Tyler Brogan, a fourth-year environmental and sustainability sciences and economics combined major, took Northeastern’s “Economics of Sustainability” class and became concerned about the negative impact of the current economic system on the environment and society. He realized that many students may be unaware of this information and decided to petition the school to add a sustainability class to the NUpath curriculum requirements.
Brogan believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn about sustainability and proposes replacing one of the current NUpath requirements with a sustainability credit. He spoke to a university vice provost in November 2023 but was not satisfied with the solutions offered, such as a speaker series on sustainability. Brogan believes that a required class would have a bigger impact and reach more students.
Since creating the petition in April 2023, Brogan has gained over 900 signatures and aims to collect 1,500 to 2,000 signatures, or 10 to 15% of the student body, before presenting it to university administration. He also plans to work with the Student Government Association (SGA) to gain further support for the cause.
Some students, like Shreya Chandran, a second-year chemical engineering and bioengineering combined major, believe that a sustainability credit would complement the existing requirements and be beneficial for all students. Linden Burack, a second-year physics major and member of SustaiNUbility, believes that sustainability is the biggest issue of our generation and that every student should be exposed to it at a college level.
Brogan faces challenges collecting physical signatures during the winter months, so he encourages students to contact him to support the cause directly. He has also been pitching his initiative in classes with the help of professors.
Brogan hopes that by introducing a sustainability class, students will be influenced to pursue careers and businesses that prioritize sustainability. He believes that Northeastern students can make a positive impact beyond college and hopes that the university will support this change.
