ALLIANCE, Ohio – The University of Mount Union will begin offering a minor in sustainability beginning in the fall of 2019. The minor is centered around the three pillars of sustainability – the environment, the human social system and the economic system.

The sustainability minor will equip undergraduate students with knowledge about the ethical, practical and innovative approaches used to balance the need for human consumption and development with environmental, economic and social equity.

“The sustainability minor is designed to provide students with an understanding of sustainability as a lens for methodical thinking in any discipline,” said Jamie Greiner, sustainability and outreach manager at Mount Union. “Sustainability perspectives and practices are emerging as essential tools to have in today’s ever-changing world. This minor will provide skills that can be directly applied to any student’s professional and personal practices in the future.”

The concepts of sustainability are not new to Mount Union, as the minor in sustainability is rooted in the institution’s ongoing efforts to create a financially sound University that is socially and environmentally responsible.

In 2007, the University of Mount Union formed a sustainability task force. In 2008, Mount Union became one of the first 70 institutions to pilot the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), eventually earning a bronze rating in 2011 and a silver rating in 2014.   

To learn more about Mount Union’s sustainability initiatives or sustainability minor, visit www.mountunion.edu/sustainability or contact Jamie Greiner at greineja@mountunion.edu.