Andrew Krause is a two-time graduate of the School of Sustainability. He was a member of the first cohort of graduating undergraduates in 2009, and also received a Master of Science in 2012.

Andrew is now the CEO of eecosphere, which he co-founded while at ASU. eecosphere connects responsible brands with conscious consumers online through social advocacy campaigns. The platform helps users adopt new sustainability behaviors into their lives, and gives them tools to scale their daily actions into global revolutions.

Why did you choose to study at ASU’s School of Sustainability?

I’m not your prototypical “tree hugger,” but I’ve always been fascinated by the complexities that make up sustainable change in a system. Originally, I wanted to be in the construction engineering field. However, I quickly became more intrigued by the way sustainability science has the potential to motivate and empower the mainstream to collectively engage with complex global issues.

The ASU School of Sustainability was the premier (and only) comprehensive sustainability program in the U.S. at the time, and had a direction that interested me. Sustainability has given me a new set of motivations and challenges, an engaging peer group, and access to a new world of people and organizations who are doing great things.

How did your experiences here shape your work today?

I had a great experience working with SOS faculty members Arnim Wiek and George Basile on the climate change and sustainability initiatives in my home of Sonoma County. We concentrated on intervention research and behavior change, and worked with Sonoma organizations to assess and refine their sustainability efforts. It was during this time that I co-founded eecosphere with George, as well as my classmates Daniel Culotta and Brendan Denker.

After I graduated, I built a close relationship with Eric Hekler, an ASU behavioral scientist who studies how to combine psychology with software engineering to improve personal health. Together we have been collaborating to bring insights from behavioral science into sustainability.

How are you leading the way to a sustainable future?

At eecosphere, we’re connecting the dots between innovative sustainable ideas and peoples’ current lifestyles by making opportunities for change more apparent and automatic. There is much more procedural knowledge there than epistemic. Changes need to be made at a relatable level, and then scaled through social networks. We’re enabling behavior change by providing knowledge and opportunities that can be spread easily to friends, and beyond.