Housed within the Department of Natural Sciences, the Pacific Center for Environmental Studies (PaCES) encourages and supports environmental science education, research, and stewardship at Windward Community College through the following activities: undergraduate environmental science enrichment through classroom instruction and research; workforce training; K-12 environmental science enrichment; teacher training; and community environmental science awareness.
PaCES is guided by the following themes:
- Understanding the functioning of ecosystems and human influences on them;
- Viewing humans as functional components of ecosystems from historical, cultural, and social, as well as scientific, perspectives;
- Recognizing that the quality of human life is dependent upon the quality of our environment and our ability to sustain our humanity within this environment;
- Promoting stewardship through wise and thoughtful management of our environment and natural resources, looking to traditional practices and promising technologies of the future; and
- Embracing ahupua‘a as a symbol for sustainability and positive human interaction with the environment.
Along with providing support for the College’s environmental studies courses, PaCES also integrates and coordinates Windward CC’s Academic Subject Certificate in Bio-Resources Development and Management and the Marine Option Program For more information, visit http://windward.hawaii.edu/paces/.