Education in Sustainability
As a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, Luther is committed to making sustainability a part of every student's learning experience.
Courses with Sustainability
Luther College offers both a major and a minor in environmental studies as well as many courses open to all students. From biology to philosophy, geology to sociology, environmental studies is a truly interdisciplinary and engaged course of study. Many of our courses utilize the local area for intensive study beyond the classroom, and all of our students are encouraged to broaden their horizons through off-campus studies.
Learn More About Luther’s Environmental Studies Program
Sustainability in the Curriculum
Luther strives to integrate sustainability into courses throughout its curriculum and nearly every department on campus has some courses that address sustainability. As part of our STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) submission in 2026, we surveyed all of the classes offered at Luther to determine which ones were focused on sustainability and which classes were sustainability-inclusive. With the exception of the Music department, every other department has at least one course that includes sustainability. You can see the full inventory of all the courses and which ones focus on or include sustainability here.
Luther Campus as a Living Laboratory
Students and faculty can better understand campus sustainability by using the campus as a living laboratory. In addition to writing papers, or doing class projects about concepts, research can focus on the infrastructure and operations of the college. By applying their research to actual situations, researchers can better understand how to overcome sustainability challenges or make improvements. Areas such as energy, food, waste, construction, diversity, public engagement and wellbeing are possible focus areas for research using Luther College as a living laboratory.
Sustainability Research
The majority of Luther faculty are actively engaged in research and they place significant emphasis on involving undergraduates in research. Many of our faculty are involved in community-based research that strives to address the many challenges that we face as a society.
In Luther’s 2026 STARS inventory, over 75% of academic departments who are doing research have at least one faculty member doing sustainability-related research.
Luther also provides financial support for sustainability research through both grants to students for summer research and funding for larger projects through the Center for Sustainable Communities.
The Summer Student/Faculty Collaborative Research program provides an opportunity for Luther students to engage full-time in collaborative research projects with Luther faculty members during the two months of Luther’s summer session (June–July). Proposals are welcome in all disciplines but special funding is available for sustainability research.
For a list of Luther faculty who are doing sustainability related research, click 2025 Sustainability Research Faculty. For information on Luther’s current sustainability related research or to inquire about funding for future research, please email Sustainability.