The department has the nation's leading program in environmental ethics/philosophy:
- All 12 faculty members have published in the field, including three of the founders in the field (Callicott, Hargrove& Gunter)
- It is the home of the first journal in the field, Environmental Ethics (founded 1979), as well as the Center for Environmental Philosophy
- The department hosts the websites of the two major environmental philosophy organizations, ISEE (International Society for Environmental Ethics) and IAEP (International Association for Environmental Philosophy)
- The department pursues a number of research projects focusing on the broad issues of environmental concern (OMORA, The Water Program, Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity, The Philosophy of Food Project, and the Environmental Justice Project).
- The department's new PhD program emphasizes work in environmental ethics and philosophy, and
- The department has created the world's first field station in environmental philosophy, science, and policy at Cape Horn, Chile.


