This book is dedicated to Rob and Melani Walton for their unwavering commitment and guidance, along with all of the many other people we have worked with and engaged over the past 6 years across 7 initiative programs in support of 8 design aspirations for the New American University.
“ “ Universities must provide education, discovery, innovation and interface to yield solutions to global challenges.
Michael M. Crow President, Arizona State University
Six years ago, Rob and Melani Walton, through the Walton Family Foundation, invested in Arizona State University to initiate programs with the following mission:
» Develop use-inspired knowledge to SOLVE sustainability problems
» EDUCATE and deploy implementers
» ENGAGE, innovate, network, lead and take risks to create a more sustainable world
On March 27, 2012, we laid the foundation of a social enterprise embedded within a university, a New American University. Our charge was to prove that a university that is the home to the first School of Sustainability can apply its knowledge to solve sustainability problems. Our goal was to accelerate pathways to solutions of these problems. This required us to re-define the role of the university in society and to use entrepreneurial drive to build a new model linking knowledge to action.
As with any design and construction project there have been problems and unanticipated opportunities. After six years of rapid experimentation and multiple iterations of programs, our team is ready to share what we have learned. This set of guidelines and outcomes may enable others to build off the sturdy frameworks we have tested.
Throughout this endeavor we developed key principles in addition to the eight design aspirations of ASU as the New American University.
We see the PEOPLE in our metrics.
Not a single project or metric outlined in this book could have been realized without some very special people behind them. Every person we touch, whether they are a student, faculty, client, community representative or even our families, has a story, such as…
» Two young scientists from Puerto Rico who created a “spidronized” solar cell to optimize the angles of absorption of energy from the sun. Their innovative research brought them scholarships from ASU to further their academic careers.
» Four ASU faculty and staff who have taught internationallybased courses that collaborate to build a solar powered irrigation system and biochar furnaces that bring prosperity to rural farming communities in Nepal and improve the local rhino habitat.
» Twenty-one Walton Initiatives staff who have become skilled at navigating the space between academia, business and governments in order to support and drive the implementation of sustainability solutions locally, nationally and globally.
» Sixty-four emerging leaders of sustainability who were motivated to build upon their skillsets via an Executive Masters degree to integrate a deeper understanding of communication, strategy, leadership and global context to drive substantial and lasting influence through their organizations.
» Six-hundred and fifty-three K-12 teachers who we trained and equipped with sustainability content and activities to implement in their school curricula across the nation to develop a new generation of change agents.
As with any successful enterprise, the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives perform regular self-evaluation and reporting of outputs and outcomes based on a foundation of deliverables established at the launch of the program. Achievement of the ultimate mission nevertheless require flexibility to adjust those indicators and deliverables to drive change. Throughout the enterprise design process, we have learned some very valuable lessons…
Put people first to build a culture of collective impact.
Identify and engage the right people who focus relentlessly on outcomes, who co-create solutions through collaboration and service, who have the courage to push institutions beyond their comfort zones and who build trust with partners. Our goal is to make change and make changemakers to transform society.
Co-create and learn from true partners.
Ensure that all program leaders engage in authentic conversations with diverse stakeholders, facilitate peer learning and cultivate a shared understanding that deep partnerships equate to better outcomes over time.
Motivate change through positive engagement. Inspire and connect with diverse partners and audiences through engagement, encourage innovation through a focus on solutions and provide knowledge and tools to prepare people for an unknown future through education.
Educate through real projects in real time. Build educational programs and experiences by or with substantial input from practitioners, assign projects that address current challenges, engage participants through hands-on activities, place people in both their own and foreign environments beyond traditional classrooms to deepen their learning.
Act on data, don’t manage to deliverables. Identify and build upon successes, have the courage to acknowledge when it’s not working and utilize adaptive management to say, “Let’s try this.” Successful delivery of output and outcomes, as well as a successful transition to a new strategy, is easier if you have the faith and confidence of the staff and funders.
Leverage relationships and resources.
Intersect program, institutional and functional boundaries to optimize outcomes for all. Create internal and external alliances with common goals. Spend every precious penny with integrity and clear intent.
Global Sustainability Solutions Services
Creating custom teams of experts to partner with organizations from around the world to co-create solutions for global challenges.
Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership
Equipping today’s and tomorrow’s leaders with the tools and skills to drive change throughout their organizations.
Global Sustainability Studies Program
Placing ASU students in immersive courses and engagements to work on sustainability solutions in a global context.
Sustainability Fellowship Program
Attracting the brightest minds in sustainability research and practice to collaborate with the Arizona State University community.
Sustainability Solutions Festival
Convening the most influential organizations to explore, discuss and celebrate how we can reimagine our lives and our planet.
Sustainability Teachers’ Academy
Providing teachers of all subjects from across the US with the knowledge and resources to integrate sustainability content and projects in their classrooms and schools.
Sustainability in Science Museums
Developing a global network of science museums with the potential to help millions of visitors understand how they can make a difference.
global 1,015,192,327 national 326,474,013 county/state 4,931,046
projects POPULATION IMP A DETC
nonprofit partners/foundations
togrowtheircareer
University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture
Arizona State University School of Sustainability
DO WE REACH AND HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE ACTION?
2,280reusablewater bottles
3,500showertimers
5,000reusable shopp
million
Michael Crow laid out a vision for a New American University based on eight design aspirations. These principles form the foundation for how ASU has become a global research leader and a beacon of access to higher education. The design aspirations are fully integrated throughout the university to achieve excellence, access and impact.
The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives were established to develop and deliver real-world solutions to sustainability challenges in diverse geographical, political and cultural settings. Over six years, the seven Walton initiatives have made impacts that map directly to the eight design aspirations of the New American University in order to make our planet better for all of its inhabitants.
“#1 University for Innovation (#2 Stanford, #3 MIT)” - US News & World Report, 2015, 2016 and 2017
Home to the first comprehensive degree-granting School of Sustainability in the U.S.
ASU uses its knowledge and encourages innovation.
Walton Initiatives’ objective:
Develop and implement innovative solutions.
10 innovative programs launched in 6 years as ASU-based social enterprise
51 awards for entrepreneurs
22 business clients with a total market value of $396.86billion
$500K Economic Development Authority grant for a circular economy business accelerator in Phoenix
Entrepreneurial Partners
ASU research has purpose and impact.
Walton Initiatives’ objective:
Move from knowledge to action.
86 projects completed
112 publications by Fellows and sustainability experts
49 replicable solution sets developed
172 faculty engaged on solutions projects
Instances of published applied research or project by Walton Fellows or sustainability experts pertaining to the following six topic areas: Sustainability Solutions
ASU is committed to the success of each unique student.
Walton Initiatives’ objective: Educate future leaders.
7,271 students and professionals focused on solutions
585 student assignments on real-world projects with stakeholders
510 scholarships for deserving students
career advancement
for executive education students
ASU creates knowledge by transcending academic disciplines.
Walton Initiatives’ objective: Solve complex problems.
20 ASU units involved
Arizona State University
School of Sustainability
Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability
ASU Foundation
Knowledge Enterprise Development
Entrepreneurship + Innovation
International Development
President’s Office
Office of Community and Municipal Relations
Office of Special Events
Colleges and Centers
Barrett, the Honors College
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cronkite School of Journalism
Fulton Schools of Engineering
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College
Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law
School for the Future of Innovation in Society
W.P. Carey School of Business
Center for Science & the Imagination: Climate Fiction
Creative Non Fiction: Sustainability Issue
ASU connects with communities through mutually beneficial partnerships.
Walton Initiatives’ objective:
Deep partnerships + Deep expertise = better outcomes over time
203 business and community partnerships
32 projects with 10 cities
58 non-profit partners
23 business collaborations
ASU engages with people and issues locally, nationally and internationally.
Walton Initiatives’ objective: Reach global scale.
143 museums in 32 countries and 50 states with potential audience of over 70.3million people
581 students in international classes working on solutions with global partners in 20 countries
86 projects in 9 countries on 5 continents
47 states with K-12 teachers implementing sustainability projects and programs
We have innovated, constructed and accelerated pathways to these sustainability solutions.
» An orphanage, a school and a community center in Jordan now have clean drinking water.
» The government of Albania can now link school improvements to economic growth to appeal to international agencies.
» Three young scientists – Shreya Nandy, Osvaldo Pagan and Dariannette Valentin – are continuing their study and research at ASU under scholarship.
» Ten new ventures are in the Circular Economy Business Incubator.
» The implementation of a regional circular economy has potential economic benefit of $123million GSP.
» Miraikan, Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, has adopted the sustainABLE® Activity Kit into multiple regional languages so that their visitors can directly translate sustainability engagements.
» The Nature Conservancy of Arizona has operationalized business clusters to thin forest and prevent devastating fires.
» The City of Phoenix has designated 40 acres for a resource center focusing on a circular economy and by-product synergies as part of their Resource Innovation Campus.
» Nine regional communities and a tribe have a tool to assess the feasibility of implementing a regional, multi-site organics processing system that diverts organic waste from landfills.
Each of these is viewed as a replicable pilot project.
“ “ Through the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives, we are able to take the idea of Sustainability and drive it forward in a much more accelerated way.
Michael M. Crow President, Arizona State University