We all live together within a shared and vulnerable world. While humans have traditionally seen ourselves as individual, reason-based, and exceptional, much of environmental ethics asks us to realize the ways in which our lives are actually entwined with those of all living things.
In the Environmental Ethics class taught by Sarah Warren, Ph.D. this spring semester, students explored these concepts by engaging with two local nonprofits: Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in downtown Albany, and the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy.
The visiting assistant professor said the course material (often taught by Nora Boyd, Ph.D., professor of philosophy) explores various ethical frameworks to address environmental problems. Then with the knowledge gained in the classroom, teams of students put their learning into practice.
“We worked with community-based organizations that have a direct connection to the environmental and climate issues that are impacting us now, such as food justice and environmental justice,” said Warren. “These issues disproportionately impact marginalized populations.”
At Radix, two teams of students took turns assisting with the composting initiative, a chicken and duck coop, and a garden planting at a local elementary school. At the Sanctuary, a team produced a radio segment highlighting the work done at Radix, curating audio clips for the program “Hudson Mohawk Magazine.”
“What really stood out to me from the class is how essential Radix is for a city like Albany,” said Isabelle Rowley ’26, a Siena Sustainability Scholar. “It provides access to fresh local food, compost, green space, and hands-on education, all of which are especially important in an urban area with limited resources.”
Rowley said Radix supports the community and the urban environment in meaningful ways.
“Programs like their high school work initiative show how they're investing in not only Albany but the next generation.”
Classmate Zane Gabriel ‘25 said the course helped drive home the importance of forming a healthy connection between nature and the community.
“Our work with Radix emphasized this connection as we worked to provide safe, locally produced food, as well as contributing to the development of public green space within Albany,” said Gabriel. “The course taught me that, through even seemingly small actions, practicing ecological sustainability has substantial positive effects on both the natural world around us and the communities that experience it.”
Warren said the goal of the course is to both understand the theories of how we speak about environmental ethics, and how it is practiced in the community.
“There is not always a lot of work being done to bridge theory with practice,” she explained. “What does it mean to go forward and work in the community with sensitivity, appreciating the needs of the community and the power dynamics that exist there?
“Environmental issues can be productively addressed by giving people practical ways to make a difference.”