I just read about the Global Institute of Sustainability in the table of contents alert of BioScience Vol. 60, Issue 7, Jul 2010. Michael M. Crow, the President of Arizona State University wrote this opinion piece
Organizing Teaching and Research to Address the Grand Challenges of Sustainable Development

Its Vision: "The Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of ASU’s sustainability initiatives. The Institute advances research, education, and business practices for an urbanizing world."

Dr. Crow writes: "With the establishment of the Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) in 2004 and the first-of-its-kind School of Sustainability three years later, ASU has positioned itself in the vanguard of interdisciplinary research on environmental, economic, and social sustainability."