Welcome to Arizona State University (ASU) and the Global Institute of Sustainability.
The Institute is the hub of all of ASU’s sustainability initiatives
in research, education, outreach, and business practices. Our work is
interdisciplinary by nature, bringing together many schools, departments
and centers on the four campuses of ASU as well as collaborators from
other academic institutions, governments, businesses and industries, and
community groups locally, nationally, and globally.
Society today faces unprecedented challenges in balancing
economic development, social justice and environmental protection.
In order to successfully navigate to a prosperous future, the planet’s growing population
will need breakthroughs in technology combined with new ways of thinking
and behaving by individuals and organizations. ASU has made the achievement
of global sustainability its highest institutional priority.
ASU has achieved international recognition for successfully
forging interdisciplinary research collaborations that focus
on societal impact. The Institute’s Sustainability Research Federation is an integrated
set of interdisciplinary programs and centers, distributed across the
entire university, which addresses important, cross-cutting topics such
as rapid urbanization, water supply, renewable energy, preservation of
biodiversity, and the efficiency of industrial supply chains.
The School of Sustainability is the first in the
world to offer graduate and undergraduate degrees in sustainability,
as well as executive education options. The School’s mission is to create and share knowledge,
train a new generation of scholars and practitioners, and develop practical
solutions to some of the most pressing environmental, economic, and social
challenges of sustainability, especially as they relate to urban areas.
ASU strives to enrich local and global communities
by connecting people as they work toward common goals. The
Institute’s
outreach activities are anchored by the Decision
Theater,
a unique visualization facility that connects research conducted
by the university with the policy needs of the community,
helping to explore alternative futures.
ASU recognizes that advancing
sustainability begins internally with its own business practices
and policies. The Institute provides guidance in ASU’s campus operations,
ensuring that purchasing, maintenance, construction, travel,
waste disposal, water and energy use all conform to principles
of sustainability. Through the Global Institute of Sustainability,
ASU has become a leader in the discovery, teaching, and practice
of sustainability solutions. I invite you to explore our
website to learn more, or contact us (sustainability@asu.edu)
to share your ideas.
