Stanford is deeply engaged in cutting-edge research and innovative teaching on the environment and sustainability.

Central to this endeavor is the Initiative on the Environment and Sustainability. It supports interdisciplinary research and teaching involving all seven of Stanford’s schools as well as centers, institutes and programs across campus, in recognition of the fact that solutions to complex challenges demand collaboration across multiple fields.

This is a major undertaking: the university is raising $250 million for the Initiative. It’s part of The Stanford Challenge, a campus-wide effort aimed at seeking solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and educating students for leadership in the 21st century. Stanford is working to raise $4.3 billion over five years to advance these goals. Learn more at The Stanford Challenge website.

As part of the effort to extend environmental teaching, Stanford introduced the pioneering I-Earth (Introduction to the Earth) curriculum in fall 2006. This program helps students develop an interdisciplinary understanding of our planet and the intersections of its natural and human systems. Organizers want to make I-Earth a general education requirement, putting sustainability education on a par with humanities.

Stanford schools and departments offer an array of courses and degree programs focused on sustainability. The Stanford Environmental Portal provides extensive information about environmental research and education across the campus.