Earth Ethics Institute

Environmental Center at Kendall Campus

History 

The 9-acre Kendall Campus Environmental Center is a certified wildlife habitat, home to a globally imperiled ecosystem, home to a LEED Platinum structure, and has a unique place in the history of Miami Dade College. 

The Environmental Demonstration Center was a unique project housed on the Miami Dade College Kendall Campus. Conceived in 1976 by Dr. McGregor Smith, the Environmental Demonstration Center prospered and housed several programs: an Owner-Builder Center, a Landscape Center, a Tropical Lifestyle Center, and a Nature Center. Both Earth Ethics Institute and the Kendall Campus Landscape Technology program emerged from the work done at the Environmental Demonstration Center. 

In 1992, after Hurricane Andrew, the Environmental Demonstration Center was razed due to hurricane damage, eventually being rebuilt and run by MDC Continuing Education as the Environmental Center.  

The Environmental Center was again damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and remained closed during the COVID pandemic crisis. Since then, Earth Ethics Institute, Kendall Campus administration, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools have been working to reactivate the Environmental Center. 

Learn more about the history of the center and Environmental Center's Visitor Pavilion.

History of the MDC Kendall Campus Environmental Center (click to download slide deck) 

Highlights of Earth Ethics Institute Programming at the Kendall Campus Environmental Center

Faculty Professional Development 

• Restoring Soil/Soul in Vanishing Pine Rockland

  • This workshop/immersion for MDC faculty offers 5 hours of professional development credit in partnership with the Center for Institutional and Organizational Learning (COIL), covering the ecology of the globally-imperilled pine rockland ecosystem found at the Environmental Center as well as offering a subjective connection to the landscape through mindfulness and meditation. 

• Forest Bathing: Mindfulness and Earth Mandalas (scheduled for Spring 2026) 

  • This workshop/immersion for MDC faculty offers 5 hours of professional development credit in partnership with the Center for Institutional and Organizational Learning (COIL), and is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing). Participants explore nervous system relaxation, mindfulness, deep ecology, grounding exercises, silent reflection, a 5-senses wonder walk, and solo nature explorations. 

Curricular  Activities

• MDC faculty participating in the Global Sustainability and Earth Literacy Studies (GSELS) learning network at Kendall Campus use the Environmental Center for various class activities, including but not limited to the following:  
  • Professor Emily Sendin - IDH Class visits
    • Introduction to the Environmental Center
    • Service: Invasive Plants Removal
    • Honors Leadership Seminar
    • Cosmic Walk Experience
    • Little Free Library - Narrow Ridge Student Project
  • Professor Diana Anaya - English Composition Class Visits
  • Architecture & Design Professor Lyle Culver Design Collaboration

Cocurricular Activities 

• Led by Earth Ethics Institute 
  • Environmental Center Workdays & "Cosmic Walk" Labyrinth Workdays
    • Restoration, trail cleanup and invasive plant removal
    • Connect to the Natural World while building community
    • Labyrinth Installation: Help create and maintain a Cosmic Walk labyrinth, where one can contemplate the evolution of our 13.8 Billion year old universe and our connection to it.  
    • Environmental Center Open Visits
  • Fall & Spring Campus Learning Community Symposia include volunteer and educational opportunities at the Environmental  Center 
  • Changemaker Week culminates in an Environmental Center volunteer day 
  • "Hope Rocks" Active Hope Workshop 
    • Environmental Center Tour
    • Forest Bathing 
    • Rock Painting
• Student-led activities supported by Earth Ethics Institute
  • "Meet the Locals," including an Environmental Center tour, citizen science Bioblitz, and native plant propagation 
  • ECO Club workdays, meetings, and activities 

Activities with Community Partners

• Native American Cosmology with Betty Osceola from the Miccosukee Tribe 
• Bioacoustic survey and workshop with Bat Conservation International
  • Florida Bats: Our Endangered Neighbors with Stephanie Brinez
• City Nature Challenge with Frost Science Museum (tentativly planned for Spring 2026) 

Campus Support 

• Earth Ethics Institute often organizes and supports Kendall Campus Sustainability Committee meetings at the Environmental Center