• Accounting » USC Leventhal School of Accounting:
In a field that truly prides itself on planning for the future, making sound investments, and keeping detailed records, the theories of accounting provide the structural foundation behind going green. Meticulous records and research have indicated that current behavior trends of humans are unsustainable, and that behavioral changes are necessary to ensure future generations have the same opportunities as we do. This means that resources must be redistributed and statistical projections for the future must be used to influence our accountability to future generations. Things such as the carbon market and energy efficiency ratings are just the tips of the icebergs of how accounting will be influenced by the environmental movement, especially if a carbon capping bill can be pushed through the Senate.
• Architecture » USC School of Architecture
While many architects see what they do as an art form, they know their creativity must be in context to achieve any success. New Urbanism represents the movement to rethink the way architects design their structures in order to promote sustainable cities. This movement affects the type of structures being built, where they’re being built, the purpose or purposes of a structure and how they are built to efficiently use energy. With an emphasis on high-density living through multi-purpose structures that promote green transportation methods, architects are incentivized to go green. The amount of green innovation in architecture is constantly changing design techniques with the incorporation of green roofs, solar panels, vertical farms, geothermal heating, and on and on. This sort of innovation is rewarded by the US Green Building Council which rewards sustainable buildings with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.
• Business » USC Marshall School of Business:
The future of business is green, and I’m not just talking about money. President Obama emphasized in his first State of the Union address that regardless if someone denies the facts proving Global Climate Change, the world is moving towards cleaner and more efficient energy, and businesses will have to adapt to this change. If the customers demand green, organizations that want to make a profit are going to have to meet these needs. This results in green marketing (whether its legitimate or simply “greenwashing”) that tries to appease this change in customer preference for more sustainable products. This change will also be present in organizational cultures as companies incorporate green HR strategies to keep their workers happy. And with green-collar jobs being one of the fastest growing industries in America, business would be foolish to ignore it. Finally, businesses will have to adapt to the stricter EPA regulations to ensure that the externalities of their businesses are minimized or paid for.
• Cinematic Arts » USC School of Cinematic Arts:
One of the most universal ways to communicate information is through movies, and just like any other art form, the environment and setting play a huge part in telling a story. Even with the constant improvements is CGI, it will never be a perfect substitute for capturing the natural beauty of the earth on film (Planet Earth, anyone?). And I think it also goes without saying that the surrounding environment is also inspirational to any story teller. Speaking of telling stories, since so many people watch movies, it is often used as an educational tool for social commentary. Whether it’s fictional works like Avatar or Wall-E or excellent documentaries like Food, Inc., An Inconvenient Truth, or Crude, movies serve as powerful tools of enlightenment that stimulate public discourse on issues.
• Communication, Journalism » USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism:
Anytime there’s a problem, someone’s going to have to communicate about it in order for information to be distributed. We learn so much about ourselves and the world around us through discourse. The role of Journalism in communicating rule issues and informing the public cannot go unappreciated. Without the media relaying important environmental-related stories to individuals that reinforce the importance of the movement, people will lose interest. These truth-finders and watchdogs hold governments and businesses accountable for environmental injustice.
• Dentistry » Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC:
Believe it or not, even dentistry is influenced by the green movement. What people eat effects their oral health, and part of the sustainability movement emphasizes local grown produce free of chemicals and other manufactured preservatives. When people purchase organic food from farmer’s markets or grocery stores or other vendors and avoid chemically manufactured sweets and sodas, they reap the health benefits, but if a fast food cultural continues to destroy the healthy eating habits, then we will be reliant on advances in Dentistry to keep our teeth clean and functional.
• Education » USC Rossier School of Education:
Early education is one of the most important predictors of behavior, and the current generation of kids are getting a healthy dose of eco-friendly teaching. Schools are creating an environmental consciousness in today’s youth who include the leaders of tomorrow, and the one’s who will be forced to clean up our mess. It will be important to continue this education trned to ensure that the future has the tools to deal with the mistakes of the past.
• Engineering » USC Viterbi School of Engineering:
Engineers will be tasked with designing and improving the output of alternative energies to decrease our demand on fossil fuels. Additionally, their innovation will be required to create more efficient products that use less energy. While the trend for electronics once focused exclusively on increasing utility, markets are shifting the supply by demanding smaller, more energy efficient versions of current products, especially in developing economies.
• Fine Arts » USC Roski School of Fine Arts:
You will be hard pressed to come across an artist who has not been influenced by the natural environment. As a source of inspiration and a variety of their materials, there’s nothing more pure than nature. Some artists have helped advance public awareness of the benefits of recycling one man's trash and creating a treasured work of art. An entire museum in Missouri is composed exclusively of recycled materials (check it out in the video above... its really brilliant).
• Gerontology » USC Davis School of Gerontology
Alright, so here’s a field of education I’m struggling to find applications for. Since Gerontology is focused on improving the quality of life for the elderly through education and research, an interesting study would be to understand the factors that might be impediments for older generations to adapt a green lifestyle. Additionally, many pollutants include extremely lengthy latency periods which may not trigger detrimental symptoms until the later stages of life. And gerontologist must sift through the plethora of confounding variables in order to solve some of these riddles, but the problem might be right in front of them. As people get older, they might find it becomes harder to breathe if they live in a city with a lot of pollution, so elderly migration patterns depend on the environment. They general prefer temperate weather with clean air and blue skies, something your night going to find in most of America's urban cities.
• Law » USC Gould School of Law:
Environmental Law is an already prevalent field of legal study, and as stricter policies are implemented and more people are aware of the existing injustices, more law suits will pop up. Manufacturing industries, the biggest culprits which release pollutants into both the water supply and the air, should find attorneys and consultants as soon as possible if they wish to protect themselves from the long arm of the law.
• Medicine » Keck School of Medicine of USC:
Speaking of the effects of pollution, the health consequences are extremely serious. Improper water treatment can result in bacterial, viral, parasitic, chemical, and other dangerous diseases. Epidemiologists have proven that living in an environment with high levels of air pollution is harmful to the lungs and is one of the primary predictors of asthma, especially in children. Even the father of medicine, Hippocrates, understood more than 2,000 years ago that the environment effects health.
• Music » USC Thornton School of Music:
One word should answer this one: Woodstock.
• Pharmacy » USC School of Pharmacy:
As mentioned in my section on medicine, environmental health issues are impossible to ignore. Pharmacology assists doctors in treating these ailments by distributing safe drugs to those who need it.
• Policy, Planning, and Development » USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development:
As producers of environmental policies, sustainable city planning, and the development of a green global society, the students from the school of PPD are trained to champion the causes of justice through the non-profit and public sectors. This interdisciplinary school focuses on providing a brighter future through sustainable means and broad, social changes through public participation.
• Social Work » USC School of Social Work:
Social workers are driven by the desire to spark social change and improve the quality of life for entire community, and sustainability is one of the ways to protect against social injustice. Whether in practice or just in their research, social workers solve global issues for the benefit of the individual.
• Theatre » USC School of Theatre:
The effects reflect those aforementioned in the cinema section...
• Letters, Arts and Sciences » USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: With so many majors falling under the college, I’m just going to list a few of those most impacted by the efforts of Earth Day: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, Health and Humanity, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Social Science...
Since the inaugural Earth Day, the movement has come a long way, affecting many people from all walk's of life. Cultural change is not something that happens over a single night, but over the course of prolonged periods of times fueled by the behaviors and ability to spread awareness one person at a time. Thanks for starting a movement to give the earth a fighting chance.
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