Lehigh University
IN-27: Innovation D

The Sustainability Leadership & Innovation Institute enables current high school students to develop their skills as the environmental leaders of tomorrow during this week long program hosted by Lehigh’s Office of Sustainability. Students have the opportunity for place-based experiences focused on sustainability, creative inquiry and environmental innovation. Using an entrepreneurial mindset and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals framework, students create solutions to local sustainability challenges within a global context. Interwoven with off-campus trips, discussions with Lehigh students and professors, and a self-designed capstone project, students gain valuable academic and leadership skills through practical application.

This program focuses on topics such as food systems, environmental policy, environmental justice, community engagement, sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy, and circular economies and zero waste. Students engaged in activities like biking and canoeing in the Lehigh Valley, attending local events like the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market, touring the United Nations, and developing a project that cements the participants’ understanding of sustainability using design thinking with support from Lehigh students, faculty and staff mentors.