ESS class puts theory into practice

Environmental Systems and Societies is an interdisciplinary subject – topics range from investigating ecosystems and biomes like tropical rainforests and deserts to studying biodiversity and endangered species.

Vicky Exley, our ESS teacher, and Giulia Postal, our sustainability coordinator could not think of a better activity than visiting our local sheep farm: Fattoria Antonič in Ceroglie (about 15 minutes away from our College). This agricultural enterprise raise an endangered species of sheep – the ‘istriano-carsolina’ sheep and they have the largest flock in Italy (about 240 animals).

Students were able to see with their own eyes, smell with their own noses and touch with their own hands all the knowledge they had learned in the classroom: subsistence farming vs industrial one, how farmers care for their animals, the nutritional value of a local farm fresh product and the costs that go along with it. We talked about sustainable food systems and consumer education. At the end of the visit, we milked the sheep and helped the shepherd end his day early!