Santa Clara University

A group of SCU professors and students believe that sustainability can be quantified and measured in order to help individuals increase their levels of sustainability and make informed choices. The Center for Sustainable Engineering Studies is committed to enabling sustainability through well-defined and rational metrics, system integration synergies, technologies to inform consumption choices, and industry/university collaboration to build on and enable sustainable living.

The Penstemon Project is designed for faculty outside of the traditional environmentally-focused disciplines to find ways to incorporate sustainability into their curriculum – either as class content or in the way their class functions.

Traditionally, chemistry labs have been a source of large volumes of toxic waste. As part of Santa Clara University's commitment to environmental sustainability, the SCU Chemistry Department has made dramatic changes to its undergraduate laboratory exercises.

The three lesson plans that constitute the course each focus on a different aspect of environmental ethics. The first plan invites us to consider the roots of our ethical convictions by having us write an autobiography of our relationship with the earth. The second plan introduces us to the particular character of environmental - in distinction from interpersonal - ethics. The final lesson plan invites us to make a decision about a particular environmental case.

Students in Michael Whalen's Fall 2007 COMM 132 produced documentaries related to sustainability. Topics include: fair trade coffee, campus culture, trash audits, water free urinals, and e-waste.