Apr 19 2010
The Alberici Foundation has provided a grant of $5 million to the Saint Louis University for setting up a novel Center for Sustainability. The center will be used for developing collaborative, creative solutions to address some of the environmental issues facing today’s society. Based in Midtown St. Louis, the center is likely to focus especially on sustainability concerns in urban areas.
To inculcate the message of sustainability to the would-be leaders of tomorrow, the Center for Sustainability will offer students with a postgraduate degree in sustainability commencing from fall 2010. This two-year program will enable students to gain knowledge on sophisticated green practices in engineering, business and urban planning.
Out of the total $5 million grant from the Alberici Foundation, $1 million has been allocated solely to start the Alberici Fund for Innovation in Sustainability, a program focused on the growth of green-related research projects.
Furthermore, the new center will focus on public education as well. To this end, the center plans to offer the bi-annual “Energy Matters,” which is a lecture series running for a period of six weeks to teach business professionals on sustainability and energy efficiency. The new center will also host its one-day tradeshow “Greenovation Place” on April 21 of this year.
The Center for Sustainability is a joint initiative between the Saint Louis University’s College of Education and Public Service; Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology; John Cook School of Business; and College of Arts and Sciences. Additional collaborative efforts are also under consideration with other schools and colleges of the Saint Louis University.