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Arizona State University and Grist.org Team Up to Provide More Than 60,000 Students With News on Sustainability and Green Living

Launching September 10, 2008, the e-mail newsletter will include reporting on national environmental and sustainability news related to the university and throughout the Southwest. The agreement marks the first time a major public university has committed to regularly sharing environmental news with its students.

"Sustainability is a concept with as much transformative potential as justice, liberty, and equality, and ASU intends to foster it both in our academic institutions and broadly across business, industry, and government," said Arizona State University President Michael Crow. "By teaming up with the environmental news experts at Grist, ASU will provide a steady flow of ideas and information that bring sustainability issues into practical focus for all members of our campus community."

"Grist is thrilled to join forces with ASU in shaping how today's students, and tomorrow's leaders, think about issues of sustainability and their connections to everyday life," said Chip Giller, founder and president of Grist. "From climate and energy to food and transportation, Grist.org is a place where students and faculty alike can turn to make sense of the latest green news in a way that's fresh, relevant, and engaging."

ASU and Grist make a perfect pair. ASU has built a reputation as one of the most sustainable universities in the country and was recently ranked a top green university by The Princeton Review and Sierra Club. Grist has a track record of bringing environmental news to people in an irreverent style that keeps them entertained and engaged. Grist.org has received accolades from media outlets such as Time magazine, the London Guardian, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and National Public Radio.

ASU has made an unprecedented commitment to sustainability and it permeates the entire university. Its Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of sustainability initiatives. In 2007, it opened the nation's first School of Sustainability. The school, which brings together multiple disciplines, aims to train a new generation focused on sustainability and develop practical solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges, especially related to urban areas.

"We've developed a different kind of program focused not on a particular field or methodology but on designing a new, sustainable world that includes a variety of social, technological, and cultural institutions," said Jonathan Fink, the Julie Ann Wrigley director of the Global Institute of Sustainability. The School of Sustainability offers graduate and undergraduate degrees, a professional certificate program, and classes for business students earning a concentration in sustainability. Both the Global Institute of Sustainability and the School of Sustainability were established through generous gifts from Julie Ann Wrigley.

"The greening of the university is part of an overall strategy that will increase the value of an ASU degree," said ASU senior Chris Samila, founder of The Green Summit -- a student-organized conference/expo and one of the largest sustainability-focused events inArizona. Grist's content will help students better understand the opportunities and challenges we're facing."

The agreement with Grist deepens ASU's commitment to respond to climate change and promote campus sustainability by keeping students, faculty, and staff informed about the important environmental issues and events shaping their world. Grist intends for the ASU agreement to be the first of many projects with colleges and universities across the country.

About Grist.org

With a fresh spin on environmental news and views, Grist.org informs, inspires, and links America's next generation of green activists. Founded in April 1999, Grist has developed the most recognizable voice in environmental journalism: funny, opinionated, and intelligent. Grist offers in-depth reporting, news analysis, opinions, and practical advice -- all tailored to inform, entertain, provoke, and encourage its readers to think creatively about environmental problems and solutions. Each month, Grist reaches more than 700,000 unique individuals through its website and e-mails. Through syndication arrangements with other media outlets Grist reaches an audience that extends into the millions.

About Arizona State University

ASU has a vision to be a New American University, promoting excellence in its research and among its students and faculty, increasing access to its educational resources, and working with communities to positively impact social and economic development. Sustainability is a fundamental precept underlying ASU's teaching, learning, research, and business missions. For more information visit ASU at http://www.asu.edu or the Global Institute of Sustainability at http://sustainability.asu.edu.

SOURCE Arizona State University; Grist.org