Sustainability

Respecting the future is who we are.

Snapshots of sustainability around USC.

At USC, we understand that the future is shaped by our actions today. That’s why sustainability isn’t just a concept to us; it’s a commitment. Our dedication to fostering an eco-friendly and socially responsible campus is woven into every facet of our institution — from energy-efficient buildings and cutting-edge research to community outreach and individual responsibility.

Sustainability, the Trojan Way

Across our campuses, sustainability is ingrained as a fundamental value that fosters a united vision throughout the entire Trojan community. Students, faculty, staff, campus leaders, community partners and more work together to innovate sustainable solutions for shaping our planet’s future — a collective future that affects all of us.

 

Visit the USC Sustainability website

Education

By increasing the number of sustainability-focused courses, growing our faculty’s capacity to teach in this area through workshops, symposia and workshops, and expanding students’ experiential learning experiences, the Trojan curriculum is growing more than ever.

Research

Across campus, interdisciplinary research and training on sustainability is growing. With a focus on making real-world impacts, the climate change solutions we develop are replicable, scalable and can serve as a model for other institutions.

Taking Action

USC is advancing sustainability literacy and culture across campus and beyond, influencing sustainable behaviors and tracking our progress toward ambitious goals, such as achieving a STARS Platinum rating by 2028.

Operations

From achieving climate neutrality to waste diversion, water reduction and beyond, teams across campus are collaborating to minimize our carbon footprint and emissions and achieve zero waste as the operational goal of USC’s Assignment: Earth initiative.
Man picking a mung bean from the vine on their farm

The USC Sustainability Moonshot

USC is dedicated to creating a better world by addressing the pressing challenge of sustainability. Learn about USC’s Sustainability Moonshot, guided by Assignment: Earth – USC’s sustainability framework. Find out why USC is at the forefront of efforts to create a brighter, cleaner and healthier future.

Image of Earth and Moon from space
USC Sustainability Hub: Sam Schongalla, Carol L. Folt and Mahta Moghaddam tour the facility

USC’s Sustainability Hub

The 1,500-square-foot hub, situated in USC’s Gwynn Wilson Student Union building, is a dynamic and welcoming space for USC students, researchers, and staff to collaborate and innovate in sustainability initiatives. It is also home to Assignment: Earth, USC’s framework for sustainability operations, research and education.

Learn more about USC’s Sustainability Hub
Celebrating the opening of USC’s Sustainability Hub

Leading the Way in Sustainability

USC’s Assignment: Earth is a university-wide effort to champion sustainability through innovative research, green initiatives, education and collaboration. Together, the Trojan community is taking bold steps to protect our planet for generations to come.

All About USC’s Assignment: Earth
Check out the Assignment: Earth Dashboard
student riding a bike on campus

Tracking USC’s Sustainability Progress

USC staff potting plants at a station
Trojans speak up

Annual Sustainability Survey

Students conducting research at the beach
Working together for a sustainable future

USC Sustainability Progress Report

USC students pose for a group photo in a garden with gardening tools
A transparent, self-reporting framework

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS)

Voices Across USC

Trojan leaders share their perspectives on why sustainability matters not just for the university but also for broader societal and environmental well-being.

“Sustainability is all about our collective passage through this world. At USC, sustainability is our Assignment: Earth. It’s a centerpiece of our research and teaching, and of our policies and mindsets.”

Carol Folt USC President

President Folt is also an environmental scientist.

USC sustainability staff gathered together

“USC is making meaningful sustainability progress across numerous categories — energy conservation, water efficiency, diverting waste from landfills and integrating sustainability into more classes, for example.

Achieving zero waste at a university like USC is a complex equation. … Success will hinge on behavioral change. All Trojans have a part to play: We have to commit to rethinking waste as a resource — first reduce and reuse, and then recycle and compost.”

Mick Dalrymple USC Chief Sustainability Officer
Mick Dalrymple

“We’ve reached a point where we really need to do something before things get unsolvable. I think everyone by now agrees that climate change is happening. It’s not a matter of stopping it. It’s just a matter of dealing with it at this point in a way that least impacts society.”

Mahta Moghaddam Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Co-Director, Research Director of the Center for Sustainability Solutions; Co-Chair of the Presidential Working Group on Sustainable Education and Research for USC
Mahta Moghaddam

“This is the perfect time to help your network explore and dive into climate [issues].

All it takes is one moment, one conversation, one event to turn apathy into audacity and to believe that a better alternative is possible.”

JJ Flores Undergraduate Student, Presidential Working Group on Sustainability, Campus Operations Committee and Student Committee
A student speaking at a podium

Presidential Working Group (PWG) on Sustainability in Education, Research and Operations

USC President Carol Folt established the PWG on Sustainability in 2019 to guide the university toward sustainability leadership in education, research and campus operations. Comprising schools, offices and student organizations with six subcommittees focusing on critical areas, the group engages over 100 students, faculty and staff to drive sustainable practices and initiatives across the university.

Learn more about the Presidential Working Group on Sustainability
Group photo of the USC Presidential Working Group on Sustainability in Education, Research and Operations
out of focus closeup of grass and dew

USC Sustainability in the News

The latest in USC’s mission toward a sustainable future.

USC values in action

Trojan researchers, students, staff, community partners and more are going above and beyond to uncover new solutions for a sustainable future, addressing climate change and related issues to protect our environment.

A diver attaches seaweed to a research device

Take Action

Take action on sustainability