The College's wind turbine generates electricity and gives students the chance to do reseasrch on this important alternative energy supply.

Environmental Studies teaches students to think, write, and speak thoughtfully about environmental issues, preparing them to become environmental leaders. The program emphasizes alternatives to the status quo. Students learn about: environmental advocacy while planning and participating in reform campaigns, organic agriculture while farming in Australia, and wind energy while analyzing data from the campusÅf 10kwh wind turbine. Through a variety of classes and experiential programs, the program emphasizes ecological, community, and global sustainability.

The program's core classes introduce students to social and natural science theories, government policies, grassroots initiatives, and renewable technologies. Students critically examine these themes from various perspectives and learn to define and develop their own environmental proposals. Faculty advisors help students to choose areas of specialization.

The Environmental Studies program offers students a wide range of international study opportunities. Students can spend a semester abroad in our Australian Studies program program, run by one of our faculty members. After completing that program, one recent graduate won a Fulbright Scholarship to study permaculture in Zimbabwe. Students may also study at any of the Friends World College study centers around the world, which include Costa Rica, England, and India.

In addition, students can develop research internships and participate in various volunteer programs. Many students use the college as a laboratory for environmental change. Students participate in the campus Greenprint committee, where they dialog with administrators and faculty on ways to improve campus environmental quality. Greenprint recently helped the College hire an environmental coordinator to reduce campus energy consumption, expand recycling, and improve student participation in environmental initiatives. Through Greenprint, students are also looking at ways to use green building techniques in new campus buildings and improve campus wastewater management. Students can also intern with the Institute for Sustainable Development at Long Island University and participate in on-going research projects or initiate their own research projects on issues related to sustainable development.

These varied experiences prepare students for a wide range of careers, including environmental planning and policy, environmental law and advocacy, alternative agriculture, and GIS. Students gain valuable workplace experiences through the college's cooperative education program, which offers summer and semester job placements. Recent coops include working at nonprofit organizations like the Group for the South Fork and the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, and government agencies like town planning departments, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and legislative offices.

Southampton Graduate Campus provides an outstanding locale for studying and participating in environmental issues. The Peconic Estuary (an EPA designated national estuary), Shinnecock Bay, and a Nature Conservancy Preserve are all within walking distance of the campus. Close by are the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, Long Island Pine Barrens, and other state parks and protected wildlife preserves. The Hamptons and the surrounding Long Island communities are national leaders on many environmental initiatives, making Southampton an ideal site for understanding environmental advocacy and policy at the local level.