Recognizing that we educate in a critical moment, when deterioration of the environment is accelerating with global ramifications, the Earth Ethics Institute (EEI) was established in1993 under the name Environmental Ethics Institute. It was the brain child of 3 caring and creative faculty, Mac Smith, Norma Watkins and Tim McGuirl.      

Established to inform administration, faculty and students at Miami Dade College of the relevance of understanding natural systems that have evolved over billions of years as a pathway to understanding sustainable environmental practices in all activities and disciplines, EEI provides resources, workshops, programs and projects for the College community.  In addition, the Institute collaborates with organizations in the larger community to educate about environmentally sustainable living and business practices. 

Increasingly we are becoming aware that decisions that are good for the Earth and its abundant diversity are not only good for humans and beneficial to economies, but are ultimately necessary for survival as we know it. Our educational systems must begin to reflect this knowledge. We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable way of life locally, regionally, nationally, and globally across disciplines.

Only through understanding the interdependence of the natural world and the place of the human species within it, will future generations be guaranteed the world’s natural systems as we know them.

Solutions to tomorrow’s global issues will come from students enrolled in today’s educational institutions.  We live in a finite world with an ever expanding population. We must educate toward an understanding of the complex and beneficial interrelationships of natural systems as well as a respect for finite resources. EEI works to foster the understanding that all disciplines should educate individuals with an informed understanding of how their specific discipline can operate with respect for and within the boundaries of our highly evolved natural systems.

In short, we are hoping to inspire individuals to think outside of the box. Every generation faces challenges. Challenge and resistance makes evolution take place. It encourages all of us to reach unexpected achievements or overcome what often seems impossible. We hope those we touch will respond to today and tomorrow’s challenges with a sensitivity for the natural systems that have sustained their ancestors for thousands, even billions of years.

Sincerely,
Colleen Ahern-Hettich