The Earth Ethics Institute (EEI) at Miami Dade College was launched to introduce faculty, staff and students to a new way of thinking called “Earth Literacy,” which proposes that while education gives students the ability attain various levels of control over the natural world, it does not give them an ethic for the wise use of that power. Grounded in the profound implications of the story of the evolution of our 14-billion-year-old universe and the developmental process out of which the Earth and all life emerges, Earth Literacy encourages respect for Earth and life in all its diversity.
EEI’s mission is to foster an awareness of global interdependence and ecological integrity through biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life. Among other programs, EEI also hosts the Global Sustainability and Earth Literacy Studies Learning Network (GSELS), which offers the MDC community opportunities to explore global citizenship, ecological sustainability and civic engagement through the understanding of planetary challenges and limits.