Santa Clara University

Now in his sixth year at Santa Clara, and his fourth as a lecturer in the business school, Bill facilitates a program called Contemplative Leadership and Sustainability Program (CLASP) for students in the business school interested in exploring sustainability. “Sustainability is included in our mission to educate students,” Bill explains, “And sustainability is about justice in that it implies ‘right relationships’ in our decision making.” Read More »

Iris Stewart-Frey is an Assistant Professor and water specialist at SCU's Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences. She attributes her love of water to her German roots and is currently researching the impacts of climate change on water flow and quality in California. Read more about her unique upbringing, her teaching and research interests, and her advice for conserving water. Read More »

Professor Michael Meyer, Ph. D., of the Philosophy Department has been passionate about environmental issues since high school. As the creator of the first environmental ethics class at Santa Clara University, Professor Meyer has pursued his passion by educating students about sustainable thinking through an ethical lens. Read more about how Professor Meyer developed this passion and how he continues to practice sustainable living today. Read More »

Students apply their GIS skills on class projects exploring issues like food security in San Jose by measuring the distribution of liquor stores vs. healthier food resources (e.g., farmers' markets or supermarkets). Two students from last fall's class of GIS got jobs after graduation based off of their GIS skills. Read More »

Santa Clara University has expanded its partnership with Zipcar, bringing 8 new Zipcars to campus. These new cars bring with them a new program: CBL Affiliate memberships. For qualified students, SCU will waive the application fee and the first year's membership fee. In addition, CBL affiliates will also receive 12 free rental hours. Read More »

You won't find Professor Juan Velasco talking about global climate change, energy conservation, or recycling in his courses. He doesn't preach the importance of buying a hybrid vehicle, and is not a member of the Environmental Studies and Sciences Department. Yet, students leave his classes with a deeper understanding of sustainability that Santa Clara University seeks to address. Read More »

Katherine Lucey founded Solar Sister in Uganda a year ago, using the Avon model of distribution to empower women as entrepreneurs and to bring energy into poor rural homes in Africa that would otherwise be in the dark or be forced to use unsustainable and unhealthy energy sources such as kerosene for light. Lucey is one of 19 socially minded entrepreneurs from around the world who will come to Santa Clara University, August 7-19, as part of the 8-month intensive Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) program that helps them sustain and scale their businesses to maximize impact on underserved communities. ALSO THIS MONTH: New Master's Degree Program in Sustainability | Years-of-service gifts promote sustainability | Canning basics workshop taught SCU employees basics of home preserving Read More »

A student team developed a carbon footprint calculator for use at SCU, part of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics' Environmental Ethics Fellowship. The tool measures SCU students' greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use, waste production, partying, travel to and from home during vacations, food consumption, and more. Samantha Juda, '13, was interviewed on a national radio news program about the online tool. More news this month: Art Exhibition Explores Homelessness: 1930's to Today | Santa Clara University Receives National Recognition for Community Service | Santa Clara University's School of Engineering to Launch New Scholar Program for Photovoltaic Research with $1.3 Million Gift | Alum John Cruden named President of Environmental Law Institute | New Department at Santa Clara University to Prepare Students for Studies and Careers in Environmental Fields Read More »

Four junior accounting and AIS majors: Katelyn Daley, Rebecca Tien, Shannon Wang, and Linda Young received $1000 from KPMG for their project: "Bronco Urban Gardens Day of Awareness." The juniors' initial proposal involved a friendly mini-competition about eating locally, but evolved into a community event that will bring awareness to the garden, eating local produce, and environmental education. The Bronco Urban Garden Day of Awareness is set for Saturday, May 21 and will offer plenty of fun activities. Read More »

Santa Clara's sustainability teach-in will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday of Earth Week. The goal of the week is to spur dialogue about issues related to sustainability and environmental justice. The Commons at Kennedy Mall will host open classrooms, where faculty from several disciplines will lecture on a variety of sustainability-related topics, open to all. Events will also take place at Mayer Theatre and the Learning Commons. Read More »