State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

MS in Sustainability Management News59

  • MS Students Focus on Newark’s Sustainability Action Plan

    MS Students Focus on Newark’s Sustainability Action Plan

    On Oct. 19, MS in Sustainability Management students in Professor Lynnette Widder’s SUMA K4162: Responsibility and Resilience in the Built Environment class participated in a field trip to Newark, N.J. The trip marked the beginning of the students’ final term project, into which they will integrate the information and ideas introduced in this course.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Works to Implement Rio+20 Promises

    Sustainability Management Alum Works to Implement Rio+20 Promises

    “We are hoping to gain recognition for the need to re-think traditional UN approaches for global action toward addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. It is quite an ambitious undertaking, but NRDC’s work in this realm involves a wide range of campaigns and projects that are making huge strides, and it’s an…

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • Students Explore Sustainable Agriculture at McEnroe Farm

    The McEnroe Farm opened in the late 1980s, with the help of the McEnroe and Durst families of Duchess County, who had a shared vision for the future of sustainable agriculture. Over time, their endeavor has grown from a small farm with a roadside stand to one of the largest organic farms in the Northeast,…

  • MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    14 M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) students were selected to be a part of the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps Fellowship program this summer. Through this 10-week fellowship, over 100 graduate students from around the country are placed within leading organizations including companies, cities, and universities to serve as organizational change agents for energy…

  • Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Last spring, the pressing issue of water prompted a passionate group of Columbia graduate students across a variety of disciplines to band together and form the Columbia Aquanauts. As the only club on campus focusing on water management, the Aquanauts aim to build a space where students can not only discuss their views and knowledge…

  • M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    Prior to completing the M.S. in Sustainability Management program in spring 2013, MSSM alum Nick Turchak and current MSSM student Sally Paridis developed a corporate communication platform for sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA) data as part of their independent project. Both students drew on skills learned from the Industrial Ecology course, taught by adjunct…

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…

  • From Consulting to Cycling: MSSM Alumni Join Climate Ride

    From Consulting to Cycling: MSSM Alumni Join Climate Ride

    MSSM alums JD Capuano, Eileen Quigley, and Ryan Meinke have gone on to make businesses more sustainable, adaptive and innovative through their work as consultants. This September, the group will take their passion for sustainability one step further when they ride 320 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness and support…

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • MS Students Focus on Newark’s Sustainability Action Plan

    MS Students Focus on Newark’s Sustainability Action Plan

    On Oct. 19, MS in Sustainability Management students in Professor Lynnette Widder’s SUMA K4162: Responsibility and Resilience in the Built Environment class participated in a field trip to Newark, N.J. The trip marked the beginning of the students’ final term project, into which they will integrate the information and ideas introduced in this course.

  • Sustainability Management Alum Works to Implement Rio+20 Promises

    Sustainability Management Alum Works to Implement Rio+20 Promises

    “We are hoping to gain recognition for the need to re-think traditional UN approaches for global action toward addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. It is quite an ambitious undertaking, but NRDC’s work in this realm involves a wide range of campaigns and projects that are making huge strides, and it’s an…

  • MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    MS Alum Banks on Sustainability Management Skills

    While a part-time student in the program, M.S. in Sustainability Management alum Lizzette Butkiewicz (’12), was working full-time at a boutique trade finance firm with the hope of merging her interest in sustainability with her background in finance. Now, as the Manager of Community Investments in the Corporate Sustainability team at HSBC, Lizzette is doing…

  • Students Explore Sustainable Agriculture at McEnroe Farm

    The McEnroe Farm opened in the late 1980s, with the help of the McEnroe and Durst families of Duchess County, who had a shared vision for the future of sustainable agriculture. Over time, their endeavor has grown from a small farm with a roadside stand to one of the largest organic farms in the Northeast,…

  • MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    MS Students Implement Energy Management Initiatives as EDF Climate Corps Fellows

    14 M.S. in Sustainability Management (MSSM) students were selected to be a part of the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps Fellowship program this summer. Through this 10-week fellowship, over 100 graduate students from around the country are placed within leading organizations including companies, cities, and universities to serve as organizational change agents for energy…

  • Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Columbia Aquanauts Hope Passion for Water Issues Has Ripple Effect

    Last spring, the pressing issue of water prompted a passionate group of Columbia graduate students across a variety of disciplines to band together and form the Columbia Aquanauts. As the only club on campus focusing on water management, the Aquanauts aim to build a space where students can not only discuss their views and knowledge…

  • M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    M.S. Students Develop Communication Platform for Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment

    Prior to completing the M.S. in Sustainability Management program in spring 2013, MSSM alum Nick Turchak and current MSSM student Sally Paridis developed a corporate communication platform for sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA) data as part of their independent project. Both students drew on skills learned from the Industrial Ecology course, taught by adjunct…

  • Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    Q&A: Climate Change, Drought and the Future

    “One of the ways that climate change is going to manifest is through warmer temperatures. … What we are seeing, in line with our projections, is that even if you assume constant precipitation, the temperature effects are so large that it is going to dry things out. This is going to have really big impacts…

  • From Consulting to Cycling: MSSM Alumni Join Climate Ride

    From Consulting to Cycling: MSSM Alumni Join Climate Ride

    MSSM alums JD Capuano, Eileen Quigley, and Ryan Meinke have gone on to make businesses more sustainable, adaptive and innovative through their work as consultants. This September, the group will take their passion for sustainability one step further when they ride 320 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness and support…