University Opens Environmental Citizenship Academy

By Jack Wiggin

Residents from all over Boston are learning new approaches to improving the environmental quality of their neighborhoods by attending the Environmental Citizenship Academy (ECA) at UMass Boston. The ECA completed a successful pilot session this past fall and is currently registering participants for the spring session of seminars, workshops, and field studies designed to prepare citizens to better understand and address ecosystem and human health problems associated with the urban environment.

The goal of the ECA is to increase citizen participation in urban environmental issues. The academy's approach stresses the importance of each citizen's everyday experience and local knowledge as the basis for environmental action. The curriculum covers ecosystem science, urban development, environmental laws and governance, and the techniques for influencing policy and solving environmental problems through collaborative efforts at the community level. Through lectures, interactive problem-solving exercises, and site visits, students gain the knowledge and skills needed to protect natural resources and improve the environmental quality of their communities.

The academy draws upon the considerable environmental expertise found throughout the university. UMass Boston faculty, staff, and students are involved in designing, administering, and teaching the Academy's program. Collaborators include Bill Robinson of the Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sciences Department, Rob Beattie from the Environmental Sciences Program, Jack Wiggin of the Urban Harbors Institute, and Nancy Wong, a graduate student in the Sociology Department who serves as the academy's coordinator. Alice Ingerson, a cultural anthropologist, is a key partner and strategist from outside the university. The ECA also draws upon several area nonprofit advocacy groups, government agencies, and private firms to ensure the students receive broad "real world" perspectives.

The ECA is supported by a grant from an area foundation which allows Boston-area residents to participate tuition-free. The Environmental Citizenship Academy was initiated by and is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Bette Woody, a longtime UMass Boston faculty member and community activist.

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