UREx post-docs Bernice Rosenzweig and Marissa Matsler report from on-the-ground in Baltimore. Looking to learn more about how the Memorial Day Weekend extreme rain event affected he city, they interviewed Pastor Michael S. Martin of the Stillmeadow Evangelical Free Church, an emergency response hub in a community that was severely flooded. Hear about the emergency response and continuing concerns of those living the aftermath and remediation of the Memorial Day Weekend flood, along with discussion of overlaps with UREx research. See footage of the flood here: Baltimore City Frederick Ave Flash Flooding and learn more about Team Rubicon, a veterans group that plays a critical role in the response to extreme events. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Buzzsprout.

We can predict the trajectory of a rocket to Mars with great precision, but have difficulty predicting the precise trajectory of our car ride to the airport. What is the difference? The unpredictability of human behavior. Where will other drivers be on your way to the airport? What routes will they choose to get to the airport? Will there be heavy traffic on the way?

If we want to reach a sustainable future for the human experience on Earth, we must adjust the course of human society. Due to the complexity of social organization and human action, we cannot rely only on environmental milestones like greenhouse gas reduction in the same way scientists planning a mission to Mars do.

In a new article published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, ASU Professors J. Marty Anderies and Marco Janssen collaborated with Jean-Denis Mathias to present a new approach that combines the strengths of the science of control systems with insights about human behavior.

Human activities have a measurable impact on the global environment, including ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, and a warming climate. Continuing current trends could lead to an unlivable planet, or at least one on which the human experience is far less fulfilling than it could be. Environmental scientists have defined “planetary boundaries” for a number of environmental indicators, like atmospheric CO2 levels, freshwater use, and ocean water pH levels, that should not be crossed if we want to sustain a high level of human fulfillment on Earth. However, we need to take into account the ways people perceive the environment, and how they use those perceptions  in designing and implementing policy.

Anderies et al. focuses on the role of knowledge in environmental policymaking and uses an illustrative example to explain how more knowledge does not always increase our chances of sustaining the human experience. The proposed approach could be applied to various environmental problems and explore possible solutions to meet both environmental and  social constraints. The interactions between knowledge, the way we use it in policymaking, and outcomes for society are very subtle and deserve more research attention.

Read the published study here.

Since 2015, Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability and ASU LightWorks have partnered with the Security and Sustainability Forum on a variety of webinars related to sustainability. The most recent of these, moderated by ASU Wrigley Institute board member Bob Litterman and featuring a powerhouse panel headlined by Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, attracted nearly 1,200 registrants. It was the most highly-watched webinar since the partnership began.

The School of Sustainability-sponsored webinar, Bipartisan Conversation on Pricing Carbon Emissions, included a discussion of current efforts to price carbon emissions. Panelists explored the most likely pathways toward pricing carbon, whether federal or state legislative efforts would gain more traction, and what kind of solutions might generate bipartisan support. The webinar followed an ASU LightWorks-sponsored event, Reframing Carbon Capture and Reuse.

RELATED: Litterman penned a recent Thought Leader Series essay on the topic of carbon pricing, outlining a conservative case for a carbon tax.

The effects of climate change are showing up all over the world, but small island nations such as Fiji are feeling them more strongly than most places. Over the past few years in Fiji, communities have been relocating to higher ground and away from shorelines due to rising tides, heavier rains and more destructive storms. It’s no small feat.

“We are now at an almost constant level of threat from these extreme weather events," said Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, in April after Cyclone Josie ripped through Fiji’s main island.

Recently, Arizona State University faculty, staff and students working to expand the reach of Solar-Powered Educational Learning Libraries, known as SolarSPELLs, visited Fiji and found that residents wanted to learn more about climate change. Access to the internet and outside information can be hard to come by for villagers living on remote islands, so SolarSPELLs are important resources. These portable, digital libraries come with their own offline Wi-Fi hotspots and are packed with thousands of educational documents and videos that are locally relevant.

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA) recently issued new guidance to help ecologists assess ecosystem services within important sites for biodiversity and nature conservation. The report — co-authored by Arizona State University’s Leah Gerber and Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Affiliate researchers Penny Langhammer and Rachel Neugarten — reviews nine assessment tools and focuses on their application in key biodiversity areas, natural World Heritage sites and protected areas.

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On December 2017, ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes affiliated faculty John Sabo, in partnership with other scientists, published a Science magazine article titled “Designing river flows to improve food security futures in the Lower Mekong Basin.” [PDF]

The Greater Mekong is Southeast Asia’s longest river, supporting the livelihoods of around 300 million people across the region. Deforestation, poorly operating dams and fisheries management are some of the major threats to the river. This article studies the link between hydrology and fisheries and provides recommendations for improving fishing and dam development relations.

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When ASU Barrett Honors College student Celeste Delaune walked into the ASU-Conservation International joint course Conservation in Practice (BIO 412) last spring, she did not know it would take her to Peru – literally.

Under the supervision of ASU-CI Professor of Practice Percy Summers, Delaune worked in Moyobamba during the summer. Upon her return to ASU, she spoke about her experience with Amy Scoville-Weaver, ASU-CI Program Manager, ASU Corporate Engagement and Strategic Partnerships.

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School of Sustainability alumnus Sean McGraw founded FOR Energy while he was still an ASU student, and now it’s among the fastest-growing companies in the United States (number 1,215 to be exact, according to Inc. Magazine’s annual list). FOR Energy helps homeowners in Arizona and Nevada use energy more efficiently by conducting energy audits and completing home improvements — things like installing solar panels or energy-efficient windows, sealing leaky ducts, and improving insulation. The company’s 2017 revenue was $2.2 million — not bad for an idea that came to McGraw one day in a renewable energy class at ASU.

Read on for why McGraw switched his major to sustainability and what he believes is the most important factor that has contributed to FOR Energy’s success.

Question: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study sustainability?

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes faculty, students and partners have been busy advancing cutting-edge research that supports biodiversity conservation understanding and decision-making. We present you some of their most recent publications:

Ayers, A. L., Kittinger, J. N., and Vaughan, M. B. 2018. Whose right to manage? Distribution property rights affects equity and power dynamics in comanagement. Ecology and Society. 23(2):37. PDF.

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In 2013, Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability and the Amerind Foundation entered a partnership with Cambridge University Press to publish a book series exploring the impact of the sustainability sciences. That series, New Directions in Sustainability and Society (NDSS), has just been renewed by Cambridge University Press under new leadership. ASU professors Joni Adamson, an environmental humanist, and Shauna BurnSilver, an environmental anthropologist, have been tapped as the new series editors. The renewed series will expand the original collaboration to include ASU’s Environmental Humanities Initiative.

During its first five years, NDSS was co-edited by Christopher Boone, dean of ASU’s School of Sustainability, and and Norman Yoffee, professor emeritus at University of Michigan’s Department of Anthropology and Department of Near Eastern Studies. Several compelling works were published, including "Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability." This book emerged from a symposium held in 2013 at the Amerind Foundation which gathered sustainability, anthropology and humanities scholars from ASU and across the U.S. to think about sustainability from the perspectives of indigenous peoples. Published in 2018 and edited by Melissa K. Nelson and Dan Shilling, "Traditional Ecological Knowledge" is an exemplar of the collaborative potential of NDSS projects.

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This is Dustin Grief’s first full week as a School of Sustainability student at Arizona State University, but he already has three credit hours toward a degree. While he was in high school in Mesa, Arizona, Grief participated in the Collegiate Scholars Academy, a program that allowed him to earn ASU credit for his AP Environmental Science class (which translates to SOS 110 - Sustainable World at ASU).

The Collegiate Scholars Academy gave Grief the inspiration to pursue a sustainability degree. Every few weeks, School of Sustainability instructor Colin Tetreault would visit Grief’s AP Environmental Science class to talk about sustainability, energy and the environment.

“I was mesmerized every time he came to speak, and so I knew that I wanted to continue down the path of sustainability,” Grief said. “After talking with Colin and doing some research and a tour of the university, I decided that ASU would be the best fit.”

Grief answered a couple questions for us about his background and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.

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Recreational fishing is a culturally and economically important practice around the world. In the United States alone, more than 9.5 million anglers take 63 million fishing trips per year, providing food, leisure and connection to nature while creating opportunities for employment in coastal communities. These leisure trips also contribute to costly overfishing.

Worldwide reforms to fishery management practices could create valuable benefits to anglers and related sectors — benefits that could total one billion dollars in value annually in the U.S., according to a new paper out today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The study uses survey data from anglers who fish in the Gulf of Mexico to estimate the potential benefits of management reforms. The results showed that anglers preferred to choose when they could fish; longstanding frustrations over inflexible and shrinking seasons for recreational red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico have fueled political debate and sparked contentious proposals in the region as well as in Congress.

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At the Global Locust Initiative (GLI) at Arizona State University, we are fortunate to work with many fantastic partners globally, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In Phoenix, APHIS houses a Center for Plant Health Science and Technology laboratory, with a section specifically focused on rangeland grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. The dedicated scientists on this team, led by Larry Jech and Derek Woller, spend long hours in the field during the summer to further identify management practices that ranchers and others may use to protect their fields from orthopteran pests.

ASU School of Life Sciences doctoral student and GLI member, Deanna Zembrzuski, spent the summer with the APHIS team. Following is a summary that Zembrzuski wrote about her experience:

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The URExSRN is a research network of almost 300 practitioners, researchers, students, and postdoctoral fellows working to integrate social, ecological, and technical systems toward the support of urban infrastructure in the midst of climate uncertainties. Network cities and partners participate and share in current research with early learning communities by providing relevant network learnings through K-12 outreach and professional development programs.

Two UREx members have embraced engaging future scientists by providing science curriculum relevant to the UREx mission through programs offered at Arizona State University. Read the exciting, first-hand experiences of graduate fellow, Stephen Elser and research collaborator, Amalia Handler:

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Kathleen Merrigan, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and a leader in sustainable food systems, is the first executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University. Merrigan also holds the position of the Kelly and Brian Swette Professor of Practice in Sustainable Food Systems with appointments in the School of Sustainability, College of Health Solutions and School of Public Affairs.

The Swette Center was announced in late 2017 after entrepreneurs Kelly and Brian Swette made a major gift to ASU to establish the center and an endowed scholarship. The foremost goal of the Swette Center is to educate the next generation of consumers and decision makers through the first Sustainable Food Systems degree program.

“We are fortunate to have Kathleen lead the center, and there isn't a better place to launch it than ASU,” said Kelly Swette. “There can no longer be an indifference to how and what we eat.”

Arizona State University scientists are reporting the first nationwide study that shows consumers, by discarding used lenses down the drain, may be unknowingly contributing to plastic pollution.

“We found that 15 to 20 percent of contact-lens wearers are flushing the lenses down the sink or toilet," said Charles Rolsky, a PhD student who worked with sustainability scientist Rolf Halden on the study. “This is a pretty large number, considering roughly 45 million people in the U.S. alone wear contact lenses, amounting to 1.8–3.36 billion lenses flushed per year, or about 20–23 metric tons of wastewater-borne plastics annually."

Lenses that are washed down the drain typically are conveyed to wastewater-treatment plants. The study showed that wastewater plants fragment them into microplastics, which accumulate in sewage sludge. For about every two pounds of wastewater sludge, a pair of contact lenses typically can be found.

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Six Arizona State University students spent 10 days in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, one of the most remote places on Earth, studying a critically important ecosystem with some of the top experts in the world.

The study abroad trip is a new project of the PLuS Alliance, the two-year-old partnership among ASU, King’s College London and UNSW Sydney in Australia. The ASU team joined seven students from the other two universities in an immersive three-credit research course titled, “Intersection of Water, Ecosystems and Governance.”

The point was to look at one of the world’s last unspoiled aquatic environments from an interdisciplinary perspective, according to sustainability scientist Dave White, a professor in the School of Community Resources and Development, who was the ASU professor on the trip. The other experts were professors from KCL and UNSW, who were experts in aquatic ecosystems, and Claire McWilliams, an instructor in tourism the School of Community Resources and Development.

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A gourmet meal led to a food-for-thought opportunity for a handful of Arizona State University students this summer.

As a result of discussions sparked at Dinner 2040 — a meal-tasting-turned-panel-talk in Phoenix — between a local organic farmer, an ASU professor and a former project coordinator in the School of Sustainability, five students added a comparative farming practicum to their coursework for the Italian Language and Culture in San Severino Marche study-abroad program coordinated by the ASU Study Abroad Office. A longstanding program led by Associate Professor of Italian Juliann Vitullo, students take immersive Italian language courses in a 13,000-inhabitant Italian town, San Severino Marche.

“Students got an inside look at co-op produce. They saw 10 farms and got to witness infrastructure developing with CSA (community-supported agriculture), the business and the lack of infrastructure for farming in Phoenix,” Vitullo said.

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As the new school year approaches, it kicks off with great news for Martin Pasqualetti, who has been named as this year’s distinguished alumnus by the University of California, Riverside’s Alumni Association. Pasqualetti will be bestowed the honor at the Chancellor’s Dinner on the university’s campus later this year. A professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and senior sustainability scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Pasqualetti is known worldwide for his contributions to the field of geography, specifically in relation to energy policy.

With a 40-year career dedicated to studying the geographical dimensions of energy, Pasqualetti’ s work has resulted in advancements in many areas, including landscape change; issues of energy security and geopolitics; perceptions of energy provision and use; energy education; environmental costs of energy demand; public acceptance of renewable energy landscapes; and the spatial nexus of our need for food, energy and water.

Read more about Pasqualetti and this honor.

The Arizona State University Zero Waste department collected 58,000 pounds of reusable items in the spring 2018 Ditch the Dumpster event, more than any previous years.

Ditch the Dumpster is a campus program to collect and redistribute or divert student's items when they move out of the dorms. Collected items are donated to organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Goodwill, St. Mary's Food Bank, The Center for Habilitation, and United Food Bank.

This year, Zero Waste collected 58,820 pounds of reusable clothing, electronics, furniture, and other household items. On top of these donations, 97,480 pounds of materials were recycled. The Ditch the Dumpster program also donated more than $5,400 in scholarships for local students.

Visit the Zero Waste website for more Ditch the Dumpster information.