Sustainability Videos & Lecture Series

It occurred to me while I was sitting here these few seconds looking out at this group, to paraphrase Sally Field, you like us. You really like us. And thank you.

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A little bit of background. 10 years ago, ocean levels were lower and less acetic. Global temperatures were cooler. Earth had more species, the reefs were healthier, and the ice caps were larger. The number of poor people living in the US, living doubled up with family and friends, was half of what it is today. And the planet's population was 900 million people less. Pretty amazing, just 10 years.

These are just a few of the reasons why President Crow-- I got to tag along-- and a group of extraordinary scientists gathered to determine how ASU, this unique entity, could play a central role in what could sustainability look like at a large, extraordinarily large research institution. Our most important goal was to design a world-class school that would educate future generations of leaders with knowledge and skills necessary to address the disturbing trends I just mentioned.

Today, just 10 years, I keep repeating that because it's so special. Just 10 years ago when the school was opened, we come together today to celebrate its remarkable successes. In this short time, since it was a little startup where we congratulated ourselves with 20 people in the first class, and that number may have been smaller, the school has an amazing set of achievements and here are a few examples. Nearly 1,000 degrees granted.

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Another 2000 students studying sustainability at ASU this year.

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Nine degree programs in sustainability launched. 88 core and appointed faculty in the School of Sustainability. 400 ASU faculty and staff designated as sustainability scientists and scholars based on their teaching and research portfolios. A university-wide minor designed for students who are eager to learn about sustainability while pursuing degrees in other fields. 337 students who studied sustainability abroad in more than 10 countries.

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Over 400 student interns placed at 225 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to influence sustainability practices on the ground. Virtually full employment and enrollment in graduate programs in every school for every alumni. Think about it-- full employment.

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Again, in only 10 years. Most importantly, when the school opened 10 years ago, it was the only comprehensive degree-granting institution of its kind in the United States. Now, there are 150 schools, all of them copying us and waiting to see if we fail or succeeded. We have succeeded, and we continue to do so.

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Looking back 10 years to 2006 when we launched the school, we now realize we actually underestimated how soon and how seriously the sustainability of people and the planet that was becoming threatened. Things moved so much faster than any of us ever anticipated, and not for the good. It was clear then, and it's clearer now, that it's people causing the most daunting challenges we face. Thus, it's people like all of you and this entire university who, with the right knowledge, tools, and experiences, they're the ones who can change the current course. And we're very proud of you, and we know you can do it.

The School of Sustainability-- you'd think it would roll off my tongue-- the faculty worked very diligently to better understand and ultimately discover new ways to address an incredibly wide range of challenges, from controlling locust plagues, reducing urban poverty, creating affordable, renewable energy, among so many others. And the school's students are breathtaking. As I mentioned, all the school's graduates are now working on sustainability issues. It's my pleasure just to point out three.

Emily Freeman is Denver's environmental administrator. She's initiating programs to reduce the environmental impact of 27 city departments. Ryan Delaney started the highly successful nonprofit organization Carbon Roots International. Carbon Roots is using market-based solutions to reduce both deforestation and poverty in Haiti. And Marco Ugarte, and excuse me if I pronounce it wrong, is the sustainability manager at MillerCoors, who is reducing the water consumption of this giant, multinational beverage company, while simultaneously reducing its energy use.

I could give you hundreds more examples of the impressive impacts of the school's alumni. And it's because of what they learned here. It's what they get to take throughout the rest of their lives. Suffice it to say their enthusiasm and accomplishments make me optimistic about the future.

To be sure, there is much more to do with the growing population, the serious potential for world food shortages, ocean ice caps melting, and more than a billion people on the planet living on less than $1.25 a day. We need hundreds of thousands of people equipped like our students to make the world a more sustainable, better place, and to make it a place for future generations to live a continually great quality of life.

As know, ASU was just named by US News and World Report the nation's most innovative university. Some of us think that came about because of the emphasis and the commitment to sustainability. The Global Institute and the school was an early, bold innovation. And as entrepreneurs well know, not all innovations succeed. But this one is surely succeeding.

I'm confident the School of Sustainability will continue to set the standards for educating future leaders, an education mission that affects each and every one of us as well as generations of our families for our friends, for the people on this campus, for the people in this nation, and for the people around the world.

The remarkable achievements in sustainability science at the University, the Institute, and the School of Sustainability are well known in academic circles. Now we need to ensure that this record becomes equally well known in other sectors-- by business, by government. I'm counting on everyone here today to spread the word about ASU and the School of Sustainability with the hope it will inspire others to take on these challenges and to scale the solutions needed for the problems that we all know we have.

I want to offer my deep gratitude and sincere congratulations to the faculty, staff, and students and their families, of the school and the Institute for their dedication and hard work, and especially to Dean Boone and President Crow for their leadership, commitment. and commitment to creating a more sustainable planet and improving human well-being.

10 years ago-- golly, it's such a short time-- ASU's School of Sustainability was the only school of its kind. No competitors, no programs to emulate, but now there are 150. So I guess that makes the school both the first and the best. Thank you all.

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Now it's my great joy and pleasure to introduce Dr. Michael Crow, the incentive for all of this, and to give you a tiny little thing, those of you who have not heard about this first trip he took me on. We went with a group of the world's leading early scientists. Sustainability was not even a recognized word in science. And he only had one caveat-- I couldn't say anything for 3 and 1/2 days. Fortunately I saved it up, and now I speak a lot.