A collection of recent news and upcoming events curated for alumni and friends of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability every spring, summer, and fall.
In this issue: Stanford’s academic social contract; sustainable architecture on campus and globally; executive excursion program; sustainability courses for undergraduates; nominations for the annual SDSS Alumni Awards.
A Dean’s Lecture focused on how Stanford University has negotiated its place of influence in U.S. society and world affairs over the course of its history – and why it’s time to renegotiate that place of influence.
As part of the Big Ideas in Sustainability lecture series, Jeanne Gang spoke with Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair, Sarah Billington, on bringing new life to old buildings and helping to sustainably rebuild communities after a disaster.
A new working group will make recommendations for how every Stanford undergraduate can participate in sustainability education, whether through courses, degree programs, or extracurricular experiences.
“The evidence for climate change and the human role in causing the warming that we have seen in recent decades is really overwhelmingly clear. There are no Democratic or Republican thermometers.”
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Chris Field, on
PBS News
“This study, I think, tells us that we can design the future of battery recycling to optimize the environmental benefits. We can write the script.”
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Will Tarpeh, in
Stanford Report “Whenever someone says it’s something, everyone else’s hackles get up: ‘How could you have a lichen 20 feet tall?’”
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Kevin Boyce, in
Smithsonian
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Alumni News & Opportunities
Alumni Award nominations We are accepting nominations for our Early- to Mid-Career and Distinguished Alumni Awards through May 2, 2025. This is an excellent opportunity for you to nominate an alum who is deserving of this recognition for their professional contributions to the field of sustainability. For more information, please click here.
Upcoming events Stanford Open Minds Chicago, 4-9 p.m. CT, Saturday, April 5, 2025, Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive. Connect with your local Stanford community, hear from university leadership and faculty members, and experience Stanford in Chicago. Come early to connect, reconnect, and join the Stanford Open Minds community. Register here.
Stanford Open Minds San Francisco, 4-9 p.m. PT, Saturday, June 7, 2025, Pier 27, The Embarcadero. Join your local Stanford community in the San Francisco Bay Area and hear from university leadership and faculty members. Connect with the Stanford Open Minds community. You can add the event to your calendar. Registration opens on April 17.
Beyond the Farm volunteering
Is there a one-day project you’d like to help on or lead in your community–like a beach/park clean-up or gardening? If so, submit your idea and/or sign up for one or more Beyond the Farm spring projects, all of which take place from April 22 to May 4. Sign-ups open March 28, and you can submit project ideas until then, as well as attend an online info session on March 13.
Join a sustainability-driven alumni group The Stanford Alumni Association offers several dynamic alumni groups with a sustainability focus, and they’re a great way to connect with peers interested and/or working in various areas of the field:
If you haven’t already, please open a Stanford Pass account in order to learn about and sign up for any or all alumni groups.
Submit your photos to the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
2025 photo contest! All Stanford students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and alumni can enter, and the deadline is March 21, 2025.
We’re on Bluesky! In addition to our established
social media channels, the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is now on Bluesky.
Follow us on Bluesky for news, research, and updates from our community.
Please let us know if there is anything else you'd like to see in your community e-newsletter. All suggestions are welcome and appreciated!
