Each Discipline Can Make Unique Contributions
Why Energy Education and Sustainability Matter for Your Major/Minor and Your Career?
The PLU Wild Hope Center for Vocation defines vocation as “being called with others to promote human and ecological flourishing.” As students choose their path at PLU, there are many ways to discover and pursue their vocation.
Energy sustainability is a path to help create a better world for both people and the environment. Below are just some of the ways majors at PLU can be turned into a vocation centered around energy, with each providing a unique lens into a complex subject.
Power has always been determined by who has access to energy. The stability and growth that all governments wish to preserve for their citizens depends upon energy. How and if a government transitions from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy is determined by policy.Here are a few examples of energy and policy in action: – Supporting renewable energy by placing tariffs on nonrenewable energy.-Securing financing for upkeep initiatives, such as modernizing hydropower systems in dams-Making investments in projects that enable the transition to renewable energy in the electrical grid
Businesses are concerned about energy sustainability because it impacts overall financial stability, long-term planning, and operating costs. To cut costs and reduce waste, businesses need to control the energy they use across their supply chains, buildings, and equipment. Businesses can maintain compliance and competitiveness by staying informed about energy regulations and policies, which also shape their operations. Businesses that use less energy save money, lower risk, and increase efficiency, all of which contribute to stronger performance and better decision-making.
What does energy sustainability mean for business majors?
Business majors should be aware of energy sustainability because it directly affects the daily financial and operational choices organizations make. Energy use affects cost control, forecasting, budgeting, and pricing decisions, including how universities determine tuition when operating expenses increase. Additionally, it influences risk management and compliance, long-term financial planning, and the distribution of resources among departments. Energy efficiency affects stakeholders’ perceptions of an organization’s accountability and reputation since it is linked to operational strategy and overall performance. Knowing these correlations enables business students to make wiser choices in their actions and not take for granted the utilities that come with the tuition.
Every line of code runs on physical infrastructure that consumes electricity. Modern computing from cloud services to artificial intelligence relies on large data centers that already account for roughly 1-2% of global electricity use, with demand expected to grow as AI and digital services expand. Computer scientists and engineers play an important role in designing systems that reduce this energy footprint.
Areas such as energy-efficient algorithms, sustainable software engineering, green cloud computing, and carbon-aware scheduling aim to reduce the power required for computing tasks. Engineers also help design smarter energy systems, including software that manages smart grids, renewable energy forecasting, and energy storage optimization. As digital infrastructure grows, responsible computing will be essential to balancing technological innovation with global energy sustainability.
“Energy economics is the study of how energy resources are produced, consumed, and valued within various economic systems,” according to EBESCO. Economists examine the production, use, and distribution of energy through a socioeconomic lens. They can examine where investments are made, how prices fluctuate, and the efficiency of energy systems. This knowledge helps economists contribute to the development of adaptive energy policies.
Present Research of Energy Economists:
-How to deal with AI data centers’ soaring electrical demand
-Finding a way to provide people with inexpensive energy
-Assisting companies and governments in estimating the costs associated with switching to renewable energy
Environmental Studies focuses on how energy systems impact the environment and society. Energy production and use account for about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the main driver of climate change (International Energy Agency). Fossil fuel extraction and energy infrastructure often place heavier environmental burdens on low-income and marginalized communities, raising environmental justice concerns (Hess and Ribeiro). As the world shifts toward renewable energy, there is growing demand for careers in sustainability, climate policy, and clean energy planning to help create more just and sustainable systems (Boone, Bromaghim, and Kapuscinski).
The music energy has seen a massive shift towards digital media over the last 2 decades, with services like Napster, Spotify, Soundcloud, Pandora, and Apple Music. However, this shift towards digital has come with the cost of high energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. With modern manufacturing standards shifting back towards physical media like CDs, Vinyl, and even flash drives can reduce our persistent reliance on energy-intensive data centers to one-time energy-using physical media.
Music venues are positioned for large wide spread effective energy reduction. Music venues and festivals operate largely in open areas where solar can be used effectively to power the entire experience. Litter is another place where music venues can reduce their energy usage. Moving away from single-use plastics lowers energy usage by avoiding the production of unnecessary plastics.
Merchandise contributes massively to the music industry’s energy usage and pollutants. Bands and artists can make a big impact by choosing to use manufacturers with sustainable practices.
Live music and events stand to lose alot from climate change with weather caused cancellations and postponements only standing to rise as our climate continues to change.
The first step in thinking about language and cultural departments is to acknowledge that science and technology alone cannot solve the world’s energy and climate challenges; cross-border communication is necessary. Because international agreements, diplomacy, and development work all depend on the capacity to establish trust and communicate ideas effectively, it becomes crucial to understand other cultures and languages.
Seeing that makes it simpler to comprehend how these departments support sustainability by educating students about the perspectives of various societies on energy, conservation, and environmental responsibility.
Furthermore, societies’ perspectives on the environment are shaped by their history and culture, which can influence everything from how they define sustainability to the types of energy solutions they find acceptable or useful. When we consider these cultural differences, we begin to see why understanding other communities’ perspectives, values, and interpretations of environmental responsibility is just as important to global cooperation as scientific knowledge. This is precisely the point at which language and cultural education become crucial, as it equips students with the skills necessary to negotiate these differences, interact politely, and form the connections required to tackle common global issues.
Healthcare systems produce about 4–5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Rodríguez-Jiménez et al., 2023). Climate change increases heat-related illness, respiratory disease, infectious disease, and mental health stress, putting more pressure on hospitals. Research shows that teaching energy literacy in nursing programs encourages conservation behavior and more sustainable decision-making (Lee et al., 2019). As the largest group in healthcare, nurses can play an important role in reducing energy waste and supporting sustainability in clinical settings.
Social sciences like sociology and psychology have a unique perspective on how we as humans are reacting to climate change and how we can change for the better.
Psychology
Psychologists are vital to giving relief to climate anxiety. With the loss of so much, it’s important to understand our ecological grief. It can be a tool for enacting change, or it can turn into despair and prevent people from taking action. They can also support people who are working as community leaders, activists, or policymakers by allowing people to recharge and process so they can continue their work or education.
Sociology
Sociologists offer an important lens to seeing how the natural world and society interact with each other. In order to help the planet, we need societal change, not just technological change, in order to hit our climate goals. Sociologists can help us understand the underlying social and environmental relationships and explore the consequences for all those in the ecosystem.
Energy systems directly influence biological systems and human health. Fossil fuel combustion contributes to air pollution that causes millions of premature deaths each year worldwide, while climate change alters ecosystems, biodiversity, disease patterns, and food security. Life scientists study how these environmental changes affect organisms, ecosystems, and public health.
Mathematics plays a critical role in understanding and solving these challenges. Mathematical models are used to predict climate impacts, optimize renewable energy production, model ecosystem responses, and analyze disease spread linked to environmental change. Together, biology and mathematics help scientists understand complex Earth systems and design solutions that protect both environmental and human health.
The arts can contribute uniquely to public perception around energy and sustainability. The arts have the ability to inspire and mobilize people, positioned to influence people on a human emotional level.
Art has the ability to influence culture and awareness for our energy usage. Whether it is personal energy use or the development of a fracking plant on protected lands, art has the ability to change if and how people see energy.
Design has a massive and understated importance on energy usage, specifically science communication and public engagement. Translating complex topics into digestible and engaging ways is crucial in getting individuals and communities to enact effective change. Information overload is a serious challenge in communicating how energy impacts our lives and what we can do to mitigate our usage.
In K-12 education, students can early on discover how their actions connect into the wider community; they themselves will encourage and spearhead change. Teachers are the ones who help students learn and develop ideas on concepts about sustainability in the classroom. Teachers can help students feel less anxious about the changing world that many are growing up in by helping them understand climate change and providing the opportunity to make a difference. After that, students can use the knowledge to gain leadership skills and actively engage in their communities.
“Environmental and Sustainability Education is an essential component of our students’ K–12 educational experience. Our students are taking leadership roles now and in the future that put environmental sustainability at the center of everything we do. This is not a standalone conversation or an elective class or credit; the content and learning inherent in this work will make or break the United States and our planet!” – Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal
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