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June 21, 2008
by Sharon Harlan for The Arizona Republic
Now that triple-digit temperatures have returned to the Valley, it is time to consider once again how to avoid health problems that can occur because of prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
June 17, 2008
The Arizona Republic
If Arizona is to lead in the research and use of solar and other alternative sources of energy, a regional approach is needed, says an expert on sustainability.
June 16, 2008
June 10, 2008
Arizona State University (ASU) has awarded energy contracts to Honeywell Building Systems, Independent Energy Group and SolEquity to install two megawatts of solar electric modules on approximately 135,000 square feet of building rooftop space and some parking structures on its Tempe campus. With this investment ASU reaffirmed its commitment to renewable energy through what will be the largest deployment of solar power infrastructure by any U.S. university.
June 7, 2008
Tom Hines
Special for The Republic
These days, it seems that everyone is striving to “live green.” With so many options, it may be hard to know where to begin. You can make big changes, like driving a hybrid vehicle or installing solar panels on your home, but you can also start with simple changes, like refilling your own water bottle or using cloth bags at the grocery store.
The good news is that one small change can lead to lower energy bills, as well as have a positive impact on the environment. Just start with one light – one compact fluorescent lightbulb, or CFL.
June 2, 2008
Chronicle of Higher Education
One convert at a time is a noble goal for any altruistic endeavor, especially sustainability, which has long laid low in the grass roots of society. Partly because of this, and because of the consumer-driven society in which we live, converting people to sustainability has been slow.
May 31, 2008
by Jay Golden for the Arizona Republic
Last month, four undergraduate students from ASU traveled to the Wal-Mart home office in Bentonville, Ark., to compete in the “Better Living Business Plan Challenge.” The sustainability competition was created to provide students from around the world with an opportunity to invent sustainable products or business solutions and present them to a panel of Wal-Mart executives, government officials, suppliers and environmental organizations. In addition to gaining an audience with some of the top business and sustainability leaders in the U.S., the winning school was to receive $20,000.
May 30, 2008
by Greg Peterson
Special for the Arizona Republic
I have a good friend whom I call Margaret the Condo Gardner. Her garden is quite the contrast from mine, but she will tell you that it is every bit as gratifying.
Most everyone I know who enjoys gardening shares this same sentiment: Growing your own food really grows on you! From condo-size to farm and everything in between, the rewards are much the same. And it really is so simple to do.
May 19, 2008
ASUNews
Arizona State University placed sixth in the Thomson Scientific's U.S. University's Top 10 in the subject area of ecology and environmental sciences. The rankings, developed for 21 subject areas, were derived from an examination of 9,200 publications (from 2001-2005) associated with the Thomson's University Science Indicators database. The top scores were held by University of California, Santa Barbara; Stanford University; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Harvard University and University of Washington.
May 18, 2008
The Arizona Republic
The lowly cyanobacterium isn't much to look at, but the simple life form thought to have originally created the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere could be on the verge of making another dramatic impact on the planet: transforming the oil business.
Arizona State University researchers are exploring how one of Earth's smallest organisms may supplant its largest industry by growing bacteria to make diesel-engine fuel.
May 16, 2008
Global Institute of Sustainability
The newly renovated building housing Arizona State University’s (ASU) Global Institute of Sustainability opened its doors this week.
May 14, 2008
The Arizona Republic
Michael Crow sees Arizona State University's new Global Institute of Sustainability as a sort of global-issues medical school.
"Some 300 years ago, the first medical school was created with a few students, and before that, there was no such thing," said the ASU president, adding that it took hundreds of years for medical schools to create successful practices for treating the illnesses of humanity.
May 13, 2008
ASUNews
The new home of the Global Institute of Sustainability is one of the most eco-friendly buildings on ASU's Tempe campus. Equally important, it is also a pleasant environment.
May 13, 2008
Grist
In order for Phoenix to truly be a green city, it would have to be brown. Or not brown, exactly, but the sandy shade of the mountains that surround it: the jagged peaks and parched hills that enclose the Valley of the Sun.
May 5, 2008
The Sustainable Energy Fellowship has announced its 2008 cohort of student Fellows. The students, selected from a highly competitive pool from around the country, will begin the year-long fellowship process at a intensive week-long program to explore the technologies, policies, and economics of sustainable energy.
May 4, 2008
As published in The Arizona Republic: Viewpoints by Julian Hunt
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., participated in the Brazil Climate Change Forum, together with colleagues from the G8 and key emerging economies - Brazil, Mexico, China, India and South Africa.
At the February forum, U.S. representatives reassured the world that the United States is ready to reverse its policies and, independent of who wins the presidency in November, will collaborate in finding global solutions to climate change.
May 4, 2008
As published in The Arizona Republic: Viewpoints by Robert E. Lang and John Stuart Hall
Predictions of growth are not new, and neither is the idea of a network of cities. However, growth and development are now altering the United States at such a scale and pace that the "mega" concept is making its way into the mainstream of urban development and public policy.
May 4, 2008
As published in The Arizona Republic: Viewpoints by Grady Gammage and Rob Melnick
As Arizona boosters like to point out, people "vote with their feet." In that election, more have come to Arizona than have been leaving. But a lot do leave.
For many, Arizona is a desert encampment: a good place to make money so you can afford to move on. For others, it is a sunny place to retire. But long-term commitment to this place has not been an Arizona norm.
May 4, 2008
As published in Arizona Republic: Viewpoints by Michael M. Crow, Arizona State University President
Twenty "megapolitan" areas with potential equivalent to the richest foreign countries are emerging in our nation. Arizona, with its natural assets, spirit of free enterprise and open culture is home to one of these, the Sun Corridor. These vast regions' competitiveness will drive massive economic and social opportunities.
April 30, 2008
What can we do to live sustainably in an uncertain world? Here, in a desert city averaging eight inches of rainfall annually yet carpeted with golf courses and dotted with swimming pools, it is an especially relevant question. Unfortunately, Phoenix’s tangle of laws, rights and agreements, which range from individual wells to regional compacts, also make it a difficult one to answer. Add global climate change to the equation and you have a recipe for policy paralysis.
Breaking that paralysis means finding ways to make decisions under uncertainty. It sounds painfully difficult, but perhaps there is a common-sense approach that could get the valley on the right track right now. All it requires is balancing the budget and hedging our bets.
“I think businesspeople shake their heads at this because, who doesn’t understand the need to manage your stock portfolio in the face of an uncertain economy?” says Patricia Gober, co-director of Decision Center for a Desert City. “Businesses do that. Individuals do that. Why shouldn’t we do it with natural resources?”
People live with uncertainty every day. Some live within their means, saving for the future, while others max out their credit cards. Phoenix, unfortunately, falls into the latter category, living the lush life off non-Arizona water. One major step in the right direction, then, might be to cut up the proverbial credit cards and become a desert city again.
It might not be as hard as it sounds.
“In Phoenix, depending on the municipality, between 60 and 70 percent of home water use is outdoor water use,” Gober says. “We can xeriscape our yards and have tremendous impact before ever influencing the way people take showers, flush their toilets or wash their dishes.”
Xeriscaping would not only remove water-guzzling plants, it would also decrease water use by getting rid of high-tech sprinkler systems, which tend to be insensitive to variations in water requirements over time. Getting rid of swimming pools, which annually lose the equivalent of their total volume through evaporation, could also be a big help. A smarter alternative might include community pools in new residential developments.
Another more controversial way to reduce outdoor water use might be to infill the city. Increasing population density, Gober says, would decrease per-capita outdoor water use.
The problem with this option is its potential impact on the urban heat island—the area of locally higher temperature associated with urban areas. Increasing the amount of heat-absorbing building materials while shrinking swaths of open area could worsen heat island effects, as could the amplified insulation and wind resistance caused by taller buildings. If so, they could offset or overwhelm any potential gains from infill.
“How does that balance work? We don’t know,” Gober says. “If you plant trees, does that mitigate the urban heat island effect in central Phoenix? How much water would it take to maintain the vegetation versus how much water would it save to have a cooler environment? These are just a few of the real policy questions that need to be answered for Phoenix to sustain itself in uncertain times.”
Continuing investigations into the ideal urban balance, along with future developments in building materials and green technologies, could bring Phoenix closer to becoming a “sustainable city.” In the meantime, Gober says, finding smarter growth strategies and managing our own water budgets are a step in the right direction.
Nick Gerbis
ASU Media Relations
ngerbis@asu.edu
(480) 965-9690
