Sustainability

Establishing a new economic paradigm that protects the environment, promotes economic development, and fosters social justice is the defining challenge of our time. The USC Center for Sustainability Solutions brings together scholars and stakeholders from around the world to develop solutions for the most pressing urban environmental challenges. Our work advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and we operate a network of Sustainability Solutions Hubs in various mega-cities, including Beijing, Delhi, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo.

The mission of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is to inspire global environmental solutions through frontier research and education. Our affiliated faculty conduct research in all aspects of the environment. Wrigley Institute scientists investigate biological adaptations to climate change, study interactions among humans and natural systems, and connect science to environmental policy. We also offer unique educational programming and work with foundations and the public to enhance environmental awareness.

The Center for Sustainable Cities was established in 1998 by a group of USC faculty from engineering, the natural and social sciences, urban planning, and environmental health sciences. In 2009, the Center was transferred to the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. In 2017, the Center joined the METRANS Transportation Center. The mission of METRANS is to solve transportation problems of large metropolitan regions through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach.

A main scientific goal of the Climate Change in the Southern California Bight 2020 project is to increase communication and promote collaboration between the diverse group of researchers that deal with all aspects of ocean climate change issues in our area. An active set of marine climate scientists work within USC Dornsife, elsewhere in the University, at other universities throughout California, and in government agencies at many levels. Although many of these scientists already know each other, we don’t always talk across institutional boundaries and we are often hard-pressed to keep up with all of the rapidly developing new research on global change that is relevant to our Southern California coastal environment.

The Innovation in Integrated Informatics LAB (iLAB) research group focuses on the acquisition, modeling, and analysis of the data needed for user-centered built environments, and the design of novel algorithms and visualization techniques to improve built environment efficiency, while increasing user satisfaction.

ker’s mission it to pursue the long-range development of hydrocarbon chemistry and to develop new fuels and materials, as well as to provide environmentally sustainable solutions to energy generation problems.

METRANS' mission is to solve transportation problems of large metropolitan regions through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach. METRANS is a joint partnership of the University of Southern California (USC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

PERE, under the direction of sociologist Manual Pastor, conducts research and facilitates discussions on issues of environmental justice, regional inclusion, and social movement building. It conducts high-quality research in focus areas relevant to public policy concerns and reaches to those directly affected communities that most need to be engaged in the discussion. Its main projects revolve around issues of environmental justice, regional equity, and social movements.

The power and importance of spatial thinking and digital geography is what the USC Spatial Sciences Institute is all about.As front-line researchers and educators, we are dedicated to deploying the power of: people, place, and time; information as maps; environmental sustainability and human well-being; and actionable research and informed decision-making. We collaborate with a cross-cutting array of researchers, businesses, non-profits, NGOs, and other entities from a wide range of disciplines and industries to analyze, model, and visualize location-based data. Through our innovative undergraduate programs – minors in GIS and Sustainability Science, Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence, and Spatial Studies and majors in GeoDesign and Global GeoDesign – masters programs in Geographic Information Science and Technology, Spatial Data Science, and Spatial Economics and Data Analysis, and doctoral programs in Spatial Analytics and Population, Health & Place, we develop the next generation of spatial thinkers, empowering them with capabilities to help address global challenges. Members of our internationally-recognized faculty contribute to the rapidly-evolving body of geospatial knowledge.

The Sea Grant Program at the University of Southern California is a federal-state-university partnership that integrates research, education, and outreach with a specific focus on the ‘urban ocean’ and solving issues arising out of managing people and natural resources in an intensely urban and developed coastline. USC Sea Grant funds marine and coastal research, communicates research results to leaders in government and local communities, and is a leader in integrating current research with new education initiatives to increase science literacy among urban students and to encourage teachers to adopt science education curricula. USC Sea Grant is recognized as a leader in coastal hazard planning, training, and technical assistance.

The Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (SCEHSC) is a NIEHS-funded center which works to reduce the burden of adverse effects from the environment by rapid identification and better characterization of environmental threats to public health through increased understanding of the basis for environmental diseases and personal susceptibility and by active engagement with communities and policymakers. The mission of the SCEHSC is to develop the scientific knowledge base, investigator teams, and community engagement needed to reduce the burden of diseases and disability from environmental impacts now and into the future.

With both the ongoing drought and loss of farmable land, the rapid depletion of natural resources is a relevant concern in today’s times. To fight these issues, USC Hospitality has taken action to assert its responsibility for the earth in developing the USC Teaching Garden, a self-sustaining garden to harvest a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers for its dining venues. The garden’s farming techniques support USC Hospitality’s commitment to the environment and to the health of our dining guests by growing our own food locally without the use of any harmful chemicals.

The Trojan Farmers Market is an open-air marketplace that brings fresh, locally sourced produce and goods to the bustling USC campus. The goal of the market is to support sustainable agriculture and farming practices. When you purchase from the market, you incorporate sustainable practices into your daily life here at USC. Everything here is brought from the farm straight to you!

Help USC achieve our 75% waste diversion goal by recycling your tailgate trash. Look for recycling and landfill bins throughout tailgating areas, and dispose of your waste appropriately.

The USC Urban Garden was established in 2010 as a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and the non-profit organization Urban Farming. Located in the yard of a USC-owned house on Shrine Place, the garden is free and open for students, faculty, staff, and our neighbors to use. Neither pesticides nor chemical fertilizer are used to maintain the garden.