The Kentucky Department of Education recently awarded the University of Kentucky with a $111,000 grant to fund and undergraduate curriculum in sustainability. The grant will fund a general-education sustainability course for undergraduates, a program to help high-school teachers integrate sustainability into their coursework, sustainability-related software for use in existing environmental courses, and the development of the sustainability living-learning community located on campus.

Proposed by UK political science professor Ernie Yanarella, the grant was born out of Yanarella's long-term interest in sustainable cities. In a press release from the university, Yanarella noted that he wanted to "[Link] the present general education reform initiative to the mounting interest across campus among students, faculty, and administrators in taking environmental education and sustainability programs to a new level."

This grant will provide excellent opportunities for both UK students and Kentucky-area teachers to help integrate sustainable thinking into a broader range of classes, and will expose more students to pressing issues such as climate change, endangered species, and pollution.

Sources: Kentucky Kernel, UK News