Sustainability at CAS
As a student of CAS, there are many opportunities to become involved in AUS’ sustainability endeavors. Students of all years and majors are encouraged to relate their fields of study to the pressing issues of climate change, material consumption, diversity, inclusion and more. For those students in CAS’ Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences program, studying environmental issues using scientific methods is a major focus of their degree. In their senior year, students of the program tackle a real-world environmental issue through an internship program and with the guidance of an experienced mentor.
With sustainability an increasingly important focus of many organizations across all industries, CAS is dedicated to equipping our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to advance sustainability causes in their future careers. CAS faculty work closely with AUS Sustainability, the entity responsible for advancing sustainability at the university, to integrate the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals into all CAS programs. AUS Sustainability also provides students with financial resources to develop their sustainability-related ideas through the Sustainability Project Fund, and connects students with relevant subject-matter experts and institutional data to help with such projects. Students can also directly contribute to the university’s sustainability-related causes by becoming EcoReps or volunteering for sustainability events. To learn more, visit www.aus.edu/sustainability.
CAS’ sustainability achievements are well recognized. The college is home to the AUS Green Team (which welcomes students from across the university), a student group mentored by CAS faculty, working closely with the AUS Sustainability Office. The team is dedicated to assessing AUS’ sustainability through key performance indicators of land use, biodiversity, energy, climate change, water, and waste, while also helping AUS to affect change by educating the whole AUS community on issues such as waste reduction, energy conservation, diversity and tolerance. The group received two major honors at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency’s Sustainable Campus Initiative Awards: the Best Green Campus Audit award and the Best Sustainability Action Project award. Students regularly present their work at Arab Forum for Environment and Development, World Future Energy Summit, WETEX and relevant international conferences together with faculty.
