Community Description

The Green Learning Community is home to students who are passionate about the relationship between people and nature.  Students explore ways in which we can all use fewer natural resources and learn how to become agents of change for a more sustainable society.  Members of the Green LC engage in Loyola’s initiatives to develop a more sustainable campus, explore ways that the City of Chicago is making strides toward a more sustainable city, and experience much of the nature Chicago has to offer, such as the beautiful lake front, forest preserves, and countless farmers’ markets.

The Green Learning Community is currently home to 22 first-year students.  The students live together on a portion of a floor in one of our first-year residence halls.

Activities and Programs

The Green LC is involved with programs and initiatives related to sustainability on campus, in the City of Chicago, and around the globe. Students in the community have enjoyed a trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory, visited the Chicago Center for Green Technology, and toured the Smart House at the Museum of Science and Industry. They have participated in critical mass bike rides, learned about water pollution on the Chicago River, browsed the locally grown foods at the Wicker Park Farmers Market, and enjoyed a sustainable meal with faculty on the Green Roof of a local restaurant.  The community shares a strong relationship with Loyola's Center for Urban Environmental Research and Polity and opportunities exist for students to engage in the Center's many programs
and initiatives, such as the Biodiesel Lab, Loyola Retreat and Ecology Campus, recycling education programs, and the Light Bulb Exchange.

Students in the Green Learning Community choose to participate in the activities and programs that are of interest to them.  The students to participate in the largest number of programs and activities also enjoy the greatest benefits from the community.

Curricular Requirements

Typically, the Green Learning Community takes 4 credits together in the Fall semester and 4 credits together in the Spring semester.  This provides wonderful opportunities to connect through coursework with peers in the community but also ample opportunity to meet friends from outside the community.  Faculty members who teach in the Green LC also participate with students in activities and events outside the classroom, allowing students to develop stronger relationships with faculty members from their first day on campus.  

All courses required for the Green LC meet requirements for all degree programs at Loyola.  Planned courses for 2012-2013 include: