Mountain Sustainability Course

03/09/2022 03/09/2022

Education program for grades K-12 and adults on sustainable mountain development. For school groups and tours.

The United Nations has declared 2022 to be the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. In recognition of this, and Canada’s 2019 Declaration of a Climate Emergency, this course on sustainable development of mountain areas is a critical local and global issue. Located at 850 metres altitude on Mount Habrich, the summit of Sea to Sky Gondola sits between two provincial parks, Shannon Falls Provincial Park and Stawamus Chief Provincial Park.  With established education programs created to give back to the community, the Sea To Sky Gondola  is uniquely positioned to lead an education program on mountain sustainability.

What is sustainable mountain development?

• Sustainability is the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow life to thrive in perpetuity
• Prevents the depletion of natural resources
• Improves the quality of human life at present and for future generations
• Achieves a balance of long-term economic growth while preserving the environment
• Has a low impact on the environment and wildlife
• Land use that preserves ecological balance
• Is aligned with the United Nations Development Program’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 

Purpose of the course: To be used as curriculum by STSG and made available as a teaching resource online as open source learning through the GEO Mountain website.

Learning objectives: Students will have an appreciation of the impact of climate change and development on mountains, the function of mountains as water towers and their snow patches, the impact of human use and access on mountains, the relationship between weather systems and mountains, natural hazard prevention and management, and comparable sustainable development. 

Learning outcomes: Student will be able to, from a global perspective, define sustainability, explain why mountains should be protected, and identify ways in which they effectively can be.

In this course we will us comparative methodology with a focus on commonalities and solutions, including examples of learning from the experience of others. The course theme is the global nature and interconnectedness of sustainability, recognizing that what happens in one place will have an impact on the rest of the planet.

Photo: ©Ben Mier