Among the aims of UVM's burgeoning Planetary Health Initiative is to increase students’ curricular and co-curricular access to sustainability and Planetary Health efforts.

For us in CELO, that means working to increase student participation in community-engaged learning that addresses the intersection of human and environmental health. As part of that effort, we are offering funding in each of the next 4 years to support the development or enhancement of a community-engaged learning course with a Planetary Health focus.

CELO is pleased to announce the following recipients of AY25 Planetary Health funding:

  • Carlos Andres Gallegos-Riofrio (Agriculture, Landscape, & Environment), for developing a service-learning course in agroecology and planetary health
     
  • Laura Hill (Plant Biology), for project implementation within a community climate solutions course
     
  • Deb Hinchey (Biomedical & Health Sciences), for integrating planetary health into the public health service-learning capstone
     
  • Kazuko Suzuki Carlson (World Languages & Cultures), for developing a health- and sustainability-themed COIL (virtual exchange) course with Vermont’s sister prefecture of Tottori, Japan
     

We are delighted to support these faculty — across several different disciplines — to bring planetary health alive in their courses, while developing students' problem-solving and civic capacities in real-world contexts.

This grant opportunity will continue through AY28; if you are interested in bringing a planetary health focus to community-engaged teaching, please let us know of your interest for future grants and opportunities.

UVM Planetary Health Initiative