
Thanks to the support and advocacy of our donors, partners, volunteers and students, the Earth Institute made great strides toward sustainable development in 2012. We wanted to share a list of ten accomplishments made possible through our combined efforts.

Some 40 million people depend on the Colorado River Basin for water but warmer weather from rising greenhouse gas levels and a growing population may signal water shortages ahead.
Impressive seniors in the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development delivered their final presentations for the Fall 2012 to fellow students and faculty at Columbia University. The workshop is a required course for students in the Sustainable Development major or special concentration. The workshop is unique in that it requires students to work collaboratively on a specific, client-based…

This semester, visiting professor Laurence Tubiana, head of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in France, will be bringing her professional experience to bear as the instructor for two courses in the Earth Institute’s education programs, Political Economy of Energy and Climate Policy at the School of Continuing Education (SCE) and the…

The Earth Institute provides executive training in environmental sustainability through science, policy, and economics; we invite you to learn from our leading experts and practitioners to become an effective environmental leader and decision-maker.

Peri-urban areas are particularly vulnerable to land use conflicts due to their geographic and socio-economic characteristics: They are transitional zones in transforming societies, where various economic activities associated with each urban setting try to co-exist. In this context, peri-urban agriculture plays a key role for the multiplicity and diversity of stakeholders providing environmental and economic…

Francesco Fiondella is normally behind the scenes writing web stories, developing audio slideshows and videos for the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). But at this year’s annual American Geophysical Union (AGU), the tables were turned for a brief moment. He was video ambushed by climate scientist Andrew Robertson and forced to explain…

Who needs to take a break when you are out to help save the planet? This was the mindset of Isabel Ricker, who graduated from the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development in May 2012. After securing a prestigious summer internship at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Isabel has landed a full-time internship with…

Eileen Quigley (MSSM ’12) never imagined she’d become a consultant. Yet since she started working at Closed Loop Advisors, a sustainability consulting firm started by fellow MSSM alums, JD Capuano and Sami Abbay, Eileen came to realize that it was a great fit.