IUPUI Sustainability and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI have partnered to offer a course aimed at equipping students with the skills necessary to tackle one of the most daunting challenges facing humanity—climate change.
Jessica Davis, director of IUPUI Sustainability, will teach “Solutions for Climate Change” in February 2022. The class will train students on the most important and marketable skills for sustainability professionals: measuring and assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sources using the tools and techniques commonly employed in the sustainability industry; identifying strategies to mitigate GHG emissions; and creating and critiquing climate action plans across sectors. Students will leave the course with sufficient knowledge to qualify for the entrance exam of the Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) Candidate Program.
This 1 credit hour special topics course is open to all IUPUI undergraduate and graduate students. The course is cross-listed as SPEA-V 260 and SPEA-V 550. The class will meet on February 4, 11, and 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The best way to learn sustainability is to do it,” Davis says. “Our office utilizes the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability to teach students, engage researchers, and encourage our community to make sustainable decisions in their daily lives at home and work. I’m thrilled by the opportunity not only to teach these real-world skills but also to mentor and empower IUPUI students to leave a legacy of sustainability right here on campus. Some of IUPUI’s best sustainability initiatives come from our students.”
Sustainability is embedded into IUPUI’s DNA across its academic, research, operations, and engagement programming. Led by IUPUI Sustainability, in collaboration with many supportive partners across campus, IUPUI has received state, national, and global recognition for its sustainability performance:
- Ranked No. 2 in the United States and 28th in the world for its commitment to advancing the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
- Most sustainable campus in Indiana with an AASHE STARS Gold rating
- Tree Campus Higher Education designation since 2012
- Bee Campus USA certified since 2017
- Committed to LEED-certified new construction and major renovations, including seven LEED Silver and two LEED Gold certified buildings
- A campus fleet that is 36% fully electric
- GHG emissions reduced by more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from 2018 to 2020
- Procurement of more than 20 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually
- Led efforts to make the 2021 March Madness and Men’s Final Four the first operationally carbon neutral tournament
- Invited to represent all of higher education at the VISION 2045 Summit in Scotland
- Sixteen degrees, 10 certifications, and 575 courses focused on or related to sustainability
