Global Institute of Sustainability News
Sustainable Cities Network receives $60,000 grant from Sam's Club®
Institute Press ReleasesJuly 8, 2009
Partnership between ASU and city, county, and tribal leaders strengthens regional sustainability efforts.
As part of Sam’s Club’s commitment to give back to the communities it serves, company executives presented Arizona State University with a $60,000 grant for its Sustainable Cities Network. The contribution is a market grant, with money pooled from 13 Sam’s Club stores in the Phoenix-Tucson-Prescott area.
“The Sustainable Cities Network represents the cities we serve, and it works to promote sustainability, which is one of the major focuses of our grants,” said Keith Lowe, club manager for the Gilbert store.
ASU Art Museum Becomes Catalyst for Sustainability Dialogue
June 30, 2009
August 27, 2009 – February 20, 2010
Surprising. Invigorating. Thought provoking. The Arizona State University Art Museum continues to present the best in contemporary art with exhibitions in all media by regional and international, emerging and established artists. The ASU Art Museum organizes these outstanding contemporary art exhibitions – which often receive national and international attention – and presents them in innovative ways for students and visitors.
Water Webs Connect Spiders, Residents in Southwest
June 25, 2009
If you are a cricket and it is a dry season on the San Pedro River in Arizona, on your nighttime ramblings to eat leaves, you are more likely to be ambushed by thirsty wolf spiders, or so a June 19 study suggests, published in the journal Ecology, and featured in the journal Science.
A potential horror story for any cricket. However, it is also a tale of water limitation that looks beyond how most ecosystem studies are considered. Much current work about the relationships between predators and prey is based on nutrients or energy limitation – via a food web.
ASU Researcher is Among Authors of New U.S. Global Climate Change Report
June 17, 2009
Arizona State University professor Nancy Grimm is one of the authors of a new and authoritative federal study assessing the current and anticipated domestic impacts of climate change. The report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” was released June 16 by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, which advises the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.
The main message in the report is that climate change is already having visible impacts in the United States, and, the choices that are made now will determine the severity of its impacts in the future.
The report compiles years of scientific research and takes into account new data not available during the preparation of previous large national and global assessments. It was produced by a consortium of experts from 13 U.S. government science agencies and from several major research institutes and universities, including Arizona State University.
Thirteen Sustainability Graduates Represent Milestone for Arizona State University
May 13, 2009
ASU celebrates its first class of graduates from the nation’s first School of Sustainability
President Barack Obama’s message of change parallels the vision Arizona State University has been pursuing since Michael Crow became its 16th president in 2002.
“The President’s emphasis on building the next generation of leaders in science, technology, and sustainability, as well as the arts, mirrors ASU’s mission as a New American University,” said Crow. “His advocacy for representation of women and people of color, engaging a broader spectrum of leadership, models significantly for others at the highest level.”
School of Sustainability and Faculty Members Receive Numerous Awards
May 12, 2009
ASU’s School of Sustainability and its faculty members were widely recognized for achievements, educational contributions, and research advances in 2008-2009. Among the accolades:
ASU’s School of Sustainability received both a Crescordia Award in the category of environmental education/communication and the overall President’s Award for 2008 from Arizona’s Valley Forward Association for outstanding environmental achievement of the year.
Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) co-directors Patricia Gober, Ph.D., and Charles Redman, Ph.D., accepted the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water in a November ceremony in Saudi Arabia. DCDC, which is a unit of the Global Institute of Sustainability, will split the $133,000 award with one other institution. Gober and Redman are both School of Sustainability faculty.
FACULTY MEMBERS
Patricia Gober, Ph.D., was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, in the Geology and Geography Division. In addition, Dr. Gober received the ASU Faculty Achievement Research Award sponsored by the ASU Alumni Association for her role in advancing the issues of water management and environmental change in metropolitan Phoenix. She also serves on the faculty of the School of Geographical Sciences.
George Maracas, Ph.D., was honored by the Phoenix Business Journal with its Green Pioneers Award, which is given to businesses, governments, and individuals that take steps to become more eco-friendly. He also serves on the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and is CEO of ASU’s Solar Power Laboratory.
Douglas Webster, Ph.D., was awarded the 2008 Phoenix Global Power Player award by the Phoenix Business Journal. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Government, Politics & Global Studies.
Jianguo Wu, Ph.D., was chosen as one of 19 Leopold Leadership Program Fellows based on scientific excellence, leadership qualities, and desire to expand communication and outreach skills beyond traditional scientific circles. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Life Sciences.
AFFILIATED FACULTY MEMBERS
Braden Allenby, Ph.D., was named a 2008 U.S. Professor of the Year by both the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He is also the Director, Center for Earth Systems Engineering and Management, and serves on the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Nan Ellin, Ph.D., received Valley Forward’s Environmental Excellence Award of Merit in the Environmental Education category for “Making Sustainable Communities Happen.” She is also director of the Urban & Metropolitan Studies Program in the School of Public Affairs, College of Public Programs.
Stuart Fisher, Ph.D., won the Ecological Society of America’s Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Life Sciences.
Nancy Grimm, Ph.D., was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, for her work in the area of urban ecology & sustainability. She also serves as co-director of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Project and is a faculty member of the School of Life Sciences.
Mark Henderson, Ph.D., won the Creasman Award for Excellence from the ASU Alumni Association for his work as director of GlobalResolve, an interdisciplinary social-entrepreneurship initiative at Arizona State University that involves ASU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and international partners in projects that improve the lives of underprivileged people around the world. He also serves on the faculty of the ASU Polytechnic Department of Engineering.
Margaret Nelson, Ph.D., was named a President’s Professor in 2008, an award that recognizes tenured faculty who have made outstanding contributions to undergraduate education at Arizona State University. She is also Associate Dean, Barrett, The Honors College and serves on the faculty of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
David Pijawka, Ph.D., received the 2009 Outstanding Leadership in Education award from the NAACP, Maricopa Branch. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.
Bruce E. Rittmann, Ph.D., NAE, FAAAS, won the Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award and Lecture from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is also director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the Biodesign Institute. Rittmann was just named a Regent’s Professor, the highest faculty honor bestowed by the University.
Everett Shock, Ph.D., was named 2009 Geochemistry Fellow by the Geochemical Society and The European Association for Geochemistry, an honor that is bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Earth and Space Exploration.
ASU Collects Donations During Year-End Move-Out
May 5, 2009
On May 07, 2009 and May 11, 2009
from 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Every year as students rush to move out, residence hall dumpsters fill up with things that could be reused or recycled. What if there was a way to reduce this needless waste and benefit a local charity, too? Arizona State University is doing just that.
DOE Funds Bio-Inspired Solar Fuel Center at ASU
April 30, 2009
ASU center will focus on using fundamentals of photosynthesis to unlock new sources of energy
TEMPE Ariz. — Arizona State University will be home to a new Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) announced by the White House in conjunction with a speech delivered by President Barack Obama.
ASU Energizes West Campus with Large Solar Project
April 29, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz.—Arizona State University has begun an ambitious project to install 3.3 MW of renewable energy capacity via solar cells on its West campus.
Experts Issue Report on Adapting to Climate Change in Desert and Coastal Cities
April 29, 2009
In January 2009, a group of 31 experts with diverse backgrounds convened at Arizona State University’s Decision Theater for a two-day workshop. Participants identified management needs, research gaps, and adaptation solutions relating to the impacts of climate change in coastal and arid urban environments.
Planning Integrated Research for Decision Support for Climate Adaptation and Water Management: A Focus on Desert and Coastal Cities was co-sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Arizona State University. Findings from the workshop are documented in the formal report (1.02 MB PDF).
Podcast: The scoop on buying in bulk
PodcastsApril 28, 2009
Brendan Beardsley, a master’s student in ASU’s College of Design, has a plan to help you live a more sustainable lifestyle and save a little money, too. Learn more about his design for a convenient bulk foods container and how it can benefit you and your planet.
[audio:http://sustainability.asu.edu/media/podcasts/Brendan-Beardsley-Podcast.mp3]
Podcast by Brenden Beiriger, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University
Ray Jensen as University Sustainability Operations Officer
April 27, 2009
By Karen Leland, Director
Communications and Marketing
Demonstrating its proactive leadership in the field of sustainability, Arizona State University (ASU) has appointed Associate Vice President of University Business Services Ray Jensen as University Sustainability Operations Officer, with the responsibility to forward sustainability practices in as many aspects of the University’s operations as possible. In his expanded role, Jensen will collaborate with the Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS), while continuing to report directly to the Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, Morgan R. Olsen.
ASU's School of Sustainability has eyes to the future
April 23, 2009
On a recent warm weekday morning, ASU students Joe Canarie and Jamie Wernet toiled away in an organic garden wedged between a fence and a lecture hall, pinching off excess blossoms from a squash plant.
It’s a baby step in a mission to save the world.
Canarie is an ecology major. Wernet studies linguistics. Both are enrolled in ASU’s School of Sustainability.
The Economics of Sustainability
PodcastsApril 22, 2009
Paul Atkinson from KJZZ Rado
The recession has forced the issue of sustainability to take a back seat. But as KJZZ’s Paul Atkinson reports, now may be the time to help the economy by adopting sustainable practices. Jonathan Fink, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability is interviewed along with others.
Science Foundation Arizona Launches New Solar Initiatives and the Solar Technology Institute
Institute Press ReleasesApril 17, 2009
Five new solar initiatives totaling $4 million dollars to advance Arizona’s renewable energy leadership
PHOENIX – Science Foundation Arizona announced its new solar technology initiatives and the opening of the Solar Technology Institute (STI) on April 17, with simultaneous events at the APS Star Facility in Phoenix and Global Solar in Tucson.
In a collaborative effort, STI is deploying Arizona’s significant solar resources with industry and the research strengths of Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Arizona (UA) to grow the state’s global leadership in renewable energy. STI is being led by two pioneers in the solar field, Robert “Bud” Annan and Richard Powell, to serve as co-directors. The Stardust Foundation is assisting in the financial support of the investments.
The Business of Climate Change – A Call for Innovation
gristMarch 31, 2009
By Jessica Lagreid
Undergraduate, W.P. Carey School of Business
Student Worker, Global Institute Of Sustainability
“In periods of great flux and uncertainty, the people who love [change] are going to find opportunities,” says Andrew J. Hoffman, the author of Climate Change: What’s Your Business Strategy? (2008). Speaking to an ASU audience and reporters on Mar. 19, the University of Michigan professor of sustainable enterprise cast climate change as both a threat and an opportunity.
Keeping Our Old Computers Out of the ‘E-Waste’ Piles
March 23, 2009
Eric Williams, an assistant professor of civil, environmental and sustainability in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, is interviewed on a segment of the program Sustainability, which aired recently on National Public Radio, including local Phoenix-area affiliate station KJZZ-91.5 FM.
The show focuses on projects that scientists and engineers are working on to solve many of the world’s environmental problems.
Williams talks about his National Science Foundation-funded search for solutions to the growing worldwide problem caused by a proliferating amount of “e-waste.” That’s a short way of referring to all the junk we are creating when we toss out our old and used electronic equipment, especially computers.
Williams suggests ways we could properly recycle computer components or keep old computers in use. That way the chemicals and materials would not pile up on waste heaps and threaten to do environmental damage by finding their way into soils and water sources.
The segment begins about 18 minutes and 15 seconds into the 50 minute show (the entire program is worth a listen). Sustainability is part of the Global Challenges Series from the Purdue University College of Engineering.
Listen to Sustainability. And read more about Eric Williams and his “e-waste” research.
Lebanese Architect Embraces “Poetry of Decay” Renovating War-Scarred Buildings
gristMarch 17, 2009
By Leah Starr, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
Lebanese architect Bernard Khoury defies the norm with his avant-garde designs, which he builds in response to what he calls the “total denial period” following the political and civil unrest in Lebanon.
In a dimly lit room of the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in downtown Phoenix, Khoury addressed a crowd of over 200 recently as images of his past, current, and future projects were projected onto an overhead screen.
Quantum Dots/Nanomaterials: Ingredients for Better Lighting, Reliable Power
March 13, 2009
Imagine flexible lighting devices manufactured by using printing techniques. Imagine solar power sources equally as reliable and as portable as any conventional power source.
Such advances are among aims of research at Arizona State University to find ways of more effectively harnessing solar power and producing more energy-efficient, durable and custom-designed light sources. The work is now drawing support from two international corporations.
New Microscope to Advance Research, Education
March 13, 2009
Arizona State University will be home to one of the world’s most advanced electron microscopes, one that will enable researchers to do work essential to making significant advances in nanoscale aspects of solid state science and materials science and engineering.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Materials Research has approved a grant to fund ASU’s $5 million project to acquire an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope that allows for the clearest possible views yet of matter at the atomic level.