Intro to Sustainability

Time required: 30-40 minutes

Welcome to the Sustainability stream introduction module. Sustainability is a partnership between UNB Sustainability and the Office of Experiential Education, designed to help you grow your understanding of various topics related to sustainability. 

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Welcome to the Sustainability stream introduction module. Sustainability is a partnership between UNB Sustainability and the Office of Experiential Education, designed to help you grow your understanding of various topics related to sustainability. 

In this module, we’ll learn about the purpose of this module series, along with a number of strategies and tips for getting the most out of them. This includes advice on how to take good notes, the role of reflections in learning, and more general strategies on what to expect from this module series.   

You will also complete our Sustainability Literacy Assessment. This assessment will check your general knowledge about sustainability going into Sustainability and will be offered again at the end, so you can see how your understandings and skills have changed. The information from this assessment will also help inform UNB Sustainability and sustainability practitioners about the general level of sustainability literacy in New Brunswick, which will help inform the resources and initiatives available to students and the community and ways Sustainability can be improved. 

Let's begin by considering the purpose of this series of modules:  

We hear a lot about sustainability in the news, from stories about the effects of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss to those about new economic opportunities in green energy and positive community action. It’s important to have an understanding of these concepts, however, in order to understand the information we’re being given, assess its accuracy, and identify sources of bias.  

In this series of modules, we’ll explore a variety of topics surrounding sustainability, including an introduction to sustainability, climate change, waste and resource management, and more. Once you have completed these modules, you will have a better understanding of these topics, including key terms and concepts, organizations and movements associated with them, and the ways you can support or take action.  

To get the most from these modules, we suggest that you take good notes and take time to reflect on what the modules cover and how it connects with your learning and life experiences so far. While each module will only take about an hour to complete, you can get more from the content by completing the call to action associated with each module, making additional connections and reflections between the modules and your experiences, and by taking time to discuss these concepts with others.

Module accessibility

Various skills, suggestions, and practices will work for different learners. These modules have been designed using Universal Design for Learning, which aims to make learning accessible to all learners. Each module has features designed to improve accessibility and help learners engage with the content in multiple ways. These include: 

  • Videos include subtitles and a written transcript
  • Images include captions or alternate text
  • Webpages can be read using a screen reader
  • Your internet browser accessibility options should be available for this page

UNB is committed to accessibility. If you have suggestions on how to improve accessibility in these modules, please contact the UNB Plus Instructional Designer. 

Tips for taking good notes

Taking your own notes is an important part of learning. Taking your own notes goes beyond writing down every word on a page, video, or lecture and focuses on identifying the main ideas or concepts and writing those down in your own words. Good notes include your personal thoughts, questions and connections to other ideas or concepts you have learned.

When you write notes, try using a variety of strategies. Instead of just writing point-form notes or blocks of text, try including diagrams, charts, and webs that show how information and ideas are connected. Consider keeping a free column on your page for jotting down questions or ideas you might have as you write and when you review your notes later.

Once you know how to take helpful notes, you may wonder whether you should take your notes by hand or on the computer. Ultimately, this will depend on your preference.

Studies have shown that writing notes by hand on paper is better for learning and memorizing; however, using a computer for notes might be more convenient for speed, storage, and access. Notes written with a stylus or on a touch screen may combine the benefits of both worlds, especially if you are taking your notes in software that allows you to draw diagrams, arrows to show connections between notes, highlight important information, and flag questions, such as OneNote. 

Other strategies for note taking:

Write your own flashcards

Use mind mapping

Reflections in learning

Reflecting on your experiences and the information you have learned can help you get the most from your learning and work experiences. For this reason, every module in the Sustainability series provides you with an opportunity to reflect.

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Reflections and reflective activities are learning activities which ask the learner to think about experiences they have had and content they have learned.

Learners may be asked to make connections between new material and their prior knowledge or experiences, make connections between ideas or concepts presented in the material, or create a summary of the new concepts they have learned.

Reflective activities are important in learning as they help learners to “consolidate knowledge” (the process of taking new information and combining it with things you already know) and “construct knowledge” (the process of forming new ideas and making connections between them).

Reflective activities can include:

Journal prompts – these are usually short writing exercises based on a question or short series of questions

Concept maps – sometimes called mind maps, these are usually a web-like drawing that connects ideas, examples, etc.

Visual diagramming – this can take many different forms, but usually involves the learner creating some sort of visual representation of the content they have learned or experiences they have had. This can include: Venn diagrams, tables, flow charts, process diagrams, scientific diagrams, etc.

Reflection also benefits from sharing. Feedback, peer observation and discussion, and other social activities that encourage sharing, comparing, and developing reflections and reflective thoughts about experiences and ideas have been shown through research to increase the effectiveness of reflection on learning. To help support this, after each module’s reflection activity, we’ve included a bank of peer reflections you can compare your reflection with.


Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Take the assessment now

UNB's commitment to sustainability

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The University of New Brunswick is committed to sustainability.

Our university’s mission is:

“To inspire and educate our people to become problem solvers and leaders in the world, undertake research that addresses societal and scientific challenges, and engage with our partners to build a more just, sustainable and inclusive world.”

To help guide this mission, UNB has developed a strategic plan, called UNB Toward 2030. One of its five pillars is a "Modern, integrated, sustainable UNB”, with a key action to “Lead sustainability and environmental stewardship across Canadian universities”.

UNB Sustainability is the office dedicated to guiding UNB’s sustainability actions and efforts. The goals of this office are for UNB to:

  • become carbon neutral by 2050
  • effectively adapt to climate change
  • achieve a high sustainability rating from a reputable external body
UNB Sustainability has also engaged with the campus community to create a UNB Climate Change Action Plan, a UNB Fredericton Campus Sustainability Plan, and a UNB SJ Campus Sustainability Plan. Together, these three plans will help support the mission of UNB.

You can get involved in sustainability on campus by:

  • Taking a sustainability related course
  • Participating in the Residence Energy Challenge
  • Becoming a WWF Living Planet Leader
  • Hosting a green or carbon neutral event
  • Getting involved with a campus sustainability group
  • Taking part in various campus events such as Earth Hour, Sustainability Week, and Bike to Campus Week
Learn more

UNB Sustainability

Want to know more about sustainability efforts happening on campus?

Reflection

Please take a few minutes to write and answer the provided reflection questions. A good response is usually a minimum of five sentences.

We strongly recommend that you:

  • Keep a reflection notebook, log, or journal and save a copy of your reflection in it
  • Share and discuss your response with others

If you are completing this module as part of a class or workshop, you will likely be discussing your reflection as part of a group activity. 

If you are completing this module alone, try finding a group of interested friends or colleagues to discuss your reflections with. 

Reflect on:

  1. What do you hope to gain from completing these modules?
  2. In what way will completing these modules help you meet your goals?

Conclusion

In this module, we reviewed the purpose of this module series and several strategies to get the most out of them. You also completed the Sustainability Literacy Assessment.

Completing these modules will help you better understand various sustainability topics, including key terms and concepts, associated organizations and movements, and the ways you can support or take action. ​​​​​​​

To get the most from these modules, it will be important for you to take good notes, complete the reflection activities (and we encourage you to save these in either a virtual or hardcopy journal or notebook) and do the call to action activities associated with each module.  

Call to action

Set aside 15-20 minutes to learn about some of the different organizations and groups dedicated to sustainability at UNB and in New Brunswick.  

Resources

Learn more about sustainability efforts in New Brunswick:

View all modules

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