Destruction of biodiversity can sometimes feel like such an overwhelming problem, the average person has no idea where to begin if they want to make a difference. To those who feel this way, Arizona State University biologist Kirsten Traynor has a suggestion: Start with bees.

In the face of the climate crisis, all sorts of animals are facing extinction. But while the average person may not be able to do much about rhinos, tigers or birds, they can certainly help bees.

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There is near unanimous consent that we need to transition to a sustainable future. The real question is, how do we do so?

In an effort to address this vital question, Arizona State University’s intellectual network the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO) held an open workshop titled “What Will It Take to Transition to a Sustainable Future?” on January 22. The workshop was held at the Barrett & O’Connor Washington Center and it brought together leaders from universities, businesses, government and civil society to discuss potential solutions to the critical, complex challenges of sustainability and the future of our planet.

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Megan Warner just graduated with a Bachelor of Science in sustainability. As someone who has been dedicated to sustainability from an early age, completing the program was a dream come true.

"This program will change you in profound ways," Warner said. "I learned how to be mindful of the uncomfortable and inspiring feelings that sustainability brings."

In the following Q&A, read about Warner, her advice to those still on the journey of obtaining a degree, and her plans for the future.

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Gates Ag One - short for Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations - is a new nonprofit begun by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization will focus on smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where a total of 2.8 billion people are rural and depend on small-scale agriculture for their food and income. Half or nearly half of employment in these two regions is from small-scale agriculture. Despite their importance to local and regional economies, the yield from these farms is far below that in other locations.

Gates Ag One aims to increase access to the affordable tools and innovations these farmers need to sustainably improve crop productivity and, more importantly, to adapt to the effects of climate change. By working with partners regional and international public- and private sector partners, Gates Ag One will develop drought-resistant, yield-enhancing seeds and crops; make advancements to see that land and water are used more sustainably; and see that rural farmers have access to affordable insurance and agricultural markets. The goal is to give small holder farmers what they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

Are you working in urban climate research? It's time for your postdocs, grad students and undergraduate researchers to submit abstracts for ASU's Urban Climate Research Center third annual poster competition and showcase. Abstracts are due February 10.

View the winning submissions from 2018 and 2019.

Distinguished Sustainability Scientist Gary Marchant was recently elected by his peers as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – one of eight fellows named in the Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering sector, for distinguished contributions to research, teaching and outreach at the intersections of law, science and biotechnology, including important work with legislative, executive and judicial groups.

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The National Academy of Sciences has announced that Sustainability Scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton has been awarded the 2020 Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship. The Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship is awarded to a scientist making lasting contributions to the study of the physics of the Earth and whose lectures will provide solid, timely, and useful additions to the knowledge and literature in the field.

The prize was awarded to Elkins-Tanton for her lasting contributions to the study of the physics of Earth and for illuminating the early evolution of rocky planets and planetesimals. She will be awarded a $50,000 prize and funds to present a series of Day Lectures, which are provided by the Arthur L. Day Bequest. The award will be presented on Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m. in Washington, D.C., at the National Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting and will be available via live webcast.

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From working to save Hawaiian coral reefs during the 2019 Pacific Ocean warming event to empowering hundreds of students and researchers with data from the largest constellation of satellites currently in orbit, Arizona State University’s recently launched Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science is already making waves.

Established in January 2019, the center expands upon on a vision that Greg Asner, director of the center and a senior sustainability scientist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, began 18 years ago at the Carnegie Institution for Science on the campus of Stanford University. It’s based on Asner’s lab work of global coral reef mapping, measuring plant biodiversity in tropical forests and hiring and supporting new faculty with a similar vision of discovery and conservation impact.

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Emeritus professor Mark Reader has a unique way of advocating for the environment: Art.

Reader is a talented painter with a history of protesting going back to the '60s. In 1967, he had just moved from Pennsylvania and was teaching political theory at Arizona State University when Arizona began to experience the harmful effects of automobile exhaust and smokestack emissions. According to Reader, the visibility back then was so bad one couldn’t see Camelback Mountain on some days. Alarmed by the situation, he joined other protesters to demand clean air and water as part of the original Earth Day.

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According to the United Nations Environment Program, 20% of the global wastewater and 10% of global carbon emissions can be traced back to one source: the fashion industry. The UNEP estimates that these statistics are “more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.” Alarmed by these numbers, Arizona State University students, staff and alumni, including the Business of Fashion group at ASU, are working to change it.

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Sasibai Kimis is a 2019 finalist in the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and a pioneer of social enterprise. WE Empower Intern Jacqueline Blisse elaborates on how Sasibai is providing her artisans with the support they need to alter their lives for the better.

Sasibai Kimis is the founder of Earth Heir, a conscious lifestyle brand based out of Malaysia. Earth Heir provides income to artisans including refugee women groups, indigenous tribes, prison communities and differently abled persons in Malaysia.

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Locusts and grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) are among the most serious agricultural pests worldwide. By inflicting damage to pasturelands and a wide range of crops, they jeopardize food security and livelihoods of about 10% of the world’s population. Their outbreaks, which in case of locusts can escalate to transcontinental plagues, require huge efforts of national plant protection agencies and international cooperation to control them. Being extremely adaptable to recent climate changes, locusts and grasshoppers present new challenges to researchers and pest managers. The current Special Issue addresses some of the newest insights surrounding biology, ecology and management of these ancient enemies of agriculturists.

With that, the journal “Insects” (Impact Factor 2.139) just published a call for submissions to the Special Issue "Locusts and Grasshoppers: Biology, Ecology and Management."

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The 2020 conference of AASHE, The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, will be held Oct 4-7, 2020 in Milwaukee, WI. If you are interested in attending, and would like a discount, consider being a presenter. Submit a proposal by February 28 for an opportunity to share your expertise. Conference attendees will exchange effective models, policies, research, collaborations and transformative actions that advance sustainability in higher education and surrounding communities.

The theme of the 2020 conference is "Mobilizing for a Just Transition." AASHE aims to be part of a shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy. This conference will focus on centering justice within this transformation and ensuring that it leaves no one behind.

The city of Apache Junction, Arizona has a complicated relationship with the 125 mobile home and RV parks within its city limits. Some of the parks are well managed and provide an attractive, affordable option for low income residents. But many are deteriorating, unsightly and do not conform to contemporary city codes, presenting a detriment to Apache Junction’s image as it works to attract visitors and boost economic growth.

In an effort to address this, the city partnered with the new-at-the-time Arizona State University program Project Cities, a program launched in 2017 to “connect higher education with local communities, creating a powerful combination of knowledge and know-how.” Apache Junction was the inaugural community partner during the 2017–18 academic year and renewed its partnership through the spring 2019 semester.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber joined Defenders of Wildlife as one of their science advisors to help expand the organization’s scientific capacity, guiding science-based conservation policy that protects wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife is a non-profit conservation organization with a mission to protect all wild animals and plants in their natural environments. Through policy and innovative solutions, they envision a future where wildlife thrives.

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New research published in Nature Sustainability presents a conceptual framework of illicit land transactions and a new approach to spatially link illicit activities to land use. The paper, Understanding the role of illicit transactions in land-change dynamics, was authored by Beth Tellman, a doctoral alumnus from ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and now a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University.

From large deforestation in Costa Rica by narco drug traffickers to illegal sand mining by mafia groups in India to illicit transactions between urban developers and politicians in the United States, corrupt land transactions are pervasive across the globe. According to one study, 40% of deforestation globally is estimated to be illegal, and that number rises to 80% in places such as Indonesia and Brazil.

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Roselyn Musaruwa is a 2019 finalist in the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge from Zimbabwe and a pioneer in South Africa’s cleaning industry. WE Empower Intern Jacqueline Blisse elaborates on how Roselyn’s business does much more than help keep communities clean.

Roselyn Musaruwa is the director of Surdax Investments, a company that provides multiservice solutions in Southern Africa. These services include cleaning, landscaping, pest control and many other services that guarantee the improvement of any environment.

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Visionary Springtime Projects

Project Cities is proud to kick off a total of five projects with the City of Peoria and the Town of Clarkdale for the spring 2020 semester. Through the Project Cities program, Arizona State University students collaborate with neighboring cities to investigate sustainability challenges in the area and tackle challenging research questions in order to recommend solutions that the city can implement. This applied, project-based learning approach reinforces classroom lessons while also empowering students to give back to the community. This semester’s projects include a water resource management plan, a transit circulator improvement plan, a feasibility assessment of recreation corridor improvement proposals, a sustainability review and a downtown revitalization strategy.

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Dear Sustainability Scientists, Scholars and Fellows,

Welcome to 2020 – may it be another great year for ASU and for each of you. This new year brings some exciting new changes to our processes. We’re still working out all the details, and we will be reaching out to many of you for your input. In the meantime, here are three things you need to know.

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Nominations for the 2020 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award are now being accepted. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) will grant up to 10 awards to early-career investigators whose research supports the FFAR’s Challenge Areas and promotes sustainable food production globally. This year’s challenge areas are:

• Soil Health
• Sustainable Water Management
• Next Generation Crops
• Advanced Animal System
• Urban Food Systems
• Health-Agriculture Nexus

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