California State University, Fullerton
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification

Sustainability research generally focuses on one or more of the following using sustainability as a lens to examine a topic: -creating a healthy economy, healthy society, and/or healthy environment that meets our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs -systems-thinking, which is a more holistic way of looking at complex issues and the interconnectedness of our world (rather than looking at a portion of the issue) -exploring connections between different fields. This definition is a basic understanding developed by a subset of the Sustainability Ad Hoc Task Force, which included three faculty members and one student. The definition will be further developed and refined through inter-campus collaboration including The Sustainable Future: The Great Debate Project.

The Office of Research Development database and department website faculty pages were queried for keyword terms: Sustainable, sustainability, environment, social justice, equality, equity, divers(e/ity), green, eco (ecology), LEED, conserv (e/ation), preserv (e/ation). The list of keywords along with analysis of research interests was used to determine faculty research meeting the definition of sustainability research.

This inventory is a preliminary review intended to establish a baseline and best practice for further development and maintenance of sustainability research inventories. Because of the methodology used, some faculty and departments that do conduct sustainability research as defined by the institution may be excluded herein.