PSU aims to be a living laboratory of sustainability, with our efforts at research and education fully integrated with the community around us. We try to help our students understand the principles of sustainability no matter what field of study they choose. Sustainability is taught not as a separate topic, but integrated into most disciplinary majors and our general education requirements. Click here to read more about our sustainability educational offerings.

The Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices (CSP2) fosters multidisciplinary research that contributes to the development of sustainable solutions and strategies of relevance to the public and private sector communities locally, regionally, and internationally.  During 2008-09, CSP2 coordinated the funding and allocations from the Miller Grant for faculty, staff and students.

By incorporating sustainability into the curriculum and acadmic offerings at PSU, CSP2 is a main driver for PSU's innovation in the field of sustainability. This research will explicitly seek to advance the integration of social, economic, and environmental considerations into sustainable strategies and solutions. Projects will combine the academic expertise of PSU faculty and other research collaborators with the experiential knowledge of community practitioners.
 

Portland State’s efforts in sustainability research are focused into four areas of inquiry:

1. The integration of human societies and the natural environment. How do we as humans build societies that are integrated with the natural systems that support life? The answer to this question is increasingly critical as the world’s population increases and urban centers expand. PSU research provides a roadmap for sustainable development that brings about the harmonious integration of human and natural systems.
2. Creating sustainable urban communities. PSU is already known for its expertise and intellectual leadership in urban studies and urban planning. With our sustainability research, we are buildng on this strength through an interdisciplinary academic focus on the successful integration of the “triple bottom line” (economic, ecological and social needs) in urban centers. The City of Portland offers us the ideal research to study the changing ecological and socioeconomic conditions of a city already adopting many sustainable policies and principles.
3. Implementing sustainability and mechanisms of change. How and why do people, organizations and societies adopt more sustainable policies and behavior? And what motivates change? PSU faculty and students are researching how and why sustainability is (or isn’t) adopted.
4. Measuring sustainability. Many people and organizations choose to adopt sustainable practices without knowing whether or not a particular practice actually works. We provide the measurement tools and data that will enable the most effective practices possible, thereby fostering increasing sustainable behavior.

For more information about The Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices, click here.