BA in Environmental Science and Studies

Overview

The Environmental Science and Studies major is a two-track (science and studies) interdisciplinary program rooted in the natural and social sciences and designed to provide students with an understanding and application of the integration of multiple disciplines in solving complex problems arising at the interface of human existence with the rest of the natural world.

The Environmental Science and Studies major is a two-track (science and studies) interdisciplinary program rooted in the natural and social sciences and designed to provide students with an understanding and application of the integration of multiple disciplines in solving complex problems arising at the interface of human existence with the rest of the natural world.

Student Research Samples

• Investigation of Histological Effects of 17-α Ethinylestradiol in Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)
• Utilization of Golf Courses and Other Urban Green Spaces as Amphibian Refugia
• The response of Bailey’s Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana baileyi) to a Controlled Fire Management Regime
• Status of threatened arvicoline rodents in Northeast Iowa: Correlations between habitat quality and availability
• Analysis of Intra-Population Genetic Variation in an Isolated Population of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus)

Sustainability at Wartburg

Wartburg College is the second private school in the Midwest and ninth in the nation to achieve a gold rating under the newest version of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Wartburg is the first Iowa private college to earn this honor.

STARS, a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, launched in 2010.

STARS 2.0 ratings are based on scores in nearly 75 categories encompassing academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration.

Sustainability Quick Facts

• Since 2009, Wartburg has supported a community garden. All produce goes to Dining Services to be incorporated into meals. The garden is sustained with volunteer support.
• Dining Services buys nearly all food locally so farmers can reinvest their money into their own community. Buying local also helps the environment as it reduces travel expenses found in supermarkets.
• Wartburg has water bottle fillers located in Science Center, Luther Hall, Saemann Student center and Vogel Library to reduce waste.
• During construction of the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center in 2007, the college partnered with the local energy utility to fund a wind turbine that offsets the facility’s energy consumption.
• The Mensa Dining Hall is tray-less to reduce water, energy, and food waste. The facility also uses front-loading washers, which saves 14,976 gallons of water every four days.
• Wartburg College hired Schneider Electric, an energy consulting firm, to implement a $2.4 million energy efficiency project. Overall, the project is projected to save $270,000 annually in utility costs.
• Residence halls and academic buildings have low flow toilets and showerheads
• In 2014, an overhaul of the waste management process led to decreased landfill collection. Waste containers were retrofitted into recycling-waste sorting containers, and employees are responsible for bringing the contents to bins placed near each office.