1st Year Field Experience

Each Fall all students new to ESST at Acadia spend three days at beautiful Camp Mockingee, near Windsor, Nova Scotia. This has been a highlight among all of our students. Here's what we do...

• Build Community among ESST Students & Faculty

• Introduce Role Models and Opportunities in the Field

We benefit from the wisdom of an incredibly diverse range of presenters who share their perspectives of the state of the planet and how societies, communities and individuals can work to shift toward sustainability in the coming years. How can young people lead the way? What skills and abilities are needed? Presenters have included...

• Emile Gauthreau, Spiritual Leader of the Northeast Woodlands Méti Nation (below left)
• Dr. Tom Herman, former Academic Vice President of Acadia and an eminent biologist most prominently known for his biological and community stewardship work to protect the endangered Blandings turtle in Southwestern Nova Scotia.
• Heather Kelday: Heather is a multi-talented outdoor and environmental educator. She is a magnificent folk singer and songwriter and Director of the Nova Scotia Sea School as her day job.
• Cathy Johnson, the Halifax Regional Municipality Waste Resources Educator who works to assist businesses and commercial buildings to implement comprehensive waste management practices.
• Donna Smyth, long time environmental activist who has led campaigns against uranium mining and herbicide spraying in the region for more than 30 years (below right)

          

• Hands-On Learning

Learning through doing, be it completing a sustainability assessment of the camp facilities and presenting recommendations to the Board of Directors, or grappling with core ecological concepts in the “System.”

  

• Facilitate personal sharing of values and methodologies

Each student, faculty member and speaker shared key experiences that led them on their paths with respect to environmental and sustainability issues, exploring hopes, values, challenges and plans.

• Strengthen Our Ecological and Personal Connections to the Natural World

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