Our Commitment to Action

Washington University is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 22% by 2020. To advance this goal, the university has established an Energy Conservation Investment of $30 million.
essays onlineCGI U 2013 was at Washington University in St. Louis from April 5-7, 2013, bringing together nearly 1,200 attendees to make a difference in CGI U’s five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health.
More than 250 students, faculty, staff and friends from across the university gathered at Gateway STEM High School last Saturday, March 30, to help lay the groundwork for this weekend’s… Keep reading →
Public service and global leadership are at the heart of the mission of Washington University in St. Louis. Our students, faculty and staff are leading the way to address urgent global challenges in the CGI’s five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health.
Commitments to Action are new, specific, and measurable initiatives that address social or environmental challenges on campuses, in communities, or in different parts of the world. Proposed by an individual or a group, commitments translate practical goals into meaningful and measurable results. WUSTL is proud of all 200 of our students who have made a commitment to action through CGI U. Here is a sample of the projects our students are working on.
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Andrew Brimer and Abigail Cohen are the co-founders of Sparo Labs, a company that has invented an award-winning, patent-pending device that revolutionizes the management of chronic respiratory diseases. They believe that the key to better health care is education, and committed to partnering with a national organization to develop a campaign that raises asthma awareness and educates patients on how to best manage their asthma.
In cities throughout the world, years of contamination have rendered large swaths of land unfit for habitation, development or food production. Interactive Living Landscape aims to demonstrate that vacant urban lots can be productively landscaped in ways that not only heal the soil, but also help improve the health of the wider community.
This plan aims to bring a mobile hand clinic to medically underserved St. Louisans. It calls for simple tools, treatments and education for those with untreated hand conditions.
The goal of the Science in Everyday Life project is a public event to change people's attitudes and beliefs about the nature of science. Specifically, it will point out how people act as "scientists" in their everyday lives, such as using evidence and drawing conclusions. Through this self-reflection people will be guided to think about a controversial, popular scientific topic (e.g., climate change, renewable energy, vaccines) in a new way. In this way, the event will address people's troubled understanding of the scientific method (i.e., how science is done and what science can tell us) and promote a more science-savvy citizenry.
This project seeks to turn a single room in St. Louis into an overpowering art exhibit of human strength and courage. Beginning with a social media campaign, the project is asking for stories, artwork, photographs, and other creative expressions by all individuals impacted by gender-based violence – not just the survivors themselves.
This group wants to turn the mission behind the ACA into a reality in the St. Louis community. By engaging the immigrant and refugee population of St. Louis and collaborating with CGIU representatives and local organizations, the group believes that they can help this marginalized population gain access to the health care they need and deserve.
The goal of the Correctional Education Reform Through Technology program is to equip the inmates of St. County Jail and St. Louis County Juvenile Detention with the literacy, mathematics, and critical thinking skills necessary in order to obtain their GEDs and reduce their rate of relapse.
In urban communities around the world, young people all too often find their lives circumscribed by poverty, crime and a lack of education. U.Y.N.T (Urban Youth Nation of Tomorrow) aims to provide young people from these communities chances to experience higher education, travel and mentorship.
We are using Storify to curate the preparations, applications, and energy leading up to CGI U at Washington University in April, 2013. Be a part of the conversation! Tweet, post to Facebook and Tumblr, or send us links to blogs. Help us build the story for Washington University and CGI U.
While CGI U sessions are not open to the public, everyone has the opportunity to engage in a number of ways. You can:
Everyone is welcome to attend a live feed of the CGI U sessions featuring President Bill Clinton and TV personality Stephen Colbert in Tisch Commons on the DUC movie screen. Additional sessions will be presented in the DUC Fun Room.
April 5, 6:30 p.m.
Opening Session by President Bill Clinton
April 6, 3:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks by Stephen Colbert
Press registration is now open to members of the media. To apply, please complete the press access form on the CGI U website.
CGI U 2013 Meeting Agenda
For the complete participant details and meeting agenda, including plenary sessions, skill and working sessions, and the service project, visit cgiu.org.