Sustainability Matters

Next board meeting coming soon

The next meeting for the Board of Directors of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability will be held February 25-26 in Phoenix, Arizona. Meeting materials will be available on the board website shortly. Should you have questions, please reach out to Emma Hopson via email at ehopson@asu.edu. We look forward to seeing many of you soon!

Building a better future

The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7, designed by architect firms Architekton and Grimshaw, will serve as a new gateway to ASU's Tempe campus. The high-performance facility will foster an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge generation and leading-edge research, including innovative endeavors focusing on the sustainability of food, water and energy.

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Board member wins NCSE lifetime achievement award

Julia Marton-Lefèvre won a lifetime achievement award from the National Council for Science and the Environment. According to NCSE, this award "honors those who have made a significant impact to our community through research, education, diplomacy and/or innovative technologies."

Board member pens op-ed for New York Times

An op-ed by Bob Litterman, titled "The Very High Costs of Climate Risk," was published by the New York Times. Litterman used the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's demise as an example of how climate change impacts business, and discussed a carbon tax can as a climate change solution.

Inspiring sustainability action through virtual field trips

Virtual field trips are a next-level, but underdeveloped, educational tool. Now two sustainability scientists are putting VFT creation in the hands of students — in hopes they will inspire youth around the world to take sustainability action around the SDGs.

Sustainability Solutions Festival in full swing

During February, the Sustainability Solutions Festival convenes the planet’s top sustainability events and organizations to discover and explore how we can individually and collectively reimagine our lives and our planet. The festival will close with the annual GreenBiz event, February 26-28.

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Maricopa County, ASU combat urban heat

A three-year, $2.99 million grant is helping to get the Healthy Urban Environments Initiative at ASU off the ground. The initiative's aim is to conduct research that will reduce urban heat and improve air quality in Maricopa County.

ASU engineers break solar cell record

Thanks to ASU researchers, tandem solar cells are becoming more and more efficient. Improving solar cell efficiency brings down the cost of solar electricity, which allows this source of renewable energy to become a viable option for more people.

Sustainability Change Agents present strategies to Mayo Clinic

School of Sustainability Change Agents presented recommendations and strategies to the Mayo Clinic corporate sustainability committee. The presentations were well-received, as they helped to frame Mayo Clinic’s sustainability and human resource issues in a new and inspiring light.

Global Locust Initiative wins USAID/OFDA grant to launch pilot project in Senegal

GLI won a half-million-dollar grant from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to test whether soil amendments to millet fields in Senegal decrease locust outbreaks, improve millet yields and increase farmer livelihoods.

Making the most of conservation money

With limited funding, it's a challenge to bring back threatened or endangered species. A new decision-making tool developed by Leah Gerber, director of the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, helps conservation scientists decide how to conserve the greatest number of species.

Learning sustainability on the ground in Nepal and China

A three-week study abroad program in Nepal and China, directed by Senior Sustainability Scientists Nalini and Netra Chhetri, connects cultures and engages students in renewable energy and sustainable development projects.

ASU researchers exploring how changes in snowpack impact water rights, policy

Mountain snowpack and rainfall are the primary sources of water for the arid western U.S., but earlier melting of mountain snowpack is causing complications. ASU researchers are part of a grant-funded team to address the challenges.

Creating a carbon economy

At the Barrett & O'Connor Center in Washington, D.C., ASU hosted a panel that discussed how society can transition to a carbon economy — as in, pulling carbon from the air and making money from it in an effort to fight climate change.

Sustainability master's student wins water research award

Sustainability master's student Veronica Horvath, who is a research assistant at the Decision Center for a Desert City, was a first-place awardee for her outstanding water research relating to the "Rio Reimagined" Salt River redevelopment project.

ASU hosts international visitors to talk sustainable development in Guyana

ASU welcomed representatives from the University of Guyana, Conservation International and International Institute for Environment and Development in support of a program to advance Guyana’s sustainable economy.