Environmental and Community Sustainability
In order to work towards a more just and sustainable world, we strive to follow socially responsible and sustainable practices as best we can in each site. This has been a part of our organization’s mission since our founding in 1982 and the Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE) is constantly striving to identify new and improved ways to nurture our environmental and social responsibility. Our commitment includes the following areas:
- Salaries/employment – We strive to pay our workers a fair and livable wage. We also try to keep the salary differential between the highest and lowest paid workers to no more than an 8:1 ratio. Not only is this the only ethical choice, but fair wages also contribute to staff longevity, experience, and commitment which, in turn, benefits our participants.
- Environmental practices/stewardship – Whether it’s through recycling, composting, or asking participants to use reusable water bottles, we work to minimize the environmental footprint of all our participants and sites where we work. The Center for Global Education has installed several ecological dry toilets in our Mexico study center. Both the Mexico and Central America sites have invested in water purification systems to replace large jugs of water.
- We make a conscious effort to buy sustainable, local, and fair trade food and other items as much as possible. In addition, the cooks at the Center for Global Education’s Mexico site are trained in vegan and vegetarian cooking and often use herbs grown in their own garden.
- Reciprocity with communities – We have established a long-term commitment in each of the communities in which we work. Faculty/staff are active members of the community and work with communities to develop programming that reflects their interests and issues. An honorarium is paid to guest speakers and field trip hosts. Fair compensation is given to host families and students are asked to develop ongoing relationships with them. The Central America team has subsidized the purchase of water purification systems for communities that host our students and participants.
- Programming – Issues of social responsibility are at the heart of all of our programming. Participants are asked to reflect on their impact on the environment and world. Courses may include looking at environmental footprints and speakers embody voices that are often underrepresented in the community. In Mexico and Central America, we partner with socially responsible language schools for language classes. Also in Central America, we have partnered with rural communities working on sustainable agriculture; these communities often host our travel seminars.
- Augsburg University – Augsburg University is a leader in environmental stewardship. Students are encouraged to car pool, use public transportation, or a communal car or bicycle. The institution has initiated a community garden, community farm share program, and purchasing wind energy. Augsburg is a leader in service learning and community engagement and has strong community partnerships in the Cedar/Riverside neighborhood.
We regularly audit our practices in an effort to continuously improve our stewardship of financial, social, and environmental resources.
We invite you to read more about and support our carbon on-setting initiatives in Southern Africa.
Supporting a Diverse Community of Co-learners
CGEE strives to create for its participants an intentionally diverse community of co-learners where a variety of cultures and backgrounds is represented. Students, faculty, and staff help each other respond to issues of oppression such as racism, sexism, homophobia, economic inequality, xenophobia, and classism, in an environment where diversity expands participants’ thinking and worldview.
Diversity and inclusion are key to the mission of Augsburg University and of CGEE. We operate in more than five different countries with diverse teams of staff and professors; thus, we bring rich and varied perspectives in addressing diversity and cultural issues. For that reason, you will find different language used throughout this site to discuss race, ethnicity, and cultural discrimination that reflects our regional perspectives.
If you have additional questions about issues of diversity, multiculturalism, or oppression in regards to the site to which you will travel, please let us know during the enrollment process; we can provide resources that might be helpful.
Alex Sikume is the new Instructor for Political Science and Social Change. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Management majoring in Policy Analysis from School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China. He further holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Political Science and Industrial Psychology from the University of Namibia.