The Sustainability House at Barrett, the Honors College, is a student-initiated, student-run project that works to build a strong living and learning community of students with a common interest in understanding and acting upon a broad range of sustainability-related issues. Approximately 200 students from a variety of disciplines and undergraduate levels call the Sustainability House home — two connected residence halls that are specially designed to meet the community’s needs in the new Barrett, the Honors College Academic Complex. Solar panels, a grey water reuse system, an organic garden, an experimental green roof, and state-of-the-art energy use modeling are all extra features for the Sustainability House building. The student community will partner with administration, faculty, staff, and members of the greater community to examine their own role — both in a local and a global sense — in building a more sustainable world. Students will have the responsibility of learning to work together to establish a dynamic, shared vision of what a sustainable future means, and they will be supported by Barrett and the university to work toward achieving this goal both within and beyond the classroom.

The Barrett Academic Complex buildings are pending certification to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Tempe Transit Center includes orbit buses, city buses, light rail station, and commuter bike storage. It is a major hub of transit which is a fantastic way to get students to and from campus. Since the light rail has come in, we’ve reduced car use by students living in residential halls driving from campus from 65% to 15%. There’s also an additional light rail stop on University and Rural for students, faculty, and staff to access. 

The garden on the north end of the Student Services Building is both aesthetic and edible: this garden contains herbs, such as basil and mint, as well as tomato plants. The garden is maintained by Arboretum volunteers. The Arboretum Herb Garden represents one component of the ASU Local Foods Initiative, a Facilities Management program to harvest and use the edible food that is grown on campus. The University Club, one of ASU’s dining establishments, uses the herbs grown outside of the Student Services Building in many of its dishes; and opportunities are currently being explored to locate other potential buyers for ASU foods.

Notably, the Herb Garden is fertilized by compost produced by the ASU composting program. Working with Ken Singh Farms, a local farm that composts organic waste, Facilities Management diverts an average of 12 tons of organic waste per month from the landfill. In return, ASU receives 15,200 pounds of organic compost for use in ASU's landscaping. ASU is working to develop more composting initiatives on campus.

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Arboretum at ASU

ASU Campus Harvest, a Facilities Management program to harvest and use the edible food that is grown in the campus arboretum, has partnered with Sun Devil Dining and the ASU Bookstores to provide edible landscaping in campus dining menus. Two of the most abundant crops on the ASU campus are Medjool dates and Seville oranges. Sun Devil Dining has incorporated these ingredients into delicious menu items such as date bars, brownies, Seville orange vinaigrettes and "Devil-ade." Maintained by Arboretum volunteers, students from the Sustainability House at Barrett and the garden club, the Arboretum Herb Garden provides basil, mint, and tomatoes for the University Club, which is one of ASU’s dining establishments. 

There are 8 gardens across all ASU campuses, including the Poly Garden and the Tempe Garden, where students have the opportunity to take gardening classes.

The MU houses a sustainable eatery, Engrained Café. They provide a seasonal menu of locally grown and organic harvested produce, fair trade coffee, cage-free eggs, all-natural chicken, sustainable seafood, and vegan and vegetarian options. 

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Arboretum at ASU

Biking represents a sustainable alternative to personal vehicle use and is a practical and environmentally-friendly transportation option in the ASU community. ASU is rated as a gold level bike friendly campus, with a lot of infrastructure to make this possible considering our huge student population. One of these bike features is the bike valet, can leave bike in location as you go to MU, free and safe! 

To encourage students, faculty, and staff to bike to campus instead of driving, the Bike Co-op provides reduced-cost tools, parts (both new and used), and assistance needed to repair bicycles. Also, the Bike Co-op houses the USG Community Bikes program, an initiative that allows ASU students, faculty, and staff to check out one of 15 bicycles for up to 10 days for no charge. The Tempe Bike Co-op provides easy access to compressor stations for inflating tires, courtesy of State Farm Insurance.

Learn how to purchase used bikes through ASU. 

The Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) is a component of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Decision Making under Uncertainty initiative, DCDC is a place where scientists and policymakers can meet to make more effective decisions in the face of an uncertain climatic future. Specifically, DCDC focuses on water management in the context of Central Arizona’s complex political and economic systems, rapid urbanization and population growth, variable desert climate, and the broader issue of global climate change. Through sophisticated modeling techniques and outreach programs, DCDC allows researchers and public decision makers to collaborate to develop solutions for a sustainable city within a desert region.

Sustainability Points of Pride

The Brickyard Orchid House houses both the Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) and Decision Theater, a highly interactive environment where scientists and policymakers can meet to discuss the creation of a sustainable desert city. Decision Theater’s main feature is “the Drum,” a 260-degree faceted screen that can display panoramic computer graphics and 3D video content. Decision Theater also offers a variety of tools and technologies to facilitate participant feedback and interaction. The cutting-edge technologies in Decision Theater allow researchers and policymakers to use sophisticated modeling applications to visualize current urban conditions as well as the potential consequences of behavior, climate, and policy changes. Visualizing future scenarios enables policy-makers to make well-informed decisions that can lead the urban areas of Central Arizona toward a more sustainable future.

Sustainability Points of Pride

Arizona State University's solar portfolio is the largest of any university in the U.S., and perhaps the world.

ASU has more than 24-MWdc of photovoltaic (PV), concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and solar thermal solar systems at 89 locations on all four of its campuses, the ASU Research Park, and off campus at the Red Rock Facility. These include fixed, single-axis and multi-axis tracker systems located on building rooftops, parking structures, surface parking and open land.Twenty-four MWdc capacity equals nearly 50 percent of ASU's present peak daytime load.

The Solar PowerParasol at the MU has transformed the space from a hot pathway to a social center with plentiful seating and an entertainment stage. The shade mitigates an urban heat island. The spaces between the panels are on purpose to mimic the shade of a tree. 

ASU's 24.1-MWdc solar generating capacity avoids 23,267 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (MT CO2e) per year, roughly the same as the annual emissions of 4,804 passenger vehicles. The estimated annual production of 42,826 megawatt hours is equivalent to the energy required to power 3,366 homes for one year, or 7.5 percent of ASU's 2012 Grean House Gas (GHG) inventory.

Visit the ASU solar website at asusolar.asu.edu for current information about the university's Solarization Initiative.

There are many reasons ASU is the perfect place for solar energy. Below are five top reasons why ASU has undertaken a massive program to power its campuses with renewable energy:

1. ASU is a founding signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which requires immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Numerous solar PV systems across ASU campuses prominently display the university's commitment to renewable energy and carbon neutrality.
3. Renewable energy systems provide points toward LEED certification and ASU requires all new buildings to be at least LEED silver certified. 
4. Arizona Public Service, one of ASU's energy service providers, predicts electricity rates will continue to rise over the next several years primarily due to volatility of fossil fuel prices. 
5. It's the right thing to do. 

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ASU LightWorks