About Me

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." - Aldo Leopold

Biography

Jana Sanders is an Instructor of Environmental Studies at De Anza College. Born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains she has cultivated a passion for the natural world and environmental activism. She holds a Masters in International Environmental Policy with an emphasis in Conflict Resolution from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a BA from San Diego State University in International Security and Conflict Resolution with an emphasis in Environmental Security. Through her work in environmental policy and advocacy she has led the fight for sustainable city building in San Diego with Save Our Forest and Ranchlands, a watchdog group committed to defending the San Diego backcountry against urban sprawl. Today she continues this effort by serving as Secretary of the Board and Environmental Advocate for the Cleveland National Forest Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the plants, animals and other natural resources of the Southern California Mountains. 

She joined the Environmental Studies team at De Anza College in 2009. In addition to teaching, she worked with the Coyote Valley Landscape Institute to identify, study, and protect the critical wildlife linkages in the Central Coast Region. She serves as Secretary of the Board for the Cleveland National Forest Foundation (CNFF) in San Diego and volunteers as an environmental advocate with both CNFF and its sister organization Save Our Forest and Ranchlands working on environmental policy, transportation, and sustainable city building. Jana's passion for the environment extends to inspiring other young people to get involved in local environmental issues.

Classes I Teach

Winter 2025

CRNCourseSec.Title
39075ES 150ZIntroduction to Environmental Studies
38856ESCI 105ZEnvironmental Science
39072ESCI 158ZEnvironmental Science
39281ESCI 160ZEnvironmental Science

Fall 2024

CRNCourseSec.Title
28234ESCI 103ZEnvironmental Science
28235ESCI 104ZEnvironmental Science

Course Syllabi

Faculty Info

Jana Sanders

Jana Sanders
PART-TIME FACULTY

Environmental Studies

sandersjana@deanza.edu

408.864.5317

KC 213

Education

  • B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences, International Security and Conflict Resolution and Spanish, San Diego State University, 2006
  • M.A. International Environmental Policy, Monterey Institute of International Studies, 2012

Office Hours

Spring 2018

Through email

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