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Education
GOAL: INCORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF EVERY STUDENT'S EXPERIENCE BY INCLUDING CORE CONCEPTS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN EVERY APPLICABLE FIELD AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY AND BY USING THE CAMPUS AS A LIVING LABORATORY FOR SUSTAINABILITY.
In line with Duke’s Climate Commitment, Duke will activate every facet of the university to create a model for educating and deploying a generation of climate- and sustainability fluent change makers. Building on Duke’s long standing leadership in climate, sustainability, innovation, and interdisciplinarity, students are encouraged to chart their own path towards developing solutions to the climate crisis.
While the pathway towards climate- and sustainability-fluency will differ student to student based on their academic and professional interests, it will be important for each student to understand the foundational aspects of human-driven climate change. There are hundreds of curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular options that students can choose from to gain knowledge on the environmental, economic, and societal drivers of climate change and to implement solutions on and off campus. Included below are some examples of ways students and faculty can get involved in this effort.
Take a Class
One of the easiest ways to get involved with the Duke Climate Commitment is to explore climate and sustainability connections in coursework. As students prepare to register for courses in future semesters, the Climate and Sustainability course list can be used for inspiration.
A major highlight in 2022 was the kickoff of the UNIV 102: Let’s Talk about Climate Change course led by Dr. Emily Bernhardt and Dr. Norman Wirzba, along with 12 other faculty representing a variety of academic fields. 150 students participated in this semester-long course where they engaged in discussions on climate change from a wide diversity of topics including theology, art, literature, energy policy, global health, and many others.
Top row: Adriane Lentz-Smith, Alexander Glass, Deborah Reisinger, Jennifer Lawson, Kathleen Donohue, Jie Liu.
Bottom row: Nick Carnes, Priscilla Wald, Rick Larrick, Ryan Emanuel, Saskia Cornes, Steven Sexton.
Certificate in Sustainability Engagement
The undergraduate, experiential Sustainability Engagement Certificate was designed to facilitate learning and research that confronts the interconnections between environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability both inside and outside of the classroom. Since the beginning of the certificate program in 2016 it has grown to 21 undergraduate students, including 11 recent graduates.
Climate+
Building from the success of the Data+ and Story+ programs, a Climate+ program was launched in 2022 by the Rhodes Information Initiative in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Climate+ engages small teams of undergraduate and graduate students in climate-related, data-driven research projects. To learn about the projects from the inaugural year of the program or to apply to summer 2023 projects, please visit the program’s website.
Communication
GOAL: ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING AND FOSTER CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR AMONG MEMBERS OF THE DUKE COMMUNITY THAT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AT DUKE.
The community of student organizations oriented towards environmental and sustainability topics at Duke is incredibly robust. Sustainable Duke functions as a partner to amplify and support the momentum of innovation and advocacy that these dedicated and highly skilled students pioneer. These organizations work to unite Duke around a more sustainable and equitable future, advocate for systemic and transformative campus changes, and cultivate conversation to expand and enhance campus policy to better represent students and their long term interests–just to name a few responsibilities– and Sustainable Duke supports students in advancing change each step of the way. Centering environmental justice and equity in all levels of initiatives is a common value across the community.
This year, the Sustainability Ambassadors program has grown to its largest number of students to date in the FY22/Academic Year 23 with 40 participants. Established in 2020, this program works to build sustainability fluency and project management skills while also strengthening a sense of community among first year students. This program is managed by Sustainable Duke’s Green Devil interns.
As stated, Green Devils serve to mentor the Sustainability Ambassador program, but also work to advance a multitude of projects throughout the year. Two of the biggest projects from this past year include the Devil’s Thrifthouse (DTH) and Zero-waste Kville (ZWK). The Fall 2022 iteration of DTH, a student-run, student-facing thrift store pop-up aimed at diverting clothing and household supplies from the landfill and engaging the community with themes of circularity, resulted in more than 1,000 items circulated and the pop-up served more than 500 students. ZWK also had a substantial community impact. This intervention worked to lessen the footprint of Kville and engage tenters throughout the basketball season by deepening their understanding of personal waste management on campus. During the 2022-23 basketball season, Green Devils and Kville volunteers diverted hundreds of pounds of waste from the landfill and engaged with dozens of students throughout the season.