Center For Social Innovation & Sustainability

The Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation is the hub of Arizona State University’s sustainability research initiatives. The institute advances research and business practices for an urbanizing world. Its sister program, the College of Global Futures, both within the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, offers transdisciplinary degree programs focused on finding practical solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.

The Institute is managed by the McCombs School of Business and is built in partnership with the Moody College of Communication. Our work focuses on corporate sustainability, sustainable finance, impact innovation and infrastructure, and sustainability communications. Our Mission: The GLSI develops leadership and solutions that address critical sustainability challenges and shape an inclusive, regenerative global economy and society. Our Vision: A world where profits and purpose meet to drive positive change.

Convene entrepreneurs, executives, investors, philanthropists, researchers, and other change agents to accelerate the speed, scale, and effectiveness of social innovations across the spectrum of capital.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative (JEDSI) seeks to examine the relationship between social inequalities, lived experiences, and environmental outcomes. To this end, JEDSI currently focuses on eight primary areas of research, teaching, and practice: Environmental History; Nature, Outdoor Experiences, Attitudes, and Perceptions; Environmental Inequalities, Resilience, and Sustainability; Food and Farming: Access, Sovereignty, Food Justice; Institutional Diversity, Transparency, and Workforce Dynamics; Diversity Pathway Programming; New Horizons in Conservation Conference; Mentoring and Profiles of Environmental Professionals of Color.

The Sol Price Center for Social Innovation develops ideas and illuminate strategies to improve the quality of life for people in low-income urban communities. Together with the Price School’s academic rigor and practice-based expertise, the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation works to advance new models of equity and opportunity for low-income children and families, as well as advance the field of social innovation through scholarship and rigorous academic inquiry.

The Center for Analytical Approaches to Social Innovation (CAASI) translates a real-world problem from the community into a set of quantitative research questions and engages experts across disciplines to solve them. Through coordination, we help each team produce outputs that are both publishable in their field and can be used by another team. We then integrate these disparate findings into a solution for the community.