University of Colorado Colorado Springs
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification

A group of faculty at UCCS has agreed on the following working definition of sustainability research: “Sustainability Research at UCCS seeks to advance theoretical or applied knowledge that contributes to increased social equity, environmental protection, and/or socially- and environmentally-responsible economic development. Research activities may contribute directly (e.g. investigating causes of homelessness or environmental change) or indirectly (e.g. focusing on basic knowledge or methods) to support sustainability goals of providing for the present without compromising conditions for future generations.” The definition was drafted by the Director of the minor in Sustainable Development, then circulated for comments and revision among more than a dozen research faculty actively involved in the minor. Faculty members come from a range of departments and colleges across campus, including Geography and Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sociology, and the College of Business.

UCCS has conducted an inventory of sustainability research activities and initiatives. The Director of the Sustainable Development minor sent an initial request to all research faculty to report sustainability-focused or related research. As a follow up to the responses received, the Director then examined individual webpages for research faculty in every department across campus to assess whether additional individuals were also conducting sustainability research. Individuals whose work clearly related to sustainability were included in the inventory; those who did not self-report and whose research was not clearly related or not publicly posted were not counted. In addition, several departments explicitly identify research interests that pertain to core principles in sustainability, so these were included in the inventory based on the combination of self-reporting and website analysis.