The University of Washington will hold a five week class on Shaw this summer called Sustainable Agriculture and Conservation.

The course will be taught by UW professor Dr. Elizabeth Wheat and Carson Sprenger of Shaw Island’s Rainshadow Consulting. Students taking the course will live and study at the Cedar Rock Preserve on Shaw Island, sleeping in tents. Course titles encompassed are Sustainable Agriculture, Forest Ecology, and The Sustainable Community.

The course aims to immerse students in the study of sustainable food production; allow students time to reflect deeply on the region’s food system; and use experiential education to help students better understand the complexities of dichotomies like “natural/unnatural,” “organic/conventional,” “sustainable/extractive.” The class will run from July 24 to Aug. 26.

The course description is available online. Enrollment is limited to 15 students.

One or two scholarships to the class may be provided by a local donor. For more information, contact Heikinnen at philheikkinen@orcasit.com.