Ateliers are problem-solving workshops conducted in local communities around the world. Ateliers combine guest lectures, case studies, and student-led research on a specific socio-environmental issue in a particular place. Ateliers take students out of the classroom and place them in the field where they are able to study an issue firsthand and develop the measurements, tools, and strategies necessary to resolve it.

• Recent Ateliers

• Summer 2011 | Forests, Fire, Restoration and Biomass Energy in New Mexico
  In this atelier students worked with the non-profit Forest Guild in the Mt. Taylor district of the Cibola National Forest, located near the Navajo and Zuni Reservations in northwestern New Mexico. It was part of an ongoing project that works with local stakeholders to restore degraded forests using strategies including replanting, fire management and biomass harvesting.
• Spring 2011 | Vermont Common Assets Trust
  Students researched how to quantify available revenue in Vermont using common assets such as atmospheric absorption of carbon and groundwater use. The findings informed policy recommendations for legislators, which introduced students to the process of forming public policy and public finance.
• Spring 2010 | Marine Ecosystem Tradeoffs in the Gulf of Maine
  The Massachusetts Oceans Act was passed in 2008 requiring that the state develop a comprehensive plan to manage development in its waters. This atelier examined multiple uses in the waters of Massachusetts, such as fisheries, whale watching, energy infrastructure, and conservation.
• Spring 2010 | Measuring Genuine Economic Progress in Iceland
  This atelier investigated the history and evolution of macroeconomic indicators in Iceland and designed and calculated the first genuine progress indicator for the country. The course also had a focus on energy systems design and greenhouse gas emissions, as Iceland tries to become the first net carbon neutral economy in the world. Taught jointly with the University of Iceland.
• Fall 2009 | Food, Energy and Quality of Life Sustainable Agriculture Field Study in Iowa
  This atelier featured a 10-day immersion at Iowa State University in collaboration with their respected sustainable agriculture program. Participants investigated conventional and alternative agricultural food and energy systems in Iowa, and developed future projections for these systems. The application of ecological economics was also a main goal during the course.