[MUSIC PLAYING]
BRITTANY LEMON: The
program encouraged
me to actually live my purpose.
Not only am I learning so
much about sustainability
as a whole, I'm learning about
myself and how I can pursue
what I really want to do.
LEITH SHARP: Once people realize
that they can have influence
for the better on the
world around them,
that does not go
back in the box.
I mean, that becomes
part of your life.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
THOMAS P. GLORIA: The
broad goal of the program
is to empower sustainability
professionals with a base
knowledge and the skills
to make a better world,
to weigh environment,
economics, and human health.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So the price we pay
for our fuel does not
include the damages associated
with climate change.
LEITH SHARP: There's never
been a better time for students
to study sustainability.
The opportunities are vast
to come into this field.
There's a lot of diversity
in the course offerings.
We engage our students from day
one in not only very powerful
and proven theory in how to
be an effective sustainability
leader, but we challenge them
immediately to apply and test
the theory in practice
and then to reflect back
with us and their peers on
what they're learning by doing.
THOMAS P. GLORIA: All right,
after the Harvard Forest.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
PRESENTER:
Oftentimes, when we're
looking for the past history
of a forest, some of the things
we look for, are
their stumps present?
Are there multiple
stems present?
LACEY KLINGENSMITH: I see
our instructors, our program
director really going above
and beyond to help our students
and to make sure that our
program is continuously
improving and innovating
in ways that will meet them
not only where they're at, but
where they need to be going.
BRITTANY LEMON: The
professors know you.
They know you by name.
They want to know about the
communities that you live in,
how can we find a way
to help that community?
QUENTIN PRIDEAUX: I think
the most impressive thing
about Harvard
Extension School is
the quality of the
professors and the fact
that you're learning from
people at the forefront
of each area of knowledge.
They've really been
there and done it,
whether it's in
law or in business.
GREGORY A. NORRIS:
Companies, if you
start by saying you really
need to clean up your act
or whatever it is,
they're on the defensive.
They're resisting you.
But if you come in saying
you're doing wonderful things.
And we want to qualify the
good that your products do
in business as usual.
They're just a lot more open.
I end the class with more
energy than I started.
I think it's because the
students in this program
are here on purpose.
And they're here with purpose.
They're trying to go someplace,
to take their current job
to a whole new level, to
develop these new skills,
to take on this new knowledge,
to have a degree that certifies
that they've learned it well.
LEITH SHARP: They're
in the workforce,
or they're raising
their families.
They're actively participating
in their communities.
So you're interacting
with students
that are very much
primed to have impact.
LACEY KLINGENSMITH:
Our students come in
with this fierce
determination that they're
going to find that
little niche, whatever
it is, that little impact
that they can make,
and they're going to do it.
That's why I decided
to stick around
after graduation,
the opportunity
to build this community.
BRITTANY LEMON: It's a family.
It becomes a strong
bond between you,
and your classmates,
and your professors.
And then this bond is global
'cause your classmates are
coming from everywhere.
LEITH SHARP: It doesn't
matter where you're born,
what opportunities
you started with,
if you can push
yourself to get access
to education, to do programs
like these, take that risk
and give yourself equal
access to the opportunities
that you deserve.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
