Faculty

There are many ways faculty can advance sustainability at USC, from your actions on campus to your research and work in the classroom. Check out resources for you and your students at the links below.

For support with sustainability curriculum or experiential learning, please contact Dr. Chelsea Graham, Experiential Learning Manager, at cmgraham@usc.edu.

Looking for more ways to get involved? Find sustainability efforts like Events, Research Studies, Scholarships, Student Organizations and more in USC’s Green Directory.

Start your journey with these six sustainable actions:

Chelsea Graham and Sam Schongalla from the Office of Sustainability, along with university arborist Michael Wallich, plant a tree in Founders Park during the celebration of Arbor Day, April 28, 2023. (Photo/Gus Ruelas)

1. Complete the online Sustainability Training

Explore the steps USC is taking towards becoming a greener campus and learn how you can help.

Students talking in the USC Sustainability Hub.

2. Visit the Sustainability Hub in STU 101

Lounge, study, and connect with the campus sustainability community.

Demonstration of a touchless water refill station installed outdoors at the Village using a USC branded stainless steel water bottle.

3. Carry a reusable water bottle

Refill it at 200+ campus hydration stations.

A student using the sustainability-focused Supdate Slack channel.

4. Get the Supdate

Join the Supdate Slack to donate/swap items, learn about upcoming events and more.

A Metrolink train at a station.

5. Receive discounts on public transportation

Enroll in the Employee Transit Subsidy to green your commute.

Zero Waste Zone signage and Multi-stream Bins.

6. Sort your trash at a nearby zero-waste bin

Help USC keep recyclable and compostable waste out of local landfills.

A student taking in the USC Sustainability Hub taking the Student Sustainability Training on their laptop.

Assign the Student Sustainability Training

The Student Sustainability Training is a great resource for faculty seeking to introduce sustainability in the classroom.

This Trojan Learn module provides an overview of sustainability frameworks, Assignment: Earth, and ways students can make sustainable changes in their daily lives.

A teacher pointing to a screen during a class session full of students.

Sustainability Across the Curriculum Initiative

Sustainability Across the Curriculum Initiative (SACI) was created to support faculty in developing new courses, programs, and curricular approaches that focus on sustainability. There are grants available to support faculty designing or modifying courses or creating new minors or programs.

The Climate Momentum Project logo.

Climate Momentum Project

The Climate Momentum Project is based upon a vision that through interdisciplinary leadership in storytelling, the arts, communication, and behavioral messaging, USC will help to catalyze people, organizations, and policymakers to adopt existing and future climate solutions. 

USC campus with students walking and biking.

Sustainability Data Hub

The Sustainability Data Hub provides access to sustainability-related data relevant to USC operations. This data can be used in classes to engage experiential learning, as well as for research. If you are interested in using data, please contact Dr. Julie Hopper, Sustainability Data Analyst at juliehop@usc.edu for appropriate user agreements.

A lecture hall in use at USC.

Sustainability Course Finder

The Sustainability Course Finder was created as a way for students to identify sustainability-related or focused courses. However, for faculty, it can be a useful way to understand how certain sustainability concepts interact with your classes.

A tree identification tag from an Arbor Day tree planting.

President’s Sustainability Initiative Award

The President’s Sustainability Initiative Award has disbursed $1.5 million for research addressing neighborhood-scale air quality sensor networks, the PFAS drinking water crisis in Southern California, catalytic upcycling of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and more.

Pauline Yu, a Ph.D. candidate in biological sciences, prepares gels for protein electrophoresis in professor Donal T. Manahan's marine biology laboratory.

Sustainability Research Finder

See the leaps and bounds USC is making in sustainability research.

An educator presenting to a lecture hall at USC.

Incorporating Sustainability into Courses

This resource document, created by Dr. Jill Sohm, provides an overview of various perspectives, tools, and resources that can be used by faculty hoping to incorporate sustainability into their classes. It is a great primer for those new to teaching sustainability, as well as a useful exploration of different perspectives for a seasoned sustainability educator.

Close-up of student hands while studying and taking notes.

Experiential Learning for Sustainability Guide

The Library Guide for Sustainability Experiential Learning is designed to support faculty with resources for incorporating sustainability-based experiential learning into their courses. It includes links to academic articles and books, as well as links to internal and external resources that can be used to engage students beyond didactic teaching.

Zero Waste Zone signage and Multi-stream Bins.

Waste Resources

Access resources for universal and e-waste materials, request a recycling bin or get information for battery recycling/disposal and toner/ink cartridge recycling.

An illustration of the Earth from the Office of Sustainability & WorkWell Center Sustainability Toolkit.

Sustainability Toolkit

All of the resources in this guide have been purposefully designed to address this commitment by encouraging individuals to put sustainable practices into action within their daily lives.

A researcher collecting a sample from a body of water.

Sustainability in Research Labs at USC

All of the resources in this guide have been purposefully designed to address this commitment by encouraging individuals to put sustainable practices into action within their daily lives.