Students stand outside the Cirque Grande, which stopped in Kaikoura, New Zealand during the June 2018 pilot trip. Class of 2020 alumna, Channa Steinmetz said she enjoyed traveling around the town and meeting locals when in New Zealand. Photo Courtesy of Channa Steinmetz
Pepperdine’s international programs announced the closure of its New Zealand Program focused on sustainability in the summer of 2019. This closure forced students and faculty to consider other plans within the Sustainability program.
The Sustainability minor program began six years ago, and the contract major has been offered for several years, Chris Doran — founder and coordinator of the Sustainability minor and Religion professor — said. International Programs staff and Doran work to create a new sustainability-themed international program and find space within old ones for Sustainability classes.
Class of 2020 alumna and sustainability minor Channa Steinmetz, who is a former executive editor of the Graphic, participated in the New Zealand program in the pilot trip in June 2018.
“I was realizing how I felt in nature through these hikes and through meeting people and locals, that is what really brought me closer to what my form of spirituality is,” Steinmetz said. “I can’t say that happened a lot during Pepperdine.”
IP and Sustainability Program Explore New Opportunities
International Programs Dean Beth Laux said, as the New Zealand program expanded, IP ran into problems with its travel partner.
“We had a capacity issue,” Laux said. “We had more students who wanted to go than we can actually accommodate, and this was a situation where, with some flexibility, we might have been able to create a program that was adequate to serve more students.”
With the Sustainability program gaining popularity on campus, Laux said, IP has been working on establishing a new opportunity for Sustainability classes.
“We know there’s a need, we know there’s a lot of interest, and Dr. Doran has been a great partner for us in trying to set goals and find pathways that meet the needs of students, meet the academic needs of the Sustainability program and offer international opportunities,” Laux said.
IP also expanded the number of Sustainability courses offered to students in other abroad programs, Laux said, such as “Environmental Literature” and “Introduction to Community Based Research in the Nonprofit Sector” which will be taught in Buenos Aires.
IP is developing courses and will notify students as soon as possible once approved, Laux said.
“There are GEs to continue helping students move toward graduation as well,” Laux said. “The advantage to that is that you don’t have to be a Sustainability student to really take those classes and learn more about something you’re passionate about.”
Doran said there is no requirement for Sustainability majors to go abroad. Doran said he is working with IP and his research assistant, sophomore Noelle Alderton, to create a sustainability-focused program in Buenos Aires.
“The idea though, with a possible summer program, would be to have a six-or-eight week program that would highlight two to three sustainability classes the way that we would do at another location — but to be more focused on things like sustainability impacts on Argentina, or climate change impacts on Argentina in particular,” Doran said.
In New Zealand, students stayed in the town Kaikoura, worked with the locals and lived a vegetarian lifestyle, Doran said. Additionally, students took a class called “Christianity and Sustainability.”
Student Reacts to New Zealand Program Closure
Mallory Finley, junior Sustainability and Economics major, said she chose her Sustainability contract major because she enjoys looking at world and historic events through a sustainable perspective.
“I see sustainability as the practice of looking at ways to care for people and creation as a whole, in a way that fosters community and health and growth,” Finley said.
Finley said she planned to go on the New Zealand Sustainability trip, hoping for the opportunity to see New Zealand and bond with other students in her major. She said she would be willing to go on a sustainability-focused abroad program if IP offers one in the future,
“It’s just so fun to be with people who are passionate about the same things as you,” Finley said. “And that would have been a really cool way to get a deeper understanding of the class.”
Due to the closure, Finely said she is searching for a new time to take the class, “Christianity and Sustainability.” The Sustainability contract major is still relatively new, so Finely said she is used to adjusting her classes and schedule to account for changes.
“There are definitely challenges with that, having to work to be flexible and being OK with not everything being certain is definitely a component,” Finley said. “But also it’s allowed me to have input in what classes go into my major, which has been so cool and helps me to just focus in on what I care about learning, which is what college should be about.”
Alumna Reflects on Time In New Zealand
Steinmetz said for many in her cohort, it was their first trip to New Zealand.
Steinmetz said she enjoyed the “down-to-earth” nature of the New Zealand trip, as opposed to other abroad destinations.
As part of the trip, students read a book Doran wrote called “Hope In The Age Of Climate Change: Creation Care This Side of The Resurrection.” The group also monitored the amount of trash they produced — composting and recycling many of the things they used — resulting in the students bringing only two trash bags to the dump at the end of the trip.
“I really felt like the class never ended because we go on these hikes and talk about the courses and lessons we were learning,” Steinmetz said. “Dr. Doran did a great job of taking it outside of a book and showing us firsthand how that plays into everyday life.”
The trip was a good way for her to get to know the other students within the Sustainability program, Steinmetz said, and bonding with other students over experiences abroad made her more comfortable in her classes at Malibu.
Steinmetz said the trip left an impact on her spirituality. When she needs to feel closer to God, she goes into nature. Additionally, Steinmetz said she is more aware of what trash she produces and the effect it has on the environment.
While the trip presented challenges — such as students not showering every day — Steinmetz said she would have recommended the trip to other students looking to go outside their comfort zone and learn about sustainability.
“It needs to be more valued at Pepperdine, and I hope they bring it back,” Steinmetz said. “Obviously, we’re in a pandemic, and New Zealand has it together, and they probably won’t even let us in. But post-pandemic, I really hope that Pepperdine does bring it back. It is a life-changing program.”
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Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Email Samantha Torre: sam.torre@pepperdine.edu
