The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at University of Washington (DDCSP@UW) offers 20 freshmen and sophomores the chance to participate in an eight-week immersion course beginning June 2016. The program creates a unique opportunity for students to travel wildlands and rural landscapes in Washington and address urban conservation issues.

Selection criteria include a demonstrated commitment to the environment and to diversity along with curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm. In exchange, students will:

• Explore conservation of biodiversity across urban, managed and protected environments;
• Connect biodiversity conservation to cultural heritage and environmental justice;
• Understand conservation in the context of food systems, water systems, climate systems and ecosystems; and
• Network with conservation professionals from agencies, NGOs and academic institutions.

The DDCSP covers the cost of travel, food and lodging during the eight-week program, and students receive a stipend of $4,000.

Applications available Nov. 16, 2015.

Learn more about the program at uwconservationscholars.org.

Recruitment information: 2016 DDCSP@UW Flyer.

A paper authored by Decision Center for a Desert City researchers, published today in the journal Sustainability, synthesizes a decade of water research in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Titled "Decision-Making under Uncertainty for Water Sustainability and Urban Climate Change Adaptation," the paper explores human–environment dynamics, gaps in knowledge and practice, social learning and the evolution of an interdisciplinary research and boundary organization, which has enhanced adaptive and sustainable governance in the face of complex system dynamics.

"This research exemplifies the transdisciplinary approach advanced by ASU," says DCDC Director Dave White. "The knowledge generated here was developed by a team of social, behavioral, economic and sustainability scientists collaborating with biophysical scientists, engineers, a network of stakeholders and an internationally-recognized group of scientists and practitioners on our advisory committee."

In addition to White, the paper was authored by sustainability scientists Kelli Larson, Pat Gober and Amber Wutich.

A group of high school girls in Mesa Public Schools spent their fall break learning to code in R, a computer language used for statistical analysis. This workshop was the brainchild of Jessica Guo, a CAP graduate student, who is passionate about coding and determined to bring more girls into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). A graduate of Mesa Public Schools herself, Jessica is part of the ASU/NASA Space Grant program.

In the workshop that Jessica led, girls accessed large, publicly-available datasets and used coding to analyze the data and to create graphs, which they presented to their peers. Among the datasets that the girls used were ones created by LTER Network sites.

ASU LightWorks recently received funding through the Naval Enterprise Partnership Teaming with Universities for National Excellence (NEPTUNE), a pilot program of the Office of Naval Research. The $1.5 million in seed grants over seven years will support six energy-related research projects at Arizona State University that will engage veterans or active-duty military.

Recognizing that energy challenges pertain to both technology and people, the projects will invite participation from the ASU veteran community through the Pat Tillman Veterans Center, as well as from local bases with active-duty military personnel. The projects aim to provide military members with experience, training and resume-building that is beneficial in post-military careers.

According to a study recently published in Nature Climate Change, areas of the Persian Gulf could become uninhabitable by the end of this century, 100 years sooner than previous studies suggested. This is because waves of heat and humidity may become so intense that being outside for several hours could be fatal.

In response to these findings, David Hondula - a senior sustainability scientist and climatologist - said, "We have a lot of evidence and confidence that heat is going to be a major game-changer for certain locations, populations, lifestyles and activities. I would say that this is a different lens to look at an ongoing theme in sustainability and public health literature. I appreciate that the paper illustrates a large-scale outdoor activity that occurs in this part of the world that is one of those particularly high-interest and high-impact cases. But in no way is this ritual 'likely to become hazardous to human health' — it already is."

Leah Gerber, director of the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, and Anita Hagy Ferguson, project manager of the center, talked with ASU News about the center’s goals and the challenges facing scientists and researchers in addressing biodiversity issues.

Read the article here.

ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, directed by Senior Sustainability Scientist Leah Gerber, was created a year ago to pragmatically stem the tide of loss in what has been called the Sixth Extinction. Its mission is to make discoveries and create solutions to conserve, where possible, and to manage biodiversity for the long term as the world rapidly changes. In doing so, tough decisions must be made.

“We can’t save everything,” says Anita Hagy Ferguson, program coordinator for the center. “We’re not operating in that la-la land. It’s heartbreaking, but we are operating with real data, with real reality, and you cannot save everything. You have to make choices in what to save and how to save it, so that we can move quickly.”

The center’s research focuses on five areas: biodiversity assessment and decision tools, governance and biodiversity, advancing corporate sustainability, public health and biodiversity, and engagement of underserved youth. To learn more about the center, watch this interview with Gerber on Arizona Horizon.

A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explores the relative impacts of natural climate change and direct human activity on animal-species extinction.

The study is co-authored by Janet Franklin, a distinguished sustainability scientist and Regents’ Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. Franklin and her team examined the remains of 95 species of ice-age vertebrates from Sawmill Sink, a flooded sinkhole cave on Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Thirty-nine of those species no longer exist on the island.

The team concluded that the increasing warmth and wetness of Abaco's climate, coupled with rising sea levels that occurred from 15,000 to 9,000 years ago during the transition from the last ice age to the present climate, probably led to the disappearance of at least 17 of the species. The other 22, however, disappeared within the past 1,000 years - signaling a relationship to humans' appearance on the island and rapid subsequent changes to which these species could not adapt.

Peter Kareiva

Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (or IoES) at UCLA,

Chair of the The Nature Conservancy Science Cabinet

We face severe environmental threats. But stories of human footprints that exceed 1.5 earths, prophecies of the extinction of man, total loss of biodiversity, and planetary boundaries are neither solid scientifically nor effective communication. Similarly fighting symbolic environmental battles, one court case at a time, is just as myopic as corporations can be when they maximize short-term profits. A better way to approach the problem is to ask what world do we want to live in in 2050? And what will it take to get to our desired world?

Prior to his appointment at the University of California-Los Angeles, Peter Kareiva was Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy for a dozen years, Director of the Division of Conservation Biology at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries lab in Seattle for three years, and a Professor of Zoology at the University of Washington for twenty years. Peter began his career as a mathematical biologist who also did fieldwork on plants and insects around the world. His early work focused on ecological theory and he gradually shifted to agriculture, biotechnology, risk assessment, and conservation. He now mixes policy and social science with natural science, and further believes that today’s environmental challenges require a strong dose of the humanities and private sector engagement. Never by himself, but with terrific colleagues and the support of generous philanthropists, he cofounded the Natural Capital Project, NatureNet Fellows, and Science for Nature and People or SNAP.

He has written or edited nine books and nearly 200 articles, including a conservation biology textbook. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Science. It all began with education at a Jesuit High School in upstate New York, followed by Duke University, and a PhD from Cornell University in 1981. There were interludes of consulting for engineering firms and for the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations and the United Nations Environmental Programme, and some teaching overseas—always driven by a certain wanderlust.

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Marston Theater, ISTB4

Arizona State university, Tempe, AZ 85281

RSVP

Peter Kareiva

Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (or IoES) at UCLA,

Chair of the The Nature Conservancy Science Cabinet

According to world-renowned conservationist Peter Kareiva, resilient cities, resilient communities, resilient agriculture have become a common environmental meme. But what do the data tell us? In a review of social science studies and ecological measurements following massive environmental depredations suggest a different view.

Before his appointment at UCLA, Kareiva served as Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, Director of the Division of Conservation Biology at the NOAA’s fisheries lab, and a Professor of Zoology at the University of Washington. He began his career as a mathematical biologist who conducted fieldwork on plants and insects around the world. His work has shifted from a focus on ecological theory to agriculture, biotechnology, risk assessment, and conservation. He now mixes policy and social science with natural science, believing that today’s environmental challenges require a strong dose of the humanities and private-sector engagement. Never by himself, but with terrific colleagues and the support of generous philanthropists, he cofounded the Natural Capital Project, NatureNet Fellows, and Science for Nature and People or SNAP.

Kareiva has written or edited 9 books and nearly 200 articles, He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Science.

Lunch will be provided.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Wrigley Hall rm 481

Arizona State University, Tempe Campus

RSVP

A new report published in Nature on a recently completed global species assessment shows cacti are at risk worldwide and the fifth most threatened of any major group assessed to date.

CBO Affiliate Gerrit (Jan) Schipper contributed to the global assessment led by Barbara Goettsch, Co-Chair of the IUCN Cactus and Succulent Plant Specialist Group.

Read more on the findings of this study at ASU News.

CBO is leading efforts to list all cactus species in the Sonoran desert so that an assessment of species in this diverse region can support its conservation.

Cities are working to address climate change by understanding and managing their carbon footprint, but can they succeed where nations have failed?

CBO Affiliate Kevin Gurney, associate professor with the School of Life Sciences and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, and a team of contributors offer answers to that question in this article in Nature.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Council has selected Hawaii as the host of the September 1-10, 2016, IUCN World Conservation Congress – the world’s largest conservation event. Held every four years, the congress brings together leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, U.N. agencies, and indigenous and grass-roots organizations to discuss and decide on solutions to the world’s most pressing environment and development challenges. This is the first time the congress has been held in the U.S.

Former IUCN Director General and board member of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability Julia Marton-Lefèvre, said, “I have every confidence that Hawaii - with its outstanding facilities, rich biological diversity, vibrant indigenous culture, ‘aloha spirit’ and strong commitment to conservation and sustainable development - will provide an outstanding setting for our 2016 congress.”

More information can be found here.

Affordable energy is vital for a community to thrive, and the proposed merger of NextEra Energy Inc. and Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. is on everyone’s mind in Hawai’i. Kris Mayes, founding faculty director of the Program on Law and Sustainability at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is providing support to the County of Hawai'i in research and analysis related to the proposed acquisition. Filings have been submitted with the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission, where NextEra has agreed to accelerate the state’s goal of getting all of its power from renewable resources.

Mayes was the chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission (equivalent to the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission) from 2003-2010. She and Senior Sustainability Scholar Paul Hirt will deliver classes as part of UH-Hilo’s new energy certificate in summer 2016. The 15-credit interdisciplinary certificate examines the current affairs of energy and sustainability, including: how energy affects peoples’ lives, energy policy options, the science of energy and energy generation for today’s society. More information can be found here.

Kamehameha Schools teachers Rod Floro and Brendan Courtot hope to empower Hawai’i’s youth through culture and sustainability. Floro, a sixth-grade science teacher, and Courtot, a vocational technology and applied math teacher, were selected through a competitive application process to participate in the first ever National Sustainability Teachers’ Academy in June 2015 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The Teachers’ Academy was established through the generosity of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives.

The National Sustainability Teachers’ Academy equips passionate kindergarten through 12th-grade educators like Floro and Courtot with the knowledge and skills to inspire and motivate future leaders to create and implement solutions for the economic, social and environmental challenges of our world. The solutions-based curriculum emphasizes real-world learning by integrating knowledge with practice and capitalizing on the cutting-edge research made available to the Teachers’ Academy by ASU.

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Hawai'i has an unprecedented opportunity to advance the global agenda for greater sustainability. Hawai'i Green Growth brings Hawai'i leaders from energy, food, environment and other sectors together to achieve sustainability in Hawai'i and be a model for integrated green growth.

As the most isolated population on the planet, Hawai'i exemplifies the urgent need for action on the global priority for green growth. Hawai'i's people depend on imports for 95 percent of their energy and 90 percent of their food.

Leaders have unanimously committed to 2030 targets in clean energy, local food, natural resource management, waste reduction and smart sustainable communities. More information can be found here.

Julie Ann Wrigley, business woman, conservationist and philanthropist, brought leaders of Arizona State University to the table in 2014 to help envision a more sustainable island community. They hope to learn as much as they contribute to sustainability research, education and outreach. Photos of the Big Island Conversations visit can be found here.

“At the heart of Hawai'ian values is the concept of Malama 'Aina – to care for the land – to ensure a sustainable and bountiful future,” says Wrigley, who is co-founder of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.

In the opinion of ASU Wrigley Institute Director Gary Dirks, “Hawai’i is on the leading edge of important sustainability issues, is under pressure to make progress and has a consensus to move forward. ASU is intensely interested in what lies ahead.”

Most experts agree that sustainability's primary aim is to accommodate a growing number of people on a planet with finite resources. The precise definition of sustainability, however, garners numerous interpretations. In a recent ASU News article, the members of the ASU Wrigley Institute's directorate provide their personal definitions.

“It’s looking after the Earth as a system, people as a system, and trying to find ways we can both survive and thrive in the future,” says School of Sustainability Dean Christopher Boone. “That’s one definition. I don’t always use that definition. I use something more formal.”

According to Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Rob Melnick, “Both the Brundtland definition and Gifford Pinchot’s encompass a rapidly growing, relatively new expression of ‘sustainability. That is, ‘intergenerational well-being.’ This works for me."

Gary Dirks, director of the ASU Wrigley Institute, simply defines sustainability as “universal, intergenerational human well-being.”

ASU’s Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research program was a partner on a recent week-long workshop that presented big data to high school girls.

More than a dozen 11th- and 12th-graders spent their fall break learning a statistical computing program and gathering skills that will be valuable to them in future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. The workshop was taught by Jessica Guo, a graduate student in the School of Life Sciences.

“Programs like this one are narrowing the gap in girls’ participation and success in math and science,” said Monica Elser, education manager for the ASU Wrigley Institute. "The workshop capitalized on a broad range of data and ASU resources to create something really special for these students.”

In recognition of Global Climate Change Week during Campus Sustainability Month, the ASU Wrigley Institute has launched the Climate Story Video Contest. The contest invites ASU students to examine how the changing climate has affected their lives and how they feel about it in a video of three minutes or less.

Contest winners will be determined through both a popular vote - or the number of likes a story gets on the ASU Wrigley Institute’s YouTube Channel - and a judges vote. The winning videos will be featured on the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives and Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative websites in addition to the ASU Wrigley Institute's, as well as shown during the Sustainability Festival in February 2016.

Submissions are due by October 31, 2015. For information on how to submit your climate story, click here.

Second Nature, a nonprofit organization based in Boston, has created a network of more than 650 colleges and universities that are committed to neutralizing their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to accelerating research and educational efforts to raise awareness of the need for a more sustainable future on Earth. It established the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (AUCPCC), of which Arizona State University was one of the founding signatories.

Recently, Second Nature launched a new set of commitments for higher education institutions: the Carbon Commitment (formerly the AUCPCC), the Resilience Commitment (formerly the Alliance for Resilient Campuses) and the Climate Leadership Commitment, which is a combination of the Carbon and Resilience Commitments. Together, these commitments make signatories part of the Climate Leadership Network.

ASU President Michael Crow signed the full Climate Leadership Commitment in October.