Research Sustainability Topics Abroad

Get out of the classroom and learn about the place where you're living! There's no better way to learn about sustainability in your host community then by meeting the people and making first-hand observations and inquiries. Sustainability covers a wide array of fields. Sustainability topics would include anything that looks at ways of reducing the human impact on the global environment and on energy consumption. What is being done in your host country in terms of sustainability initiatives that could be useful information for your home community? We encourage you to work with themes with which you are already familiar in order to have a basis for comparison and a knowledge base from which to work. Just about every major can find topics related to your field of study. If you need help materializing a research topic, we recommend you contact faculty within your major department or within your institution’s Environmental Studies Department. You also may want to talk to your study abroad adviser about your interests.

Examples of research and reporting topics include:

1. What is the average home size in the country/community where you are? How are homes constructed? How does it compare to U.S. home sizes and what are the implications for sustainability?

2. Are there particular communities or organizations that are working on sustainability initiatives? What do those initiatives look like and what can we learn from them?

3. Is there a consciousness of the need for energy conservation? How is this manifested and what could be done to change it?

4. What do the people in the country where you are studying eat and where does their food come? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

5. What does the health care system look like? Is there a traditional medicinal practice still in use? How does that practice depend on the natural environment and its conservation?

6. How are people in the country where you are studying generating power? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

7. How are media such as film, newspaper, theater, and/or music being used to educate about sustainability or the need for resource protection and conservation? How does that compare to the U.S?

8. What kinds of transportation do people use and how do they use it? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

9. What is the family structure like? How do families work together to consolidate resource use? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

10. What are innovative technologies that are being used in order to reduce energy consumption? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

11. Are children being educated about the need to be conscious of the earth’s carrying capacity and their role in caring for the earth? How does that compare to the U.S. and what can be learned in terms of sustainability?

12. How are local businesses taking leadership in their community to educate about the need for sustainably produced products? How does that compare to the U.S.? 13. What is the role of poverty, equality and justice in our ability to reach a sustainable global lifestyle? What do you see around you that can inform you of this?

Please see the Sharing pages to see what other students have done and/or for tips and information on documenting and sharing your research.

In addition, you may want to ask your study abroad adviser to participate in the Global Footprint Grant project, to help fund your research.