Sustainable and Resilient Economy

INTEGRATED SCIENCE: PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND PLANET

Pursuit of an environmental and social sustainability is a long-term goal, but we need resilience to cope with a turbulent world. We must address both of these imperatives together—preparing for unexpected shocks that may destabilize our cities, supply chains, or natural resources AND developing strategies to improve human well-being over time.

The Sustainable and Resilient Economy program builds upon the vast intellectual capital of Ohio State, including centers of excellence in the fields of Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Psychology, Medicine, Decision Sciences, Humanities, Law, and Public Affairs.

Our multi-faceted approach connects diverse ideas and applied research expertise across the natural and social sciences, engineering, medicine and public health. We combine advanced tools such as life cycle assessment, multi-scale modeling, and data analytics to understanding human behavior and evaluate the costs, benefits, risks and possible hidden consequences of changes in technology, policy and the natural environment.

With an emphasis on connecting biophysical and social sciences, unprecedented knowledge is being created, discoveries made and sustainable innovations developed in areas of:

  • Circular Economy
  • Ecosystem Services
  • Enterprise and Supply Chain Resilience
  • Food-Energy-Water Nexus
  • Smart and Resilient Communities

Through industry, government, and global partnerships Ohio State is advancing a comprehensive, integrated approach to sustainability and resilience that reduces adverse impacts and enables transitioning towards a sustainable world.

In 2019, the Sustainable and Resilient Economy program and the Office of Energy and Environment merged to jointly become the Sustainability Institute.

Program Lead