State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Alumni News9

  • Graduate Applies Skills Towards Wildlife Conservation

    Graduate Applies Skills Towards Wildlife Conservation

    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…

  • Career Path Leads Alumna Back to Columbia

    Career Path Leads Alumna Back to Columbia

    Amy Hill has worked on projects ranging from recycling initiatives to the built environment, both at home and abroad. Amy served as a Policy Analyst at the EPA and worked for the environmental department in Australia. Now, Amy lives in Manhattan with her family, working as the Associate Director of Research at the Earth Institute.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Embarking on Corporate Consulting Career

    Sustainability Management Alum Embarking on Corporate Consulting Career

    MS in Sustainability Management alum Sarah Gudernatch (’12) knew from the moment she started the program that she wanted to work in corporate sustainability. After having worked in the non-profit and real-estate sectors, she felt that business was where she could really make a difference. As a Sustainability Consultant at Two Tomorrows, an international corporate…

  • CERC Certificate Alum Pursues His Passion For Protecting Oceans

    CERC Certificate Alum Pursues His Passion For Protecting Oceans

    Learn more about Mike Misner, a 2006 graduate of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability at the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC).

  • Sustainability Management Alums Take the Entrepreneurial Path to Success

    Sustainability Management Alums Take the Entrepreneurial Path to Success

    When JD Capuano and Sami Abbay joined the M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) program back in September 2010, they both knew from the start that they wanted to become entrepreneurs. Over the course of the past two years, JD and Sami were able to make their career dreams a reality in the form of Closed…

  • Sustainable Development Grad Puts Theory to Practice in SE Asia

    Sustainable Development Grad Puts Theory to Practice in SE Asia

    Within two weeks of graduating from the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development in May 2012, Patrick Blute found himself launched into a management trainee program with the non-profit Rustic Pathways and on his way to Southeast Asia.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Pursues Green Building Dreams

    Sustainability Management Alum Pursues Green Building Dreams

    “On a professional level, I believe that the program’s Workshop course helped me to develop the constructive communication skills that I need in order to be able to effectively connect with my clients.” MS in Sustainability Management alum Jessica Bollhoefer (’12) recently started working as a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Goby L.L.C., a LEED and…

  • MPA Alum Makes Sustainability Fashionable

    MPA Alum Makes Sustainability Fashionable

    “I am constantly confronted by new challenges, ranging from finding eco-friendly packaging and shipping materials to learning the intricate details involved in professional web design. I enjoy these challenges and the freedom to express and share my socially conscious vision through fashion.” MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alum, Adam Batnick (’10), recently started his…

  • ESP Alum Attends Rio +20

    ESP Alum Attends Rio +20

    Last month, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alum Krystal Laymon (MPA-ESP Class of 2012) traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Rio +20: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference, intended to be a follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, was the largest United Nations environmental summit to date.…

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Graduate Applies Skills Towards Wildlife Conservation

    Graduate Applies Skills Towards Wildlife Conservation

    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…

  • Career Path Leads Alumna Back to Columbia

    Career Path Leads Alumna Back to Columbia

    Amy Hill has worked on projects ranging from recycling initiatives to the built environment, both at home and abroad. Amy served as a Policy Analyst at the EPA and worked for the environmental department in Australia. Now, Amy lives in Manhattan with her family, working as the Associate Director of Research at the Earth Institute.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Embarking on Corporate Consulting Career

    Sustainability Management Alum Embarking on Corporate Consulting Career

    MS in Sustainability Management alum Sarah Gudernatch (’12) knew from the moment she started the program that she wanted to work in corporate sustainability. After having worked in the non-profit and real-estate sectors, she felt that business was where she could really make a difference. As a Sustainability Consultant at Two Tomorrows, an international corporate…

  • CERC Certificate Alum Pursues His Passion For Protecting Oceans

    CERC Certificate Alum Pursues His Passion For Protecting Oceans

    Learn more about Mike Misner, a 2006 graduate of the Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability at the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC).

  • Sustainability Management Alums Take the Entrepreneurial Path to Success

    Sustainability Management Alums Take the Entrepreneurial Path to Success

    When JD Capuano and Sami Abbay joined the M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) program back in September 2010, they both knew from the start that they wanted to become entrepreneurs. Over the course of the past two years, JD and Sami were able to make their career dreams a reality in the form of Closed…

  • Sustainable Development Grad Puts Theory to Practice in SE Asia

    Sustainable Development Grad Puts Theory to Practice in SE Asia

    Within two weeks of graduating from the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development in May 2012, Patrick Blute found himself launched into a management trainee program with the non-profit Rustic Pathways and on his way to Southeast Asia.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Pursues Green Building Dreams

    Sustainability Management Alum Pursues Green Building Dreams

    “On a professional level, I believe that the program’s Workshop course helped me to develop the constructive communication skills that I need in order to be able to effectively connect with my clients.” MS in Sustainability Management alum Jessica Bollhoefer (’12) recently started working as a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Goby L.L.C., a LEED and…

  • MPA Alum Makes Sustainability Fashionable

    MPA Alum Makes Sustainability Fashionable

    “I am constantly confronted by new challenges, ranging from finding eco-friendly packaging and shipping materials to learning the intricate details involved in professional web design. I enjoy these challenges and the freedom to express and share my socially conscious vision through fashion.” MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alum, Adam Batnick (’10), recently started his…

  • ESP Alum Attends Rio +20

    ESP Alum Attends Rio +20

    Last month, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alum Krystal Laymon (MPA-ESP Class of 2012) traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Rio +20: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference, intended to be a follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, was the largest United Nations environmental summit to date.…