We built it. They came.

Responding to the need for a jobs-focused environmental curriculum, over the past five years we created the Natural History and Sustainability program at Merritt College, building on the foundation laid down in the 1980s and 1990s by pioneering faculty like Robin Freeman and Charles Ford. We returned to in-person learning this semester, are graduating our first cohort of students, and have placed several students in jobs with East Bay Regional Park District, EBMUD, and other local organizations. We renovated and reopened the Environmental Center (formerly the Self-Reliant House) and have held classes there while reinvigorating the outdoor space with new vegetable gardens (see photo above). Our other course offerings this term include Sustainable Environmental Systems, Herpetology, the Natural History of the Islands of California, and many others. 

But we still need your help. Please consider a small gift (every $5-10 counts) which will help enhance the student experience by providing funding for the following: 

• Seeds and saplings for planting 
• Garden tools 
• Textbooks 
• Field notebooks 
• Hand lenses for studying organisms up close 
• Refreshments for student-centered events (Open House, Sustainability Club outings, etc.) 
• Composting bins

 

 If you are interested in learning more about our program, check out https://www.merritt.edu/nhs/ or contact Program Director Ben Nelson at bnelson@peralta.edu