Board Book 2017 by ASU Sustainability

Enduring solutions for a better world.

Sustainability@ASU Highlights FY 2017.

sustainability.asu.edu

Wrigley Works Worldwide Netherlands Canada

United Kingdom

Ireland

United States

Haiti

Morocco

Puerto Rico

Mexico Guatemala

Senegal

Colombia Ghana Bolivia

Brazil Nigeria

Paraguay

Chile

Argentina

Antarctica

Arizona State University and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability are working on all 7 continents to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. sustainability.asu.edu/global-goals

Norway

Albania China

Germany

Lebanon Italy

South Korea

Pakistan

Japan Bangladesh

Nepal

Thailand

India

Samoa Indonesia

Jordan

Fiji

Saudi Arabia Australia Mozambique South Africa

New Zealand

*Map represents only a selection of sustainability research at ASU.

Storm Savvy This fall, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma decimated Houston and Florida with torrential rains and destructive winds. A third storm, Jose, brushed the Atlantic seaboard, leaving many without power, while a fourth, Maria, devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ASU sustainability scientists made the media rounds, sharing knowledge about the role of climate change in this year’s hurricane season and providing guidance for restoring power and improving resilience going forward.

Same storms, more people at risk Nancy Selover ASU Now “The probability of a major hurricane making landfall anywhere on the Gulf or Atlantic coast is exactly the same as it was 100 years ago. What is not the same is that 100 years ago the number of people at risk by being in the path was at least one order of magnitude smaller.” [ read more ]

Restoring power after natural disaster Nathan Johnson KJZZ 91.5 FM “In situations like Puerto Rico, estimated to be without power for up to six months in time, [portable microgrids] perform not just the immediate response capability, but also relief and recovery.” [ read more ] A FFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

I NDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

S USTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

C LIMATE ACTION

Six rules for rebuilding infrastructure Thaddeus Miller and Mikhail Chester The Conversation “If we design with the technologies, needs and climate conditions of the 20th century, we will no longer serve society and the hazards we will encounter now and in the future.” Here are six rules for investing in infrastructure for the 21st century. • Proactive maintenance first • Invest in and redesign institutions, not just infrastructure • Design for climate change • Manage infrastructure as interconnected and interdependent • Create flexible infrastructure • Design infrastructure for everyone [ read more ]

Storms are rebuilding opportunities Charles Redman KJZZ 91.5 FM “I think we also need to reinvest in ways that say, ‘well, how did nature get rid of this water?’ Could we build green infrastructure that mimics or in fact enhances natural flow patterns, that enhances permeable surfaces?” [ read more ]

Not rewriting the record books Randy Cerveny Newswise “Climate is ‘long term,’ while meteorology is ‘short term.’ As climatologists, we look at long term (years to decades) averages of hurricanes (size, intensity, frequency), for example, to establish the impact of climate change, not single storms.” [ read more ]

Global Drylands Center Established in summer 2017, ASU’s Global Drylands Center engages key actors of dryland stewardship to develop use-inspired research, training and solutions for arid ecosystems around the world. Uniquely situated in the middle of the vast drylands of North America and led by Osvaldo Sala, the Julie A. Wrigley Chair in Life Sciences and Sustainability, the center is poised to become the world leader in drylands discovery and education to ensure a sustainable future for drylands. [ read more ]

Aridity zones Hyperarid (P/PET<0.05) Arid (P/PET=0.05-0.20) Semiarid (P/PET=0.20-0.50) Dry subhumid (P/PET=0.50-0.65) E xcluded presumed (P/PET≥0.65) drylands

Note: P=precipitation and PET=potential evapotranspiration.

Source: UNEP-WCMC (2007)

Drylands affect: • 40% of the global terrestrial area • 30% of our world’s human population • 50% of our world’s livestock • 35% of all terrestrial carbon fixation L IFE ON LAND

Arctic Research The canary in our global environment Distinguished Sustainability Scientist Randy Cerveny is Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes for the World Meteorological Organization. He describes the polar regions of our planet as the canary in our global environment. “Because of their sensitivity to climate changes, sometimes the first influences of changes in our global environment can be seen in the north and south polar regions,” Cerveny says. Together with collaborators from the WMO, Cerveny has published a report evaluating the highest temperature extremes in the Antarctic – in some places over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. [ read more ]

10 million arctic windmills Theoretical physicist Steven Desch describes the Arctic as the world’s air conditioner. Light-colored ice reflects sunlight, whereas dark-colored water absorbs the sun’s energy. Melting sea ice has created an ever-increasing cause-and-effect loop, with less and less ice forming every year, causing cascading impacts across the planet. Desch’s solution? 10 million windmill-powered pumps. The pumps would bring water up from below the ice where it freezes only slowly, to the colder surface above where it could quickly freeze and artificially thicken the ice. [ read more ]

WATCH VIDEO

C LIMATE ACTION

L IFE BELOW WATER

L IFE ON LAND

Cities Research

A Cornerstone of the Circular Economy The Resource Innovation and Solutions Network completed its third full year of operations in partnership with the City of Phoenix. In 2017, RISN launched its new circular economy venture accelerator, RISN Incubator, and completed seven projects impacting the greater Phoenix region. Additionally, RISN delivered three Ethical Circular Economy workshop trainings around the world. [ read more ]

Cities Go Green, Save Green Governments in the U.S. account for $1.72 trillion worth of purchases annually. That accounts for 25 to 40 percent of every tax dollar spent. Most local governments are not purchasing green products, and those that do often struggle. ASUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative has studied this phenomenon and developed purchasing recommendations. [ read more ]

Building CapaCities in City Leadership Local governments often lack the capacity to create, implement, evaluate and adapt the plans, programs, projects and policies that deliver sustainability. Through trainings in four global cities, members of the Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes work closely with city leadership to advance urban sustainability. [ read more ]

S USTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

R ESPONSABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

P EACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Adapting in the Megalopolis Mexico City – struck September 19 by an earthquake that killed more than 300 people – is not built on a fault line like many other earthquake-prone cities, but rather atop an ancient lakebed. The lake was drained to make way for the city’s growth, which is increasing the demand for groundwater while causing subsidence, increasing flood risk and undermining drainage efforts. Construction on the drained lakebed increases earthquake risk.

Simulated epicenter MEXICO CIT Y

Area of ancient lake bed

Shock waves from a simulated earthquake The New York Times | Source: Victor Cruz-Atienza, National University of Mexico

Led by Hallie Eakin, assistant professor in the School of Sustainability, the MEGADAPT program is studying what Eakin calls mutually reinforcing risks in places like Mexico City. Eakin and her MEGADAPT colleagues now have an article in review with Ecology and Society that documents how risk such as this is a long time in the making. A March 2017 editorial in PNAS argues that efforts at urban resilience must also consider social and political forces. [ read more ]

S USTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

C LIMATE ACTION

P EACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Solar Hotshots In 2017, ASU researchers received $4.3 million in Department of Energy SunShot Awards for their work with photovoltaics, making ASU the largest recipient of SunShot funding in the Photovoltaics Research category for the year. The DOEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SunShot Intiative aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional methods. [ read more ]

in photovoltaics funding

A FFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

I NDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

C LIMATE ACTION

Cool Solutions

Washing hands in hot water does not significantly reduce bacteria, however washing hands in cold water can save energy and emissions. A pilot project will remove hot water from university buildings at ASU and two other GCSO locations, quantifying energy and cost savings, and analyzing perceptions and attitudes around hot water hand washing. The goal is to design evidencebased strategies to promote behavior change for more sustainable outcomes. [ read more ]

C LEAN WATER AND SANITATION

The Sustainability Consortium has partnered with the American Cleaning Institute to educate consumers on the benefit of using cold water for most laundry loads. Washing in cold water is gentler on garments, saves money on energy bills and reduces carbon emissions. Phase two of the behavior change campaign is under development now at ASU. [ read more ]

R ESPONSABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

C LIMATE ACTION

University Sustainability Practices

Solar Capacity Surpasses 50 MW In January 2017, ASU announced a power purchase agreement with Arizona Public Service at the Red Rock Solar Plant near Casa Grande, Arizona. The agreement allows ASU to secure solar power from the plant during a 20-year span and more than doubles ASU’s solar generating capacity to over 50 megawatts (dc). [ read more ]

New Student Pavilion is Net Zero

Poly Garden Looks to The Lot

Located in the heart of Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, the 74,653-square-foot student pavilion opened this fall. The building, which is powered by a nearby PowerParasol photovoltaic array, is designed to create more energy than it uses. Home to ASU’s Council of Coalitions and the Programming and Activities Board, the student pavilion includes two new classrooms, plenty of study and social spaces, and offices for student groups. [ read more ]

Since spring 2010, the community garden at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus has leased plots to students, faculty and staff. A significant portion of the food grown there is donated to local food banks. Construction drawings are in-process to expand the garden in a new location dubbed The Lot – offering raised and vertical planters, an interfaith spiritual space, event area, learning center and urban orchard. [ read more ]

G OOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Q UALITY EDUCATION

A FFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

I NDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

in Climate Leadership

Second Nature recognized ASU with its 2016 Climate Leadership Award for a four-year institution. ASU executive vice president Morgan Olsen accepted the award during the 2017 Sustainability Solutions Festival.

128,334

Cool School

For the third consecutive year, ASU has scored in the top 20 in Sierra Magazine’s 2017 ranking of North America’s greenest colleges and universities. ASU was #1 among schools with 10,000+ students.

Pounds

Students who moved out of residence halls in spring 2017 contributed a record 128,334 pounds of material donated, repurposed or recycled through the Ditch the Dumpster program.

For the third year in a row, Arizona State University tops the list of “most innovative schools” in the nation.

Reaching Teachers K-12 partnerships with educators and communities continue to bring sustainability education to schools. Students and teachers learn as they participate in real scientific research in cooperation with our teams. Our signature K-12 programs reached 77,624 students and 693 teachers in fiscal year 2017.

Expanding Globally Building upon ASUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience training U.S. teachers to integrate sustainability principles into their curriculum, the Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes has launched a project to expand teacher training to Germany, Ireland and Mexico. [ read more ]

Q UALITY EDUCATION

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Coming Soon to a Museum Near You Smithsonian Water/Ways Coming to Arizona Beginning June 2018, Water/Ways will tour Arizona, visiting 12 rural Arizona communities over the course of two years as part of Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street national touring exhibition. ASU’s Decision Center for a Desert City has adapted its WaterSim tool for the national tour, which runs May 2016–April 2021, visiting 25 states and 130 rural communities. [ read more ]

Museum Reach Tops 1,000,000 The Sustainability in Science Museums Program, part of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives, supports science museums through trainings, activity kits and other resources. The program has trained 140 museum professionals from 124 institutions – representing 50 states, 29 countries and every continent but Antarctica – reaching 1,082,143 individuals. [ read more ]

Interpretive Education in the Desert ASU’s new Global Drylands Center has partnered with Desert EDGE in Scottsdale to produce place-based research and exhibits. In June, ASU’s Ecology Explorers program piloted a new STEM program with Desert EDGE, training teachers to implement lesson plans specially designed to integrate with field trips to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. [ read more ]

Q UALITY EDUCATION

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Online Education Since the School of Sustainability first offered degrees through ASU Online, enrollment has grown. This fall, the School saw its online undergraduate enrollment more than double from the prior semester.

EMSL

MSL

121

BA/BS

11 17 59 48

17 20

49 26

14 FALL 2015

SPRING 2016

FALL 2016

SPRING 2017

FALL 2017*

Online Enrollment

for Graduate Employability

Times Higher Education lists ASU as one of the best in the country for preparing graduates for jobs.

Q UALITY EDUCATION

96% Employment Rate

Among School of Sustainability undergraduate alumni, 96% are employed or in graduate school.

*preliminary

for Faculty Fulbright Scholars

Among ASUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017-18 Fulbright scholars are sustainability scientists Leah Gerber and John Sabo.

Hands-On Education Microgrid Boot Camp In March 2017, doctoral students from the National Autonomous University of Mexico joined ASU student military veterans on ASU’s Polytechnic campus for a week-long, intensive boot-camp on microgrid infrastructure. Hosted by NEPTUNE, a program within ASU LightWorks, the boot camp included interactive tours, lectures and lessons, where participants had the opportunity to collaborate and share insights. [ read more ]

Himalayan Hands-On During summer 2017, 11 ASU sustainability and engineering students traveled to the Hindu Kush Himalaya region to help local farmers run their operations year-round. As part of a study abroad course organized through the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives and developed through GlobalResolve, the students created hardware during the spring semester, then deployed it while they were onsite in June. [ read more ]

3 Countries, 3 Universities, 3 Weeks 32 students – representing ASU, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and National Taipei University – participated in a new three-week course on sustainable urban development this summer. Students experienced field trips and lectures in Guangzhou, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Hong Kong, then completed solutions-focused projects, including sustainability plans for a new district in Hong Kong. [ read more ]

Z ERO HUNGER

Q UALITY EDUCATION

A FFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

D ECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

S USTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

Wrigley Lecture Series Students meet with Winona LaDuke (middle row, center), during her March 2017 visit to ASU.

Winona LaDuke Climate Action in the Era of #NoDAPL

Jason McLennan WATCH VIDEO

A Living Future: How We’ll Live and Work in the Communities of the Future

WATCH VIDEO

Conservation International Scientists Join ASU In March, ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes welcomed six new professors of practice from the Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science and Oceans at Conservation International, including CI’s executive vice president and senior scientist M. Sanjayan, who previously presented a Wrigley Lecture at ASU. M. Sanjayan Saving Nature in a Human-Dominated World

WATCH VIDEO

Sustainability at ASU has a remarkable philanthropic legacy, led by the transformational investments of Julie Ann Wrigley and the Rob and Melani Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation. Campaign ASU 2020 will advance world-class initiatives that address the greatest sustainability challenges of our time.

Sustainability Education

Food Systems

Biomimicry

Energy and Society

Sustainable Communities

sustainability.asu.edu

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GIOS-017-11-250

For the third year in a row, Arizona State University tops the list of “most innovative schools” in the nation.