Mark Bryden, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, started off his class by reading the headlines from multiple newspapers, all of which had one thing in common: sustainability.  “This is the age of energy,” he told his class as he held up a paper.

This class, TSC 220, “Globalization and Sustainability,” is one of many classes on campus that is centered on sustainability and is a required course for a new program at Iowa State University, a minor in sustainability.

“I think sustainability is an issue of our time,” Bryden said when asked why it is important to offer classes about sustainability.  Bryden said students are “going to be the leaders in [sustainability]. … We as citizens need to be able to intelligently participate in this discussion.”

The new minor has a core requirement of two classes.  The first class is TSC 220, a class that “focuses on interconnected roles of energy, materials, human resources, economics and technology in building and maintaining sustainable systems” according to the course description. The second core class of ths minor is “Globalization and the Human Condition,” ANTHR 230, which tackles key global issues and how they link together Africa, the Americas, Europe and Pacific.  

In addition to the two core classes, students will be required to take nine additional credit hours of classes that feature sustainable themes, six of which must be at the three-hundred level or above.  The elective courses are listed under many different majors, including agronomy, food science and even English, so students not only learn more about this topic but how it can be incorporated into their future career goals.  

“In any field or career that students will be going into, awareness and knowledge about being more sustainable and how resources are utilized is going to assist them greatly in their careers,” said Merry Rankin, director of sustainability at Iowa State.  She said having a background in sustainability is helpful to the student because “having that well-rounded awareness will be beneficial to their future success.”  

Natalie Nowak, sophomore in pre-architecture, is planning on pursuing a sustainability minor and said learning more about this topic will enrich her future career.  

“I think sustainability and architecture go hand in hand,” Nowak said. Having had no previous experience with this area before, she said she finds the course topics a bit tedious, but overall she has been enjoying her class experience.  

“I never realized how relevant [sustainability] is to me,” she added.  

The topic of sustainability includes many levels of interest. This characteristic is reflected by the wide variety of classes that can apply to this minor. 

The complete list of classes approved for the sustainability minor can be found at: www.las.iastate.edu/sustainability.