Experience

Ohio State students show exceptional and growing interest and dedication to addressing sustainability challenges in their communities and around the world.

The resources and expertise at Ohio State give students unique opportunities to expand their understanding of sustainability. By creating environments inside and outside of the classroom where students can be challenged and engaged in innovative thinking, we empower our students to become agents for change.

SUSTAINABILITY LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND SCHOLARS PROGRAMS

Sustainability Institute staff co-lead the SUSTAINS Learning Community, which provides students with a comprehensive community living experience where they can explore the delicate balance among environmental, economic and social sustainability. Students in SUSTAINS LC live alongside their peers and share common interests in exploring sustainable solutions for local, national and global issues. This program is available by application and is open to students in any major of study. SUSTAINS provides ongoing programming for students, including Dinner and Dialogues with leading sustainability professionals and faculty, service opportunities on and off campus, an annual professional development trip, a mentoring program and project-learning experiences. Watch SUSTAINS students describe the program in this video. For more information, please contact Matthew Griffin, program coordinator, education and learning. Other sustainability-related living learning experiences offered by Ohio State include the Kellogg-Moser Food Security and Sustainability Learning Community, which focuses on sustainable food systems and agricultural practices, and the Environment and Natural Resource Scholars program, which examines other aspects of human connections to the natural world and outdoor recreation.

Sustainability in action

Ohio State fosters project-based learning opportunities and applied research to advance sustainability knowledge in practice, including on and around its diverse properties, with its external partners, or anywhere you can find a Buckeye. To help coordinate, promote and empower these efforts, the Sustainability Institute facilitates collaboration with academic units and university partners to track and enhance the wide range of project-based sustainability learning and applied research activities that occur inside and outside of the classroom environment, including those that use our campus facilities as a living lab. Check out the Sustainability in Action digital platform to see the amazing sustainability work being done by Buckeyes and to share information about your own projects and research.

EDUCATION ABROAD

The Sustainability Institute and the Office of International Affairs provide funding to support education abroad programs to promote student engagement with sustainability initiatives emerging across the globe. For the sustainability-related programs selected each year by our faculty and staff committee, we offer funding to reduce the overall program fee for student participants. This funding application process is open to resident directors and is administered annually in collaboration with the Office of International Affairs. Read about the sustainability education abroad programs funded for 2020.