Instituto Global para la Sostenibilidad (Global Institute for Sustainability) is a globally and environmentally focused organization founded by María Isabel Studer Noguez at the Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus in collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU). It was founded as an extension of the ASU's Global Institute for Sustainability as an extension, the first and only one of its kind in Latin America. The institute holds and sponsors research, educational events and program and activism on its own and in collaboration with business, educational and governmental agencies.
Organization
The Instituto Global para la Sostenibilidad (IGS) was founded at the Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus in collaboration with Arizona State University. It is an expansion of the Global Institute for Sustainability, founded in Arizona in 2004 and is the first and only program of its kind in Latin America, promoting business solutions, clean technologies, and government models for action.
The institute was founded to promote global environmental thinking in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Its primary objectives are, to promote sustainable development in Mexico, to generate and diffuse knowledge about green economies and sustainable development and promote coordination of efforts in sustainability at the Tec de Monterrey system. Its main functions are interdisciplinary research into environmental issues, environmental education and creating solutions for businesses and government.
The program has alliances with private and public organizations such as : the UNAM Programa de Investigación en Cambio Climático, Yale University, El Colegio de México, FEMSA, CEMEX, Walmart, Mexican Stock Exchange, Green Momentum, Asociación de Bancos en México, SIGEA, Siemens, Instituto Mexicana para la Competitividad, World Wildlife Fund, Centro Mexicano del Derecho Ambiental, Greenpeace, the Nature Conservancy, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and Korea International Cooperation Agency as well as Mexican agencies such as the Secretariat of Energy, the Secretariat of Economy, the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources and the Nacional Financiero development bank.
Activities
The institute's activities focus on research, education and the support of political and social action related to the environment. Research efforts are multidisciplinary with programs in climate change and sustainability; environmental systems research and climate research. It collaborates with Tec de Monterrey's system of “Technological Parks” to promote the development of environmentally friendly technology, which include the development of cementing materials, adhesives, biopolymers/bioplastics, water purification systems, lead-free electronics, battery technologies and microprocesses. This collaboration involves nine of Tec de Monterrey's research centers including the new Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias para la Vida (Life Sciences Technology Park) at the Mexico City Campus.
IGS offers a bachelor's degree in sustainable development engineering and a master's degree in sustainable development, works with students in other majors at the campus including those in business administration, finance, international business and international relations. It offers internships for students in sustainable energy, communications, small business development, recycling computer technology, hydraulic research and sustainable cities, and supports student projects in hydroponics, with a greenhouse on the Toluca campus, water-recycling with the use of microorganisms, the Gaia group focused on recycling at Campus Santa Fe and TuEnergía, a program to install solar panels and other types of energy generators in homes and businesses.