Earth Ethics Institute

Reconnecting with Earth 1: Shifting Paradigm

A Professional Development Discussion Series Offering 12 Hours of Credit 

This workshop is one of a two-part series, each offering four sessions that address a central issue of our time: What is the appropriate relationship of human beings to Earth? As participants engage in readings and discussion questions, they will share observations and reflections on our relationship to Earth, the threats of ecological imbalance, what we can do to create a paradigm shift and make lasting, impactful change, and what the role of higher education is in creating a future generation of Earth literate citizens. 

Facilitated by:
Michael Matthews, MS
Earth Ethics Institute Collegewide Director 

Four Wednesdays: 9/24/25, 10/8/25, 10/22/25 and 11/5/25
Time: Noon - 1:30 PM
Location: Wolfson Campus - Room 1201
Registration link: EEI1005-6

GSELS: Transforming Paradigm

A Professional Development Field Immersion Offering 6 Hours of Credit

This workshop offers an overview of Earth Ethics Institute’s Global Sustainability and Earth Literacy Studies (GSELS) Learning Network.  Participants learn about development and operations of GSELS. GSELS faculty learn how to broaden their GSELS-designated courses to include additional GSELS course criteria, as well as  best practices of faculty learning communities. Participants explore Sustainable Education, a concept created by Stephen Sterling and described as “a change of educational culture, one which develops and embodies the theory and practice of sustainability in a way which is critically aware. It is therefore a transformative paradigm which values, sustains and realizes human potential in relation to the need to attain and sustain social, economic and ecological well-being, recognizing that they must be part of the same dynamic.” Contrast will be made of mechanistic versus ecological worldviews, and a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to education will be endorsed.  Resources and key GSELS content, including Earth Literacy, sustainable development, the Earth Charter, principles of ecology, the Eight Guiding Principles of Global Citizenship, and UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Lifelong Learning will be reviewed. 

Facilitated by:
Michael Matthews, MS & EEI Staff
Earth Ethics Institute Collegewide Director 
Date: Friday, September 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM 
Registration link: EEI1010-9

Nearshore Habitats: A Day at the Beach

A Professional Development Discussion Series Offering 6 Hours of Credit

This onsite immersion for faculty and staff explores the nearshore habitats found in Southeast Florida. Participants will experience first-hand such habitats as the maritime hammock, beach sand dune, beach intertidal zone, and shallow water seagrass bed. Various species of plants and animals will be identified and discussed, as well as the ecology and conservation of fragile nearshore ecosystems. Sustainable development and Earth Literacy will provide a lens to focus our exploration, and changemaking education will provide a call to action to help preserve the biodiversity to be found in our own backyard. Please note that participation in this immersion requires physical activity such as walking long distances and wading in shallow water as well as accepting the risks inherent in outdoor activities and interaction with wildlife. 

Michael Matthews, MS
Earth Ethics Institute Collegewide Director

Dates:  November 1, 2025
Times:  8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Biscayne Nature Center, Key Biscayne
Registration link: EEI1133-2