Just off the 101 Freeway on the outskirts of sunny Scottsdale, Arizona sits TLC Vegetable Farm, an organic baby greens operation housed in the heart of the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community. On a chilly, overcast morning in December 2019, The ASU Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership cohort visited TLC Vegetable Farms in Scottsdale, Arizona. This farm of beautiful greens spans as far as the eye can see. It serves as a satellite organic baby greens operation for a larger conventional leafy greens’ farm in Yuma, Arizona - the winter lettuce capital of America! In fact, nearly 90 percent of all leafy vegetables grown in the United States hail from Yuma.
While the media and the public are focusing on the wildlife trade as the main factor for COVID-19, Gerber believes it is only one part of the equation. In this publication, she explains how environmental degradation has contributed to the transition of disease from animals to humans.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues spread across the globe and around the U.S., the restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard. Stay-at-home orders have decimated these establishments, forcing many talented small-business owners to move to reduced hours, lay off staff members, or close outright. Fortunately, for the time being some businesses, such as Senae featured below, have been able to continue offering food for take-out and delivery. If you live in the Tucson area, consider ordering from Senae today! Or, wherever you are, remember to keep supporting local businesses and restaurants.
This blog post was written by Arizona State University graduate student Alaine Janosy. In addition to studying Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership at ASU, Alaine works as an independent sustainability consultant specializing in agricultural production systems and procurement. Through this work Alaine engages with companies to create, enable and expand strategies that drive adoption of regenerative farming practices.
A unique carbon-capture machine developed by Klaus Lackner, an Arizona State University professor and the founding director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, has moved into the next stage of development.
In April 2019, ASU and Silicon Kingdom Holdings, a Dublin-based startup, entered into a partnership to deploy Lackner’s carbon-capture technology at scale. Recently, SKH gave ASU its first two months of payments and will continue to pay ASU $125,000 per month for three years to conduct research in the field of direct air capture.
Over the past few weeks, Arizona State University has made major moves to protect its students, faculty and staff from COVID-19 and help the community at large combat the virus. Here are a selection of actions ASU has taken to stop the spread:
Starting March 11, ASU transitioned in-person classes to online instruction. ASU has conducted more than 136,000 remote teaching sessions for full-immersion on-campus students (nearly 75,000 learners) via Zoom since March 16.
ASU sustainability scientists are submitting proposals to NSF’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism to contribute to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. So far, one sustainability scientist has been notified of an award (announcement forthcoming).
ASU received $2 million from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to boost coronavirus rapid research response. Grants will support critical workforce testing, swab test kits assembling and PPE manufacturing.
With the help of the ASU Biodesign Institute, ASU has started testing students for COVID-19 using a robot-based, high-speed testing unit. The university plans to expand this service to healthcare professionals and first responders.
Drawing on its excellent infrastructure for digital learning, ASU is now offering a wide variety of learning resources called ASU for You.
Through all of the major changes during these difficult times, the ASU community has shown its resilience and commitment to the ASU charter. ASU is truly the New American University.
Experts are in agreement that one of the most effective ways to combat climate change is through an overhaul of our food system. Arizona State University chemistry instructor Zhihao Chen is working to take us one step closer to that reality.
How? Chen has created an innovative way of growing food called “cleantech.” A system that can work anywhere, cleantech is contained in two standard shipping containers. The first container is used to break down food waste, relying on a process called anaerobic digestion where certain bacteria under specific conditions break down the carbon chain in food waste, transforming it into fertilizer and methane. This container can process the same amount of waste an average grocery store discards each day.
Dear Members of the Global Futures Laboratory and Sustainability Scientists, Scholars and Fellows,
During several conversations over the past few weeks, we’ve heard comments about the terminology being used to safely distance people during the COVID-19 event we are presently experiencing. Most recently, we see the conversation shifting from practicing social distancing to practicing physical distancing while staying socially and emotionally connected and supported.
While social distancing and physical distancing are being used to stress the importance of controlling the spread of the corona virus by keeping appropriate space between individuals, we are recognizing the importance of social and emotional connectivity in these challenging times. No matter which terminology is used, it is important to follow the guidelines associated with social distancing, i.e. staying at least 6 feet away from other people. At the same time, it is also important to find ways to stay in touch with family and friends through the technology that, for example, social media offer.
On February 17, dozens of people gathered to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. The evening was kicked off with a song by Arizona State University Mr. Indian First Attendant Gabriel Garcia. Afterward, ASU President Michael Crow took the stage, walking the audience through the history of the institute and its accomplishments. Next was a recorded presentation by Johan Rockström and a panel discussion with professors Kris Mayes and Bryan Brayboy, led by Global Futures Laboratory Vice President Peter Schlosser.
The highlight of the evening was a proclamation by Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell, declaring February 18, 2020 to be Julie Ann Wrigley Day. Thank you Julie for your 15 years of commitment to sustainability at Arizona State University and creating a better future for all!
After the public event, the evening was capped off with a reception for founders and leaders of the institute and esteemed guests, including current School of Sustainability students. It was a beautiful evening, and we thank everyone who celebrated with us.
During the 15-year anniversary celebration for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, Dr. Johan Rockström virtually presented about climate tipping points and what we must do to avoid them. Rockström is the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the co-director of The Earth League and co-organizer for the upcoming Global Futures 2021.
Led by his passion about sustainable change in the sports industry, Master of Sustainability Solutions student Brian Boyle decided to create a sustainable event guidebook for USA Triathlon events. The project focuses on providing resources, capacities, and strategies to manage and mitigate the overall sustainability footprint of USA Triathlon (USAT) events with an emphasis on outcomes and behaviors that adhere to sustainability principles.
The ASU Conservation Innovation Lab and the S.W.A.T. Lab invite you to participate in a research study about single-use plastics (SUP) and effective policymaking.
To participate, all you need to do is complete a 10-minute survey.
This survey aims to determine the SUP footprint of ASU affiliated individuals by evaluating weekly use and disposal of single-use plastics. The SUP footprint will serve as a referral tool for institutions and governments when designing plastic-related policies that are shaped specifically to the city’s plastic consumption, management and perception.
COVID-19 is not the end of the world, and that’s what we should be telling our children, say Denise Bodman and Bethany Van Vleet, two Arizona State University lecturers with the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics.
In fact, they say, not only can our children learn resilience from this crisis, but they can pass on these strengths to the next generation. Facing challenges – and boredom – can help children learn, grow and make new connections.
A key aspect of parenting is realistic expectations, not only of our children, but of what is possible and achievable for the parent. Striving for “good enough” as a baseline can reduce our stress and sense of failure, which can actually improve our parenting and connections.
This message was distributed by Dave White on Monday, April 6, on behalf of Ann Marie Hess, Capture Manager, Global Futures Laboratory, with COVID-19 research updates and resources.
Hello: I am writing to you with the purpose of sharing a few resources that ASU has put together regarding our response to the emerging challenges to our society. This is to offer ways to connect and share/generate both ideas and resources. ASU’s colleges/schools/units are already active with resources and intellectual capacity. Knowledge Enterprise is working to connect these activities across the university, with the goal of offering a method of communication.
They have created a Google Form that will be active through the life of the crisis. They will do a monthly data pull with everyone’s information. Please complete this form. In addition, there has been a Slack channel created: http://covid19-research.slack.com/. This channel offers you the ability to connect with current working groups with specific topics. These working groups will be self-guided and will not be managed by anyone other than the working group teams.
“Climate change, water and Coronavirus are critically interrelated. In light of the accelerating climate crisis, who knows if this is the last pandemic? In much of Africa people can’t even access water within their own homes”.
—Christelle Kwizera, 2019 WE Empower UN SDG Challenge awardee and water engineer, Africa region
This article was written by William H. Walker VI, a sophomore in the School of Sustainability. Edited December 2, 2020 by Alana Burnham.
From left to right: Team members Fatou Bintou Sarr, Sidikarou Badiane, Braedon Kantola, and Alana Burnham pose with a CFSA participant at a sabar or drum circle in Boulel, Senegal.
Imagine you are in rural Senegal, working on a farm. It's your livelihood, your culture, and a part of your well-being. You grow millet, peanuts, maybe even some tomatoes or eggplant. You do all you can to take care of your farm and your family. Yet, there is cause for concern: locusts and grasshoppers. One day, your field is suddenly overtaken by a swarm. You call your government’s USDA equivalent, but by the time agents arrive to spray pesticides, your harvest is all gone. How can you prevent this? What can be done to empower farmers? One way is by teaching them to identify and monitor pest species, so that they can inform authorities early on and outbreaks can easily be controlled. That’s what a team at Global Locust Initiative is working on, as a part of their larger project Communities for Sustainable Agriculture (CFSA) funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Collaborating with the Senegalese Plant Protection Directorate (Direction de la Protection des Végétaux or DPV), locust experts in Senegal and France, and Senegalese community members, the team created a booklet on identification of locally relevant locust and grasshopper species. Master of Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) student Braedon Kantola assisted this team as a part of his culminating experience—which brought him all the way to Senegal.
In February 2020, Kantola accompanied booklet-lead and outreach specialist Alana Burnham to communities in central Senegal, where the team workshopped symbols and illustrations developed for the identification booklet. Along with local locust experts Sidikarou Badiane, Alioune Beye, and Fatou Bintou Sarr, they met with 100 farmers to gather feedback.
Entomologist Fatou Bintou Sarr presents the first edition of the identification booklet to CFSA participants in Nganda, Senegal.
The finished identification booklet covers several topics: a general background on locust and grasshopper anatomy; species identification information such as markings, habitat, and diet; and contact information for local DPV agents. Written in French and Wolof, Senegal’s predominant local language, the booklet includes illustrations developed by Kara Brooks, a graduate student at the Herberger Institute for the Design and the Arts. This resource will complement a previous booklet on monitoring techniques, which is now available on GLI’s website.
A CFSA participant in Nganda, Senegal, reads a finished booklet on locust management. Participants in Nganda helped provide feedback on the booklets during the revision process.
During his time in Senegal, Kantola visited several rural communities, picked up a few phrases of Wolof, and even participated in a few Senegalese sabar or drum circles. Says Kantola, “having worked on this project has opened my eyes to so many experiences and learning opportunities.”
In what ways can science and business sectors collaborate to build sustainable societies?
This vital question was the focus of the second Global Sustainability Strategy Forum, where 25 leading experts in both sectors came together via video conference to discuss how scientists and businesses could work together more effectively. The dialogue at the forum was based on three main questions, co-developed by members of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies and Sander van der Leeuw, a distingushed sustainability scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability:
The map linked here illustrates a range of actors and instances of their multi-stakeholder collaborations on specific sub-themes within animal agriculture. While this is already a complex web of players it is not meant to be exhaustive, it is rather an indicative list arrayed in clusters of key institutions and the categories in which they are primarily engaged (in many cases these are simplifications, because organizations also work across these categories). The reach of the map attempts to capture the international landscape, but owing to limitations of space, for some branches they are limited to the North American context.
To the extent possible, the entries are provided hyperlinks to organizational websites, and in the case of collaborations, to the page describing their membership.
The description of a complex mix of issues surrounding industrial animal agriculture is here presented visually in a mind map – a methodology and a toolset for visualizing a system through a core idea and the main themes that branch from it, as well and the inter-relationships and layers of context under main themes. These can be developed individually or in a group process, and can serve to develop dialogue while offering the option to ‘navigate’ to different sub-themes as those sharing the map determine where to focus. Visual cues as to the hierarchy of ideas can be conveyed with the shapes and colors in the map, and solid or dashed lines can suggest levels of relationship.
More subtle and complex dynamic tools, such as KUMU allow for the mapping of causal relationships and can be designed to jump to other maps related to the node picked to follow down a particular path and reflect other hierarchies and dependencies in a system.
Here is the written narrative following ‘round the dial’ presented in clockwise sequence:
Not all animal sourced foods are created equal...
In terms of nutritional value,
Or in the efficiency with which they convert feed into food for humans
Or in in terms of impacts on the environment...
Livestock production systems provide ecosystem services (and dis-services) depending on the scale and their technical configuration
Animal sourced foods are being consumed at uneven levels...
either regionally, or
Within countries
Or at local levels;
Strong cultural and historic associations with particular animal species persisting in different contexts.
Different scales of animal production also co-exist
And have complex social, economic and environmental functions
And these scales are shifting, with a trend to larger and more concentrated operations...
these transformations bring multiple impacts...
Important ramifications overlapping in the other ‘hot topic’ papers...in italics
Diets and human health
Preferences on protein translating into environmental impacts
Industrial production processes creating vulnerabilities in animal diseases (loss of immunological firebreaks) as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Dislocation of small-scale animal keepers into marginal areas, forest edges - links to zoonotic disease transmission with wild animal trade
Food waste
Generation and re-use of organic matter for animal consumption
Nature-based solutions
Crop-livestock integration on farm to reduce nutrient concentrations or deficiencies borne of the separation of animal and cropping systems
Sourcing animal foods from grazing non-arable lands, or alternative feed proteins (insects, etc.)
Utilizing animals for restoration of degraded landscapes
Just transitions
Social dislocation and economic outcomes borne of rapid industrialization of animal agriculture
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced a grant to the Arizona State University interdisciplinary project “Apocalyptic Narratives and Climate Change: Religion, Journalism, and the Challenge of Public Engagement.”
By: Paige Mollen, ASU Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership Certificate student.
