Environmental Policy

If you find yourself worried about the planet's future, if you feel like the planet's very survival is at stake, you are not alone. You can join a committed group of students and faculty at Champlain College and prepare to go out and become a part of the solution. Put your education and professional life to use on critical environmental policy issues that can have a truly profound impact on the future. If the idea of this excites you, you should seriously consider a major in Environmental Policy at Champlain.

Environment Policy, in Champlain's Division of Education & Human Studies, will teach you the skills needed to guide policy in ways which will foster sustainable practices to protect the planet for generations to come.

At this moment in history, and as far as can be seen into the future, the world is in desperate need of people with the skills needed to develop sound environmental policy. It has become alarmingly clear to municipalities, businesses, states, and countries that our models for consumption and development are fundamentally flawed.

As we move forward into the new millennium, there is broad consensus that decisions on how our species manages resources and waste must be deliberated with due consideration to the immediate and long-term effects on the planet. In the United States, the cultural shift is already underway. Employment of environmental policy experts is expected to grow dramatically over the coming decades; projections for expansion in this category exceed anticipated growth in all other employment sectors.

The Environmental Policy major is an organic extension of the culture of sustainability here at Champlain College. Our community recognizes that emerging economic, environmental, and social justice trends require that increased attention be given to issues of sustainability. We have long put a premium on being good stewards of the environment: our buildings are as environmentally friendly as possible; our campus policies are based on the tenets of sustainability and responsibility. As a matter of fact, Champlain College's emissions on a per-student basis in 2007 were some of the lowest calculated compared to other colleges in the northern U.S.

Clearly, at Champlain College, we practice what we teach. If you seek an education and profession that will allow you to work with people for the betterment of the environment for all people, there is no better environment for you than Champlain.

Program Details

  • Program Highlights
    • Champlain College has a long history of educating professionals for leadership positions. As an Environmental Policy major, you will understand and experience the practical bottom-line business applications of sustainability, preservation, and responsible policy making. Prepare to think in terms of the big picture, and learn planning, analysis, administration, development and implementation of Environmental Policy.
    • The Champlain College Environmental Policy major program is interdisciplinary in approach. The spectrum of course content is broad by design, giving students the most career opportunities upon graduation. Graduates will find themselves well prepared to step into roles in research, government, banking, urban development, law, land-use planning, public policy analysis, etc.
    • With two international campuses, Champlain places a heavy emphasis on global awareness as a critical competency for all well-educated people. While global awareness is a core requirement for all majors, our Environmental Policy majors will find that this perspective is central to the entire program. Champlain graduates with a degree in Environmental Policy will have an expanded view of the theory and practices of sustainability extending to a world level.
    • You will not only be given a thorough grounding in the basics and the theory of Environmental Policy, but will also put your learning into practice at every opportunity. The opportunity for internships with nationally recognized socially responsible firms abounds in the Burlington area. In addition, being engaged on campus through participation in Sustain Champlain—a committed campus group with a mission to create a sustainable culture at Champlain College that makes effective use and re-use of our resources—is encouraged. The group's focus also includes promoting fiscally responsible environmental leadership, and a shared commitment to the ecological health of the planet for present and future generations. The Environmental Club also presents an opportunity for you to help reduce the College's impact on the natural environment, live more sustainably, and create positive change for the earth.
    • The ECO-REP work study program is a new initiative designed to provide an opportunity for student environmentalists to gain experience conducting peer-to-peer environmental education on campus. ECO-REPs encourage peers to change daily habits; develop campus action plans to address climate change; create posters, flyers, and online materials to increase environmental awareness; and to act as role models for environmentally responsible behavior.
  • Curriculum

    Academically, a major that absolutely requires an international perspective, interdisciplinary thinking, and the development of habits of mind that foster broad understanding and application is a particularly good fit with the College’s Core curriculum which integrates these characteristics. The proposed major will build on these distinctive strengths with course work from all of the professional divisions.

    Courses such as …

    Introduction to Environmental Issues: ENP 100

    Basic set of tools which will inform student thinking in subsequent courses. No pre-requisite

    Sustainability and Environmental Policy: ENP 200

    The most pressing policy question faced today is how to live so that humans can inhabit and flourish on this planet, forever; how we might live in a manner that can be sustained. Earth’s air, water, land and other resources are limited; at present human wants are unlimited. This gap and its meaning are examined. We investigate the historical development of the term “sustainable” as it applies to global resource issues, and how this term has begun to influence natural resources policy. Pre-requisite ENP 100

    Environmental Policy and Globalization: ENP 250

    This course will examine the impact of globalization on national and international environmental issues. Existing environmental policies, global and otherwise, are introduced and critiqued. The principal governmental and non-governmental institutions involved in the development of environmental policy choices are explored. Case studies are used to illustrate the formulation, adoption, or demise of alternative environmental policy choices. Pre-requisite ENP 200

    Place Based Environmental Policy: ENP 300

    Students will research the national, state, provincial, or local – place based – environmental policies of that venue. Students will prepare and present a thesis on the development and efficacy of one such policy in managing the quality or quantity of air, water, or other natural resource. The venue will be approved by the instructor. Students who study abroad may want to investigate their study abroad site. Pre-requisite 250

    Environmental Policy Assessment & Development: ENP 400

    This course will critique environmental policies of the United States of America, the United Nations and one other nation. The goals of these policies will be identified. The success of these policies, in terms of the goals they have set for themselves will be evaluated. Students will develop and present alternatives for improving or replacing existing policies. Pre-requisite ENP 300

    Environmental Policy Decision Making: ENP 450

    Students will explore the several modes of making environmental policy decisions: Technical Analyses, Cost-Effectiveness, Benefit/Cost Analyses, Risk Assessments, Alternatives Assessment, Environmental Impact Analyses, and Ethical Analyses. They will be assigned an environmental policy question and prepare a written report, presented orally, containing their policy recommendations on this question, and defending these recommendations on the basis of these decision making models. Pre-requisite ENP 300

    Environmental Policy Internship: ENP 490

    Students will complete a three credit internship experience that will reflect the focus area they have chosen with the faculty advisor. The internship will provide experience in the field, exposure to issues, and an opportunity for integration and reflection.

  • Career Opportunities

    Where You Could Work

    • Governmental agencies: Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Food & Drug Administration
    • Lobbying firms
    • County & Regional Planning Offices
    • International organizations
    • Environmental/Economic Consulting
    • Food & Beverage Companies
    • Universities & Colleges
    • Safety & Consumers Offices
    • Industry Trade Organizations
  • Student Resources

    Sustain Champlain

    A group of faculty, staff and students who are interested in the environmental impact of Champlain College. Our goal is to develop strategies and recommendations that will help create a more sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly Champlain. [Learn More]

    Going Green at Champlain

    Champlain College is proud to be one of the greenest campuses in the country. We strive to keep our strict environmental philosophy at the forefront of everyday operations here at the College. [Learn More]

    Carbon Profile Assessment

    Downloadable PDF of Champlain College's Carbon Footprint [Download]

  • Faculty

163 South Willard St.
Burlington, VT 05402, USA
Email: webmaster@champlain.edu
Phone: 802-860-2700 or 800-570-5858