I strongly recommend all who are interested in environmental protection and social justice to check out the Institute for Social Ecology. The summer session is by far my favorite thing about this remarkable institution. I did my M.A. over there in the mid 1990's and have been going back there to volunteer for the summer sessions almost every summer for the last 8 years.

"Established in 1974 and incorporated in 1981, the ISE is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to the study of social ecology, an interdisciplinary field drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, anthropology, history, economics, the natural sciences, and feminism. The ISE offers intensive summer programs, a year-round B.A. degree program, workshops on issues such as biotechnology, fall and winter lecture series, internship opportunities, and a speakers bureau. ISE\'s campus also plays host to art exhibits, conferences, and other events. In addition, the ISE is involved in research as well as publishing and activist projects—currently including both the ISE biotech education and regional food system design projects."

"Social ecology advocates a reconstructive approach that promotes a directly democratic, confederal politics. As a body of ideas, social ecology envisions a moral economy that moves beyond scarcity and hierarchy toward a world that fully celebrates diversity. The ISE has been a pioneer in the exploration of ecological means of food production, like organic gardening and permaculture, and alternative technologies. Studies combine theoretical and experiential learning in community organizing, political action, ecological economics, and sustainable building and land use. The ISE, as such, strives to be an agent of social transformation, demonstrating the skills, ideas, and relationships that can nurture vibrant, self-governed, ecological communities."