San Jose State has well over 300 courses and academic resources relating to sustainability, a list of which can be downloaded here.
The Department of Environmental Studies offers numerous degrees in this area, including a masters program. The focus of the Department is on a rigorous, systematic, and integrated approach to the study, management, and solution of environmental problems and issues. SJSU has is one of the oldest environmental studies departments in the U.S., and one of six established directly as a result of the first Earth Day, held in 1970 and organized by SJSU alumus Gaylord Nelson ('39).
SJSU Environmental Studies offers a breadth of interdisciplinary study that includes solar energy theory and application, green building, environmental impact assessment, environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, water resource management, and much more.
The Department Biological Sciences is once again offering a Study Abroad course to the Amazon Basin, July 18th to Aug 8, 2010 (through BIOL 190, or graduate level BIOL 255). This spectacular and vast tropical natural environment affects every living organism on the planet by playing a major role in the global climate and global oceanic trends. Students will visit a variety of subjects from global climate change to the social-economical issues involved in preserving this ecosystem, as well as the ethnobotanical knowledge of indigenous tribes through daily field trips.
In Spring '09 the College of Business began offering a new course, Bus196S Green Entrepeneurship, focusing on how to establish sustainable and cleantech business opportunities.
A new offering last fall, the Climate Solutions Initiative will gather faculty and students from seven different colleges to work together to develop global climate solutions.
The College of Engineering also recently added a minor in Green Engineering, studying ways in which engineering can contribute to solutions to protect the environment, global resources, and human life. These solutions include designing technology and promoting processes and policies that are efficient and socially responsible. It also includes developing methods that are environmentally and human friendly as well as sustainable for the long term. The College also has its own wiki for Green Engineering listing research, courses, events and opportunities within the College. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Mechanical Engineering department will be constructing a Zero Emmissions House here on campus, beginning in the Fall semester of 2010.
SJSU's recently renamed Department of Meterology and Climate Science (formerly Meteorology) is the only one of its kind in the entire CSU system. Faculty maintain active research programs that benefit the science community and enhance our students' learning environment, provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the atmosphere, and prepare them for careers in the atmospheric sciences.
The Department of Meteorology and Climate Science has introduced a new Climate Science Concentration, combining meteorology, environmental studies, geography, engineering and communication studies to produce graduates with an in-depth understanding of climate related sciences, along with related technical skills. The concentration is the first of its kind in the California State University system.
Other Colleges are also making sustainability a theme in their courses. For example, HRTM 156, Principles of Sustainable Travel and Tourism addresses the impact of tourism on the physical, cultural and economic environment. And BUS 167, Managing Environmental Issues discusses the management of environmental issues, including the relationship of business to the natural environment; the public policy context of management decision-making; and the greening of the corporation and implications for strategic management, operations, human resources, marketing and accounting.
Want to learn about Ecological Footprints? Go to the Center for Sustainabiity Economy's Ecological Footprint Quiz site to learn how many acres of productive land are required to support your lifestyle.
As defined by the SJSU Sustainability Board, "Sustainability research focuses on one or more of the following aspects of sustainability: ecological integrity, economic prosperity, and social and intergenerational equity. It addresses a sustainability challenge (such as climate change or poverty) and furthers our understanding of the interconnectedness of societal, economic, and environmental issues. Sustainability research promotes culturally appropriate solutions that concurrently support economic prosperity, social well-being, and ecological vitality.”
Sustainability research is being conducted by over 115 SJSU faculty members. Click here for brief summaries of their projects.
Affiliated with SJSU's College of Business, the Mineta Transportation Institute was established by Congress as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). MTI focuses on international surface transportation policy issues as related to three primary responsibilities: research, education, and technology transfer, and offerss accredited graduate education programs. MTI receives policy oversight from an internationally respected board of trustees who represent all of the major transportation modes.
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) administers the Masters of Science program for a consortium of seven California State University campuses in northern and central California. An outfitted Marine Operations department, strong research diving program and state of the art equipment allow for cutting edge research in a wide variety of disciplines including: marine ecology, the biology of marine plants, invertebrates, fishes, turtles, birds and mammals, oceanography, and marine geology, chemistry, and biogeochemistry. The MLML facilities are currently LEED EB Pilot--Gold and are attempting to recertify EB V2.0 Platinum.
Did you know that the simple act of adding beef to a veggie stir fry increases carbon emissions to what's produced by a 35-mile drive? This eye-opening info is one of many connections between global warming and food outlined in "Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming", a hybrid science/cookbook co-authored by Associate Professor of Meteorology Eugene Cordero.
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