Sustainability stories from USC’s schools, research institutes, operational units, faculty scholars, and students.
- Urban planning can make sustainable cities
Forbes highlighted research by Geoff Boeing of USC Price that looked at eight key indicators for healthy and sustainable cities. - 5 Questions on Sustainability Reporting
USC Marshall’s Richard Sloan discusses the role accountants play in informing investors about a company’s impact on the environment and society. - Hospitality Director Pursues Sustainability Solutions
Heather Heleloa, who is pursuing her online MS in Hospitality and Tourism, is exploring how to create lasting environmental changes in the industry. - Architect Builds Expertise in Equitable, Sustainable Urban Planning
USC Price’s Colin Montoute is an architectural innovator who leads sustainable urban planning projects around the world. - Exposure to air pollution can worsen patient outcomes from COVID-19
Keck School of Medicine study finds a link between exposure to airborne particulates and increased risk of serious coronavirus. - When Will Space Flight Be As Safe as Air Flight?
USC Viterbi adjunct professor Michael Kezirian explains why advancing space safety and sustainability measures advances space exploration. - 2022 Graduate Yun Li Awarded Top PhD Honor for Exemplary Research
Yun Li researches the impact of energy system decarbonization and land surface properties on urban air quality in southern California. - USC Viterbi-Led Team Wins $15 Million NSF Expeditions in Computing Award
U.S. National Science Foundation’s award will fund USC’s work to address scaling challenges and significant power demands in computing. - How do we warn future generations about our toxic waste?
In the New Humanist, USC’s Vincent Ialenti says nuclear energy’s toxic waste requires communicating with people 10,000 years in the future. - Hot Enough for You? Why City Dwellers Say Yes—and What They Can Do About It
As cities get hotter, cooling strategies can combat the dire consequences to our physical and mental well-being. - Class of 2022 Graduate Gets Thrifty in the Startup World
USC graduate Patricia Garcia is winning accolades for her startup company that allows students to sell their used collegiate gear. - New bill aims to limit frenzy of well drilling on California farms
Fran Pavley, environmental policy director at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, warns that a 2014 well drilling law is being over used. - Fall 2022 course: Sustainability and Self-Care
The course will immerse you in alternative ways to integrate sustainability practices into your daily routine and navigate climate anxiety with balance. - Will the rise of Work From Home improve our health?
USC Schaeffer Center’s Matthew Kahn argues that Work From Home should be extended beyond the pandemic for the health of people and the planet. - California’s water conservation has been a bust so far. Will drought restrictions work?
In Los Angeles Times report, Kelly Sanders of the USC Viterbi School says people are becoming desensitized to drought issues. - USC Basketball wins 2022 Campus Race to Zero Waste competition
The USC Basketball team won a Zero Waste award, in the Game Day Diversion category, for reducing its waste footprint at games. - USC faculty: Latest IPCC report commands action, not words, from policymakers
Climate change is a matter of life and death – at least for humans. That’s one takeaway from the latest U.N. report. - California dystopia: climate change and fiction writers
In this USC Online seminar, climate change experts and fiction writers discuss a California that increasingly resembles science fiction novels. - More water restrictions are coming: how to conserve
Officials are imposing tough water-use restrictions on about 6 million people in southern California. Many are looking for practical ways to conserve. - LA City Council to phase out single-use plastics at city facilities, events
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday (April 27, 2022) to begin phasing out single-use plastics from city facilities and city-sponsored events. The city will also continue to take… - Eating Healthy on Campus
USC WorkWell Center and USC Hospitality created the Healthy Dining on Campus Guide to help you choose healthier food and beverages across campus cafeterias and restaurants. - Energy experts discuss sustainable action at Climate Forward Conference
USC’s Climate Forward 2022 Conference gathered energy and climate change experts for a dialogue on sustainable solutions and actions. - South L.A.’s ‘Gangsta Gardener’ speaks at USC
Environmental activist Ron Finley gave a presentation as part of USC’s Earth Week Celebration. Ron Finley, a self-proclaimed “rebel with a green thumb,” empowered students to be “gangsta gardeners” Wednesday as he… - Viterbi launches new center for energy transition
Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition at the Viterbi School will support researchers as they find solutions to move away from hydrocarbons to renewable energy. - Poll finds Angelenos are alarmed by air pollution, extreme heat and want action
Voters are alarmed by deadly heat waves, destructive wildfires and dangerous air pollution — and want solutions from politicians. - Business students want more sustainability in their curriculum at Marshall
Madeline Robbins (MBA’22) relished the opportunity to sell “greener” products but was frustrated that sales drive decision making and not sustainability. - Test Plot plants (native) seeds for restoration
The ecological restoration project involving faculty and students across the landscape architecture field is an experiment in community-based land stewardship. - USC students clean Alaska air pollution with “Chimney Cherries”
Students are developing solutions to cold-climate air quality in Fairbanks by using special wood stove filters — a literal smoke screen. - Author discusses government land use
UC Hastings College of the Law Emeritus Professor John Leshy hones in on the history of American public lands in his book, “Our Common Ground.” - Tackling climate change and public health with low-tech, sustainable design
As a biologist turned architect, School of Architecture Associate Professor Doris Sung approaches sustainable design in a unique way. - Community explores ways to manage climate anxiety
As the University addresses climate change, psychologists provide help with a sense of despair from the global climate crisis. - Undergraduate Student Government to expand sustainability initiatives
The Undergraduate Student Government hopes to expand and progress on their sustainability initiatives in the 2022-23 year by advocating for recycling bins to be implemented on the Row and calling… - USC’s next step toward carbon neutrality and zero waste: No plastic bottles
With plans to ban plastic bottles and to implement sustainable infrastructure, USC has set an aggressive timeline to reach carbon neutrality. - L.A. County restricts single-use plastics in unincorporated areas
Los Angeles County on Tuesday became the largest government entity to restrict single-use plastic food ware items from restaurants, stores, hospital cafeterias and food trucks. County supervisors finalized an ordinance… - Healthy Planet, Healthy Aging
This Earth Day, it’s important to remember that our health as we age has a lot to do with the health of our environment from the soil to the sky. - Free Metro rides on Earth Day, April 22
Metro will be offering free bus, rail and bike share rides on Earth Day, Friday, April 22 in recognition of public transit’s role in helping improve the environment and reducing… - Resilience Engineer: School of Architecture Alumna takes on sustainable development
USC School of Architecture alumna Brittany Moffett (Master of Building Science ’16, BS Civil ‘14) has found a home at Arup, a mission-driven global engineering and consulting firm committed to… - Public health experts weigh in on the toll of climate change
Scientists in the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Department of Population and Public Health Sciences are stepping up to evaluate climate change’s impact on human health — particularly for communities already… - How health care can go green
For physician-scientist Howard Hu, the irony is hard to take. The same medical community that makes its mission to improve health also substantially contributes to climate change, a global threat… - USC Dornsife students and alumni aim to cut off the plastic strangle-hold
The world now produces nearly 400 million tons of plastic pollution every year, and each piece takes some 400 years to break down. Less than 10% is recycled. Clearly, we… - USC’s Rima Habre explores how climate-related pollution affects maternal health
One NIEHS grant recipient is taking air pollution research to a new level and expanding knowledge about how climate change-related weather events such as wildfires can affect maternal and infant… - Keck School resources for making health care sustainable
The Keck School of Medicine of USC strives to make health care sustainable through research, improving practices, and awareness of the role medicine plays in contributing to and ameliorating environmental… - USC Earth Week events aim to address climate anxiety and raise awareness
An April 19 workshop, Finding Calm in the Storm: A Workshop on Climate Anxiety and Love for Our Planet, will help reduce your stress and anxiety around climate change. The workshop… - U.N. releases Climate Change 2022 report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, released a report on climate change mitigation progress and pledges. In… - Los Angeles County’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment
On April 11, 2022 at 10 am, the USC Schwarzenegger Institute will provide an overview of the Climate Vulnerability Assessment, what it means for communities in Los Angeles, and discuss… - Environmental Student Assembly Earth Month Speaker Event
Join the ESA on April 11 at 7 pm for an interactive speech, performance, and Q & A by Pattie Gonian, focused on the importance of increasing queer representation in… - Calculate your impact on the environment
Answer a few questions about your lifestyle, and the Carbon Footprint Calculator will evaluate your carbon emissions and its impact on the Earth. The calculator assesses your personal household consumption,… - How to participate in Earth Week
Earth Week (April 18-22) has many opportunities for you to expand your knowledge, meet people, make connections, share ideas, and take action. Do you want to do something during Earth… - Psychologists’ report counters doom-and-gloom attitudes on climate change
Climate change isn’t an inevitable death sentence, and the discipline of psychology must strengthen its ability to act on the issue, new report says. “Addressing the Climate Crisis: An Action Plan… - Composting in your USC dorm
Currently, I am a student at the University of Southern California (USC) and consider myself lucky to live in a university apartment with a kitchen. At first, I was nervous to… - USC Alumna prioritizes sustainability as California’s State Architect
Ida Clair, USC School of Architecture ’87, was appointed the first female state architect by Governor Gavin Newsom, after serving as acting state architect since January 2019. She joined the… - Can concrete heal itself?
USC Viterbi School of Engineering researchers created a new method for developing self-healing concrete that replaces the natural aggregates (pieces of rock) in concrete with engineered aggregates that contain healing… - Wrigley Institute’s Randall Phelps wins Outstanding Achievement Award
For the last 25 years, Randall Phelps has been a mainstay at Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island, ensuring the smooth operation of crucial facilities and equipment. USC’s Dornsife College recently… - Roski Talks: “Radical Retrofits” by Frances Anderton
In “Radical Retrofits” Frances Anderton will discuss the biggest challenge facing design and architecture today — its colossal carbon footprint… - A conversation on sustainability with Senator Lisa Murkowski
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joins Bob Shrum, director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, for a Zoom webinar to discuss sustainability efforts in Congress. The webinar is in… - USC researcher applies environmental justice to scholarship
Keck School of Medicine postdoctoral research scholar Dr. Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne developed a framework to systemically apply the principles of Environmental Justice to exposure science. The framework calls for… - Ershaghi Center to develop innovations for renewable energy tech and low-carbon future
The new Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) will bring together thought leaders from academia and industry to collaborate on research and educational programs that will foster an energy transition… - USC researcher explains the intersection of global health, climate change and women’s rights
Laura Ferguson believes that attention to human rights can lead to better health. The director of research at the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health draws inspiration from women who are… - How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine complicates green energy efforts in U.S. and Europe
USC Marshall’s Shon Hiatt, an expert in agribusiness and global energy, answers questions about how the war will impact prices, clean energy efforts and more. Shon Hiatt is an associate professor… - Sustainability Research and Development Priorities Award
Each year the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) outline the administration’s priorities for multi-agency federal funding for Research… - New Research Centers will support original solutions to environmental and sustainability challenges
The USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies (WIES) is launching three new research centers to support original, solutions-focused work on the world’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges. Each of… - A climate change mystery: cost
Why can’t the cost of mitigating climate change be boiled down to one right number, despite some economists’ best attempts? Human behaviors often shift in response to factors such as changes… - Revolutionizing the Rails
As a kid in Fostoria, a rail town in Northwest Ohio, Alex Peiffer MBA ’20 never could have guessed he’d find himself on the cutting edge of railway technology and… - L.A. shipping port backlog impacts local environment
James Fawcett of the USC Sea Grant program at USC Dornsife explains how the line of ships floating off the coast waiting to offload goods is making a mark on… - USC leads Hollywood into green filmmaking
The silver screen goes green at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The film school is making sustainability a requirement for student productions, and is joining other leading schools in… - USC Environmental Health Centers illustrates sustainability with infographics
The USC Environmental Health Centers Community Engagement team collaborates with environmental justice organizations and scientists to develop culturally-sensitive and accessible infographics to understand risks associated with air pollution, chemical exposures and health… - TommyTalks videos explore sustainability
The USC Marshall School of Business TommyTalks video series provides insight into the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the economy and environment. Learn from Marshall’s preeminent scholars how the virus has… - Green Engagement Fund supports student sustainability projects
USC Green Engagement Fund (USCGEF) provides creates opportunities for USC students to collaborate with each other, explore new experiences, and build community and culture through sustainability. USCGEF funding is earmarked… - Sustainability scholarships, fellowships and student project funding
USC provides a variety of sustainability-related scholarships and fellowships for students across disciplines. These academic, research and professional opportunities in sustainability are part of a growing collection of on- and… - Drop by drop, water refill stations put plastic bottles in their place
Those single-use bottles are on their way out as water refill stations proliferate on USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses. Water refill stations, also known as hydration stations, are… - Driven to lead, USC sets the pace on carbon neutrality
In a move taken by only a handful of universities, USC aims for carbon neutrality. By 2025, USC will have improved its energy efficiency and expanded the use of solar… - USC aims to go carbon neutral by 2025
In a move taken by only a handful of universities, USC aims for carbon neutrality. By 2025, USC will have improved its energy efficiency and expanded the use of solar… - Documentary traces the “Divest SC” student-led campaignGrassroots documentary follows a student campaign to rid USC of its investments in fossil fuels. From its start in January 2020 with a student climate strike up to student activists…
- CNN: USC studies use of bamboo for sustainable construction
Bamboo has been used for thousands of years in Asia. Now, it could help solve construction’s sustainability problem. Engineered bamboo entered mainstream construction in the late 20th century, according to… - SpectrumNews report profiles USC Zero Waste Auditor program
Shopping at zero waste refill stores, taking the Metro and reducing his climate footprint as much as possible are all part of USC Zero Waste Auditor Josh Rebello’s low waste…