Retired-Course: Documenting Sustainable Development in the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest has earned an international reputation for innovative environmental policies, from land-use planning to organic farming to solid waste recycling and more. Oregon’s business leaders, non-profit organizations, and elected officials have been working to build on this historical legacy in order to position the state as a global leader in sustainable development. Through this capstone project, since 2006, students have developed what is now referred to as the Sustainability History Project, a centralized repository of historical evidence documenting contemporary efforts to address the sustainability challenge (from various perspectives). During the Spring term, the class will explore the intersections between to the growing income inequality gap and sustainability efforts occurring in the region. Students will also work with the PSU Special Collections Library, the Northwest History Network, and the Institute for Sustainable Solutions to publicize the completion of the Sustainability History Project’s new website (projected for March) and the accessibility of the project’s collections to the general public.