To facilitate a broad portfolio of research, Arizona State University has signed a five-year memorandum with the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.  The memorandum will establish a structure for ASU and Argonne to pursue novel research in areas including decision making based on climate variability and uncertainty; the impacts of global population dynamics and urbanization; the challenges of renewable energy practices; and creating innovative solutions to problems in energy, education and sustainability.

It became apparent that the two institutions shared a belief in the power of interdisciplinary and cooperative research during ongoing work on the Foresight Initiative. The $20 million, five-year project brings together knowledge and capabilities from a variety of organizations, including Argonne’s Global Security Sciences Division. Led by sustainability scientist Nadya Bliss, it aims to develop an integrated computational platform that will enable decision makers to explore how climate change and future resource contention could contribute to political unrest and instability.

Much like the plot of a superhero-team comic, many of today’s greatest challenges can only be overcome when the unique strengths of the resolute are combined.

Arizona State University’s InnovationSpace®, a yearlong product-design and -development program intent on tackling societal challenges, recognizes this.

That’s why the program – initially a venture among ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, W. P. Carey School of Business and Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering – opted to diversify its disciplinary profile even further by including the School of Sustainability this past academic year.

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Rebecca Tsosie, a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist and Regents’ Professor in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, has been appointed vice provost for inclusion and community engagement.

In her new role, Tsosie will help the Arizona State University community further understand and learn how to address complex issues associated with race, gender, ethnicity, religion and other forms of diversity. She will offer guidance to university administrators and work in collaboration with campus organizations, such as the Committee for Campus Inclusion and the Faculty Women’s Association, in order to operationalize ASU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Tsosie is committed to transdisciplinary research and treasures her broader connections to other academic units on campus. She hopes to develop a transformative model of inclusion and community engagement that will set an important standard for leadership in higher education.

The new Conservation Research Training Program (PZSoLS CRTP) - created through a partnership between the Phoenix Zoo and School of Life Sciences (SoLS) at Arizona State University (ASU) - promotes and facilitates opportunities for a SoLS undergraduate major at ASU to participate in research through the SOLUR program at the Phoenix Zoo’s Conservation and Science Center.

This is an exciting opportunity to engage in real-world experimental design and applied research in strong collaboration with an academic institution and an internationally recognized zoo. The selected individual will enter into a mentorship with Phoenix Zoo and ASU researchers conducting ex situ and in situ studies at the zoo. This student will be exposed to all aspects of the scientific method, including observation, experimental design, and data collection and analysis, while drawing on the academic expertise of SoLS faculty and the species conservation expertise of Phoenix Zoo staff. They may also develop and conduct an independent study as part of this program. The student will also participate in ASU's SOLUR seminar, where they become a part of the larger undergraduate research community at ASU and gain insights into broader aspects of the research enterprise (e.g. ethics, collaboration, community outreach). PZSoLS CRTP students will gain valuable real-world experience in conservation and will be challenged in a manner that will prepare them for a career in life sciences. A one-year paid position is available starting July 2014, with the potential to renew annually if sufficient progress is made.

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PZSoLS CRTP PDF

Regents’ Professor and Distinguished Sustainability Scientist Rebecca Tsosie is appointed vice provost for Inclusion and Community Engagement.  Her expertise will help the university continue to grow in the areas of diversity, inclusion, new knowledge systems and community-building.

In her new role, Tsosie will help the Arizona State University community further understand and learn how to address complex issues associated with race, gender, ethnicity, religion and other forms of diversity. She will offer guidance to university administrators and work in collaboration with campus organizations, such as the Committee for Campus Inclusion and the Faculty Women’s Association, in order to operationalize ASU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

It is her hope to develop a transformative model of inclusion and community engagement that will set an important standard for leadership in higher education.

Article by sustainability scientists Shade Shutters, Rachata Muneepeerakul and Jose Lobo is featured in Palgrave Communications - a social science journal by the publishers who produce Nature.

NRG Energy, Inc. and Arizona State University are working together to develop a working prototype of a containerized solar and batterystorage solution designed to be deployed for disaster relief or other off-grid applications, primarily in developing countries and emerging markets. Dr. Naz Al-Khayat, chief micro-grid engineer at NRG Renew, and Dr. Nathan Johnson, assistant professor at ASU Polytechnic, are leading a team of student researchers to design and test a containerized micro-grid solution. The purpose of the team’s project is to offer a fast-response to energy demands that emerge from environmental disasters as well as to bring power to areas in the world that do not have access to reliable energy.

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Tempe, Ariz. — Researchers from Arizona State University, along with more than 40 other scientists, engineers, technical experts and policy makers from around the world, are convening in Washington, D.C. May 18-21 to study ways to create a sustainable phosphorus (P) fertilizer system.

The use of phosphorus, a key component of fertilizers, is increasing around the world. As a result, the runoff of phosphorus from farms and cities is creating noxious algal blooms, which often lead to "dead zones" in rivers, lakes and coastal oceans.

Furthermore, the price of phosphate rock used for fertilizer production is increasing and uncertainty surrounds the long-term reliability of these rock supplies, as they are distributed from just a few countries. Many experts believe humanity's phosphorus use has already exceeded "safe boundaries" and are calling for solutions both to protect water quality and assure long-term reliable supplies of P for fertilizer.

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CBO Partner, The Earth Genome, recently released an exciting year one progress report. Earlier this year, the Earth Genome partnered with CBO and a team of ASU researchers to develop a series of decision support tools to aid in resource decision-making.

The Earth Genome has also partnered with leading GIS software developer Esri, the World Resources Institute and the Environmental Defense Fund.

In the coming months The Earth Genome will pilot its first tool that is designed to reveal options for decisions on water use.  The water tool will be showcased at the World Business Council on Sustainable Development meeting in December 2015.

The Earth Genome and CBO are currently exploring the design needs for the next tool, to aid users in making sustainable investments.

EEarth Genome March 2015 Progress Report

According to research by ASU engineers Mikhail Chester and Matthew Bartos, electricity generation and distribution infrastructure in the Western United States must be “climate-proofed” to diminish the risk of future power shortages.

In their article in the current issue of Nature Climate Change, the researchers say expected increases in extreme heat and drought events will bring changes in precipitation, air and water temperatures, air density and humidity. They report that the current infrastructure of power stations makes them particularly vulnerable to these conditions and that, unless steps are taken to upgrade systems and technologies, their energy-generating capacity could be significantly constrained.

The researchers are examining alternative technologies like hydroelectric, wind and combustion turbines, steam and photovoltiacs because renewable energy sources are generally less susceptible to climate change impacts.

WASHINGTON, DC – NEEF (the National Environmental Education Foundation) announced today the appointment of Dr. George Basile to its Board of Directors.  Dr. Basile is a Professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University (ASU), a Senior Sustainability Scientist in ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, and Affiliate Professor in the School of Public Affairs.  He was recently the Swedish Knowledge Foundation’s Distinguished International Guest Professor of Sustainability-Driven Innovation.

Dr. Basile’s work has reframed sustainability as a “decision space” and focuses on how to plan, lead, and act strategically for emerging sustainability opportunities and challenges.  Dr. Basile has been the executive director of the ASU Decision Theater, a unique systems exploration and application center. He has also served as a faculty affiliate and advisor to The Sustainability Consortium, a global nonprofit organization working to transform the consumer goods industry by developing tools and strategies that address environmental, social and economic imperatives.

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In response to employee demand and to help meet the university's zero waste goals, the team behind ASU Recycling now offers the blue bag program. Blue bags capture waste previously headed toward the landfill - including coffee pods, cosmetic containers and water filters - and are available to all offices and departments on ASU's Tempe campus.

The team has placed 275 blue bags in 52 buildings since January, and hopes to extend the program to the Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic and West campuses – including the Thunderbird School – in the fall 2015 semester.

“On average, about 350 tons of waste per month collected at the Tempe campus goes to the landfill,” said Lucas Mariacher, ASU Recycling technician. “We are taking recycling to a whole new level with the blue bag program. Before program launch, the majority of items that are accepted in blue bins were being landfilled.”

Anthony Brazel, Emeritus Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, and V. Kerry Smith, Emeritus Regents' Professor and Emeritus Professor of Economics, WP Carey School of Economics, were recently honored for their contributions to urban socioecological research in the CAP LTER research program.

Dr. Brazel, an urban climatologist, has been the driving force behind research on the Phoenix urban heat island, collaborating across disciplines with faculty and students at Arizona State University as well as with colleagues at the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, CAP's sister urban LTER site. His research has led to Phoenix being the most studied urban heat island in the United States, and his former students now staff numerous climate-related agencies.

Dr. Smith is a renowned  environmental economist whose work with CAP has focused on the economic valuation of environmental amenities and ecosystem services, contributing important new perspectives to CAP's research program. He has also collaborated on the Phoenix Area Social Survey and has been an important mentor to students interested in entering the economics field.

Spring brings a lot of things, including thesis and dissertation defenses. The following have either successfully completed or will be completing their defenses this spring:

• Thomas Bleasdale defended his dissertation, “Gardens of justice: Food-based social movement in south and west Phoenix,” on April 16^th (Sharon Harlan, Chair; Bob Bolin and Kevin McHugh, committee members)
• Hannah Heavenrich will defend her thesis, “Soil biogeochemical consequences of a ‘sustainable’ urban grassland to shrubland transition,” on May 13^th (Sharon Hall, Chair; Kelli Larson and Diane Pataki, committee members)
• Jeffrey Ackley will defend his dissertation, “Rich lizards: How affluence, land cover, and the urban heat island effect influence desert reptiles persisting in an urban landscape,” on May 15^th (Jianguo Wu and Brian Sullivan, co-chairs; Soe Myint, Dale Denardo, and Michael Angilletta, committee members)

• CAP REU student, Jessica Jia, successfully defended her Honor’s Thesis, “Quantifying the trade-off between landscape vegetation height, surface temperature, and water consumption in single-family residential houses for a desert city,” this spring (Kelli Larson and Elizabeth Wentz, co-chairs).

Congratulations to all of these students!

There has never been a more important time to educate and train the leaders of the future to deal with the threats of instability. Current world leaders are discussing climate change at the same time that local communities in the U.S. strive for more resilience to increases in climate events.

U.S. universities have a responsibility to prepare modern sustainability business, government and other professionals with the innovative technical and management approaches needed to lead in a rapidly changing world. During this January 14, 2015, webinar titled "Innovative Approaches to Sustainability Education at U.S. Universities," Dean Christopher Boone discussed how ASU's School of Sustainability - the first of its kind in the United States - came to be and how it has evolved. He also described how the School is providing future sustainability leaders with the education they need now, along with tools to move the sustainability field forward.

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Sustainability scientist Deepak Chhabra, a professor in the School of Community Resources and Development, led a study commissioned by the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department to demonstrate how investment in public parks provides an economic return.

Using survey data from park visitors to eight iconic parks – six in Maricopa County and two that span into Pinal and Yavapai counties – the team ran impact studies for each park, as well as an aggregate study on the Phoenix metropolitan area. For every dollar invested by Maricopa County parks, Chhabra and her team found approximately $1.40 was generated, after costs.

Chhabra noted that although individual park returns varied, it is difficult to determine why; the size of the park and amenities offered differ and could factor in. This provides feedback to the parks on how they might improve their individual results.

The Arizona Extreme Weather, Climate and Health Profile Report - a document produced by a team of ASU researchers and the Arizona Department of Health Services in March 2015 - is now available to the public.

In an effort to provide local health officials with a mechanism for addressing climate-related public health impacts, and to support the creation of regional public health adaptation and mitigation efforts, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects framework.

This report addresses the first step in the framework, which is focusing on climate-related hazards and associated health impacts of major importance to Arizona - namely, extreme heat and air pollution. It also summarizes historic temperature and precipitation trends, and provides projections for the future.

Among the report's authors are sustainability scientists Nalini Chhetri, David Hondula, Ariane Middel and Nancy Selover, as well as Alex Karner - a postdoctoral research fellow with the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives.

Each year, 20 people - customarily civic and business leaders - are selected as Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellows. This year, the values-based leadership training program focused on solving society’s biggest problems named sustainability scientist and engineering professor Cody Friesen to its 2015 team.

Though Friesen stands out among other fellows as an academic and researcher, his entrepreneurial drive makes him a good fit. His research has produced technological innovations that are the foundation of two growing business start-ups, Fluidic Energy and Zero Mass Water.

As part of the team, Friesen will engage in a series of seminars, workshops and retreats that build leadership skills and help guide Crown Fellows in employing their expertise and talents in enterprises to serve both their communities and beyond.

CBO will sponsor a panel discussion at the 2015 Ecological Society of America annual meeting. The panel will explore the obstacles underserved youth face in pursuing ecological education at the college level as well as environmental careers. The panel will also explore existing programs designed to address these challenges.

A diverse panel of professionals and academics will engage leaders from a range of youth engagement programs to discuss challenges and opportunities of developing innovative educational programs that provide youth from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds with basic literacy in ecological sustainability.

Key discussion themes include:

• How too connect with environmental issues that matter most to underserved youth
• How to engage with a diversity of underserved youth
• How to improve youth engagement in ecology so that it flows from early education to higher education into the job market.

Arizona State University is the recipient of a 2015 recycling bin grant from the national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and the Coca-Cola Foundation. More than 3,600 recycling bins are being distributed to 37 colleges and universities as part of the Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Recycling Bin Grant Program. ASU will receive 75 bins.