Sustainability

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Sustainability Overview

Sustainability has grown from a niche field to an increasingly crucial discipline impacting all aspects of society. That’s why Chatham has developed four unique tracks within our Bachelor of Sustainability program: Sustainable Energy & Urban Systems, Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Business, and a Self-Designed track.  

Degrees Offered
  • BA
  • BS
Program School
Falk School of Sustainability & Environment

Our world is changing so fast.  Problems we face – climate change, social injustice, biodiversity loss – are wickedly complex. But learning to understand them is a powerful way to understand the world. This degree will reveal the overlapping systems (ecology, economics, culture, politics) that drive society.  At Eden Hall Campus you’ll get your hands dirty and come away with experience to face the future. 

— Lou Leonard, JD, Dean, Falk School of Sustainability & Environment

Photo of a smiling Chatham University student

Student Profile: Mya Green '22

Mya is a sustainability student here at Chatham who dreams of improving the world through food. Learn more about her, her aspirations, and her advice to fellow students.

Meet Mya Green '22

Explore the Sustainability Degree:

  • Students may also choose to further their education at Chatham through pursuing an Integrated Degree Program (IDP) with either our Master of Sustainability or the Master of Arts in Food Studies. Through the IDP, students earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in as few as five years, saving time and money.

  • Students don't have to declare a track until their second year, and during their first year will be exposed to career opportunities and professionals that will provide them with information to help them choose the track that will let them be changemakers in their preferred field.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
This course helps students to understand the roles and responsibilities of organizations beyond just making an economic profit. Students are exposed to approaches to managing CSR. CSR is explored as a way for organizations to create value, thus, CSR is seen as crucial for business success in the 21st century.
 

Sustainable and Resilient Cities
This course analyzes cities as complex systems with subsystems such as food and water, energy, and transportation. We will explore systemic approaches for urban sustainability and climate resiliency, drawing on examples worldwide.

Natural Resource Management Policy and Law
Contemporary natural resource management policy issues are addressed emphasizing domestic policy solutions. Major initiatives and implementation toward sustainable resource use and healthy environments are discussed and analyzed to determine implementation strategy success levels, to assess adequacy within bioregional/ecosystem approaches, and to integrate economic and environmental decisions. Local site visit(s) expected.

View Full Curriculum

Our Faculty

If one word could best sum up Chatham's faculty, it would be engaged. Professors bring experiences to relate the course lessons to real-world situations.

Full Faculty
Logo: Chatham C
Linda MK Johnson
Associate Dean, FSSE Undergraduate Education; Chairperson, Environmental Science; Associate Professor of Sustainability and the Environment
Photo of Darrell Moses
Darnell Moses
Visiting Assistant Professor of Equitable and Sustainable Communities
Photo of Ryan Utz
Ryan Utz
Assistant Professor of Water Resources
Photo of Mary Whitney
Mary Whitney
Assistant Professor of Practice of Sustainability
Photo of Orchard Hall at Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus, a building with large windows and wood paneled walls and solar paneling on the roof.

The Eden Hall Campus Residency

A signature part of Chatham’s BSUS program is the Eden Hall Campus Residency. The immersion year at Eden Hall is an integral part of the program, as students live and learn on the campus where they will apply their knowledge and interests toward projects that tackle sustainability challenges. 

Explore Eden Hall Campus : Checkerboard 3 - The Eden Hall Campus Residency
Photo of Chatham University sustainability students working in the aquaculture lab at Eden Hall Farm, monitoring fish in large and small tanks.

A Living-Learning Laboratory

Eden Hall Campus is home to the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment, and a living-learning laboratory in the areas of water; food and sustainable agriculture; energy and climate; design and planning; and community and health.

Sustainability

Play Video

Solar Power at ChathamU

Photo of students working in a greenhouse on Eden Hall Campus

Environmental Science & Sustainability: What’s the Difference?

Photo of Melany Arriola smiling

Alumna profile: Melany Arriola, BSUS '20

Photo of two students, one wearing an Eco Rep shirt, pick up litter on Shadyside Campus

Mary Whitney and the Eco-Reps