Colby‐Sawyer's Sustainable Learning Initiative at Franklin Falls

Abstract

The Sustainable Learning Initiative at Franklin Falls is a long‐term partnership between Colby‐Sawyer College and the nonprofit PermaCityLife that offers students in every discipline experiential learning opportunities to explore, design, and develop sustainable solutions to real and evolving community needs in Franklin, New Hampshire. The initiative pairs intended learning outcomes across campus with the to‐do lists of the project partners working on the sustainable revitalization effort in that city; to date, 265 students have participated in the program. Through the context of classes, internships, and senior projects, students have helped PermaCityLife and local stakeholders with projects such as a locally themed restaurant and microbrewery, volunteer‐run coffee shop, co‐working space, art gallery and music venue, multigenerational mixed‐use housing, permaculture/edible landscaping, expanded bike trails, and a whitewater park. Through this ongoing collaboration, students have had the opportunity to participate alongside residents and business owners in a grassroots effort to reinvigorate a struggling community and help create a model for a resilient, vibrant, diverse, and sustainable city; and, in doing so, learn and practice the skills that prepare them to succeed at all levels.