as the Audubon Society of New York State.
“Green Mountain College’s program is a model for sustainability training, and a natural academic partner for Audubon International and our member facilities,” said Doug Bechtel, executive director of Audubon International. “Continuing Audubon International’s legacy of introducing science-based ecological principles to stewards of developed lands, partnering with GMC expands educational offerings available to the staff at Audubon International’s member organizations. We hope to further develop research opportunities with Green Mountain College faculty and students to advance sustainability science and practices using our real-world examples.”
“Green Mountain and Audubon International make great partners. Our students get to work hand-in-hand on sustainability projects with Audubon staff and partners, and people affiliated with Audubon can access award-winning and affordable sustainability education right at home,” noted Thomas Mauhs-Pugh, provost at GMC.
Green Mountain College has been a leader in sustainability-focused education for 20 years. The American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education rates it No. 1 in the country for its sustainability curriculum. GMC has received the highest score in Princeton Review’s “greenest schools” category since the category was created and is currently rated the second-greenest school in the country. In 2006, GMC launched the nation’s first sustainable M.B.A. and first online M.S. in environmental studies. Since then the college has introduced an M.S. in sustainable food systems and an M.S. in resilient and sustainable communities, the first online programs of their kind in the United States.
