Through the Global Sustainability Studies Program, School of Sustainability student Chad Sharrard studied the cultural element of sustainable development in the Andes region of Ecuador. Over the course of the summer, he gathered that development requires an understanding of what matters most to the people of a specific place.

After seeing the numerous stakeholders involved in sustainable development in the Andes, Sharrard gained a better understanding of why decisions are sometimes the result of economic and ethical considerations rather than environmental ones. Being immersed in another culture also provided him with an opportunity to apply what he had learned from textbooks and PowerPoints to a real-world situation. He feels that he will better retain these lessons now that they are tied to his memories of Ecuador.