Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.

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Description3 Reports:/ Primary report Survey Report Marketing Report based on the two-semester-long partnership between an MSUS group and ASU's branch of Aramark, Sun Devil Hospitality.
ContributorsChen, Melanie (Author) / Schlosser, Markkus Pfirman (Author) / Van Valkenberg, Carli (Author)
Created2023-05-05
Description
This project explored the potential effectiveness of sustainable initiative programs in a typical office setting. The project area was focused on the Arizona offices of Expeditors International, a global, Fortune 500, third-party logistics company. The goal of the project was to set up recycling and composting services as well as

This project explored the potential effectiveness of sustainable initiative programs in a typical office setting. The project area was focused on the Arizona offices of Expeditors International, a global, Fortune 500, third-party logistics company. The goal of the project was to set up recycling and composting services as well as create a culture of sustainability through educational materials distributed through various means to the employees. Throughout the project, it was discovered that there can be many barriers to effective implementation of sustainable initiatives, such as resistance to change. However, this project also highlighted that with a reasonable amount of effort and a strong logic behind the why, it it possible to shift the behaviors of normal office employees. This project also showed that using small improvements and occasional reminders of the value of being sustainable, behavior can be altered for the better. Despite the obstacles and challenges that are present in every office setting, this project has provided evidence that similar initiatives are very possible and can have a large impact for any company and for the planet.
ContributorsSponsler, James (Author) / Prosser, Paul (Contributor)
Created2017-11-20
Description
Children are our future businesspeople, policy makers, and educators. As such, during their careers and throughout their life, they will be the leaders making tough decisions on how to respond to extreme heat phenomenon, rising sea levels, changing weather patterns, and the increased presence of greenhouse gases, which could thrust

Children are our future businesspeople, policy makers, and educators. As such, during their careers and throughout their life, they will be the leaders making tough decisions on how to respond to extreme heat phenomenon, rising sea levels, changing weather patterns, and the increased presence of greenhouse gases, which could thrust our Earth into irreversible change if emissions are
not reduced drastically over the next few decades.

When evaluating the required Next Generation Science Standards for elementary school, these standards do not include environmental literacy or sustainability themes in either second, third, or fourth grades, with little mention via one standard in first, fifth, and sixth grades. Overall, the Next Generation Science Standards do not adequately prepare students for the sustainability problems of
the future nor do the standards help connect students to the natural environment by not connecting the standards to real world climate issues. Not educating students about sustainability topics in elementary school passes the responsibility off to higher grades with optional science classes, where this sustainability education could be missed altogether.

The Sustainability for Young Learners Courses were created to equip elementary school teachers with sustainability knowledge and resources to effectivity teach sustainability to their students. The Sustainability for Young Learners Courses infuse sustainability and environmental literacy Graduate Culminating Experience
Sharing Permissions Agreement into second through fifth grade science classes via the creation of detailed unit plans. Each course incorporates important sustainability themes into the required Next Generation Science Standards, to encourage teachers to adopt these unit plans without taking away limited class time to teach about sustainability. Rather than ending in doom and gloom, students finish each unit becoming the heroes of the story by creating their own solutions to combat climate change that they can implement into their own lives, communities, homes, and classroom.

Sustainability and climate related issues are already sweeping our Earth and the problem is likely going to accelerate as today's current elementary school students start their professional careers. Equipping young students with environmental literacy and sustainability knowledge can allow students to be ready to face real-world climate related issues in the future as well as today as these students serve as leaders within their communities and schools. By realizing the gap in the United States education system, the Sustainability for Young Learners courses is helping to create a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable society through education and knowledge.
ContributorsLund, Sydney (Writer of accompanying material)
Created2020-05-18
Description

COVID-19 brought so much uncertainty into the world and has molded this project into what it is today. The first project journey that was chosen was meant to show the impact of how much plastic waste was being produced at Starbucks. Then due to COVID-19 yet again, it changed into

COVID-19 brought so much uncertainty into the world and has molded this project into what it is today. The first project journey that was chosen was meant to show the impact of how much plastic waste was being produced at Starbucks. Then due to COVID-19 yet again, it changed into how much paper waste there was within the State of Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) Business and Professions Division (BPD). DOL BPD is a state agency division that licenses over forty plus professional and business licenses to the residents of Washington state. Due to the pandemic, the project transformed into how the three pillars of sustainability impacts remote work within BPD. BPD is in this new and unique paradigm where the deliverable that was brought forth as this project completed are, “The 9 Benefits of Sustainability through Remote Work” (Appendix D) where this specifically showed DOL why remote work is sustainable and how it should be implemented even further throughout the agency. This list was put together with the benefits that best fit DOL BPD.

ContributorsReynolds, Jordan (Writer of accompanying material)
Created2021-02-11
Description
These documents were developed as part of the culminating experience project for the Masters of Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) graduate program. This report was developed for the ASU Foundation and the Fulton Center by Team Green Impact with the goal of establishing a facility based year for the foundation to meet their

These documents were developed as part of the culminating experience project for the Masters of Sustainability Solutions (MSUS) graduate program. This report was developed for the ASU Foundation and the Fulton Center by Team Green Impact with the goal of establishing a facility based year for the foundation to meet their 2035 net-zero target. Contents of this report include: Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emission measurements for the Fulton Center, GHG emission reduction recommendations, an infographic for internal stakeholder engagement, and an example net-zero strategy the foundation can utilize in their current and future building. The purpose of the report and the infographic is to inform next steps for reducing GHG emissions and to help the ASU Foundation make progress towards their net-zero target.
ContributorsFowler, Carissa (Author) / Boss, Lauren (Author) / Austin, Lesley (Author)
Created2023-05-01
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ContributorsFowler, Carissa (Author) / Boss, Lauren (Author) / Austin, Lesley (Author)
Created2023-05-01