Arizona State University (ASU), a public research institution, is well-known for its commitment to sustainability. In fact, the school is ranked No. 1 in Innovation in the U.S. by the U.S. News & World Report for nine years running. How did the university achieve this, and what impact will it have on students and the future of the economy as those students rise into key decisionmaking roles in industry and public policy? Find the answers in this university spotlight.
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ASU’s School of Sustainability – founded in 2006 and falling under the College of Global Futures (CGF) – touts itself as “the first comprehensive degree-granting program of its kind in the United States,” with programs focusing on interdisciplinary research and engagement in climate change, social justice, public policy, and more. Now, for the fifth consecutive year, ASU is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for its work in alignment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by Times Higher Education. The SDGs are the heart of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and intend to form a blueprint for global prosperity. ASU, through its Global Futures programs, addresses many of the 17 SDGs.
ASU offers two degrees in Sustainability: a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. The B.S. focuses on the quantitative aspects of sustainability, such as economics, environmental science, and energy, while the B.A. focuses on the social aspects, such as public policy, government, and development. Students in both programs learn about the challenges facing us today and how to develop practical solutions for them.
Asked about SDGs and the educational effect of ASU’s degrees, Rylee Woodward, a rising senior at ASU pursuing a B.S. in Sustainability with a concentration in Sustainable Ecosystems, believes that her program “reflects the importance that the university places on the issue.”
ASU may have been the first university to offer a designated sustainability program, but they are now only one of many. Colleges and universities across the country have created programs in either or both of climate change and sustainability, along with related focuses, largely driven by student demand. Most of these programs, like ASU’s, are interdisciplinary.
“Climate students need to learn everything from healthcare to how to store clean solar and wind energy,” said Megan Latshaw, PhD, from Johns Hopkins University’s Environmental Health and Engineering department. Dr. Latshaw emphasized the more extreme potential effects of climate on “people who may have to flee where they’ve lived for their entire life.”
In Woodward’s words, programs like these “have a goal of creating the next generation of leaders and future thinkers who understand and come up with solutions to our most challenging and wicked problems.” She acknowledges that the challenges we face now cannot be solved immediately. Instead, leading universities like ASU and the University of Montana (among others) prepare students to address these problems in the future through research, internships, capstone projects, and more.
The future leaders in sustainability are often driven by personal experiences. Fast Company magazine released an article back in May highlighting just a few of the thousands of students studying climate change. Katya Kondragunta, from California, lived through the California wildfires in 2020 and the record-breaking heat in Texas last summer. Will Eagleson’s hometown of Kennebunk, Maine, has faced coastal destruction caused by storms and rising sea levels. Lucia Everist from Minnesota is frustrated at the lack of climate change education offered at her high school. Like Dr. Latshaw, she emphasized the importance of studying the social impact of climate change.
Other students, like Woodward whom interviewed, discovered that climate change or sustainability programs combine their interests and passions well. Woodward originally applied to ASU as an education major, planning to teach chemistry. After her first year, she switched to chemical engineering, but she quickly realized that was not the right major for her, either. After “stumbling upon” ASU’s B.S. in Sustainability, though, it resonated with her. She had taken AP Environmental Science in high school, she had always been passionate about the environment, and it allowed her to stay within the science field, although her classes focus primarily on ecology and environmental science now.
However, as is the case with many liberal arts and sciences majors, the job opportunities for sustainability and climate change can feel limited. This writer Googled: ‘What can you do with a sustainability degree site:www.reddit.com‘ and received 36 pages of search results. It’s clearly a much-discussed topic online, with forums sharing ideas, experiences, and opportunities. In fact, Woodward believes that “there are opportunities opening up everywhere.”
Dr. Latshaw shared that Johns Hopkins may begin integrating climate change into other academic programs, including its schools of public health, engineering, education, medicine, nursing, and more. This may indicate a pattern of growing opportunities across these industries. Woodward also shared that many people she knows work in the corporate world, and many of her classmates are considering urban planning, environmental science, and energy.
There is no denying that sustainability is an increasingly important topic in the United States and internationally. When viewed through the lens of infrastructure resilience, grid reliability, and energy security, its applicability to help shape and refine critical national needs is a promising opportunity. With the UN, the U.S. federal government, and major corporations dedicating themselves to sustainable development, the workforce needs dedicated, driven individuals who specialize or are versed in these fields. This begins with students. The ever-increasing number of dedicated majors in sustainability, climate change, environmental sciences, and more can develop young leaders and experts to address “some of the greatest challenges of our time” across economics, engineering, policymaking, and more.
Written by Grace Mower, Public Policy Intern
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.