Dr. Jay S. Golden is the Director of the Duke Center for Sustainability & Commerce at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and an Associate Professor of the Practice for Sustainable Systems Analysis at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.[1] He is also the faculty director for the Graduate Certificate on Sustainable Systems Analysis at Duke University.[2] Golden’s teaching and research focuses on “examining organizational and technology intervention strategies in regards to global social and environmental impacts from population and consumptive patterns”.[1]
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Golden was born in Los Angeles, California.
Golden completed both his masters and doctoral work at the University of Cambridge, receiving a Master of Philosophy (Cantab) in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (in a joint program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and a Ph.D. (Cantab) in Engineering for Sustainable Development.[3] He received his Bachelor of Arts in Management from Arizona State University/University of Phoenix and a Professional Certification in Organizational Mastery of Project Management from the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University.[1]
Golden joined Duke University’s faculty as a Director of the Center for Sustainability & Commerce at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and an Associate Professor of the Practice for Sustainable Systems Analysis in the Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in the Pratt School of Engineering in September 2010.[4]
Prior to September 2010, Golden was an Assistant Professor and Honors Faculty in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University (2006-2010) after its formation from the Center for Environmental Studies (2003-2006).[4][5] In 2006 he founded and became the Director of The National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations for Urban Climate & Energy and in 2008 he was the Founder and Co-Director of The Sustainability Consortium, both positions held until his transition to Duke in 2010.[4][6] Golden also held a joint appointment with the School of Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering (2007-2010).[7]
In September 2009, Golden received the Faculty Pioneer Award from the Center for Business Education at the Aspen Institute.[8] The Aspen Institute’s Faculty Pioneer Award is the “Oscars of the business school world” according to The Financial Times.[8] Award recipients are recognized for demonstrating “leadership and risk-taking in integrating ethical, environmental and social issues into the business curriculum.”[9]
Golden was recognized as a “Rising Star” for his commitment to “developing curriculum that fosters multidisciplinary approaches to solving pressing sustainability imperatives for business and society” and his roles as director of ASU’s Certificate of Sustainable Technologies and Management program and founder and co-director of the summer Sustainable Energy Fellowship program with colleagues from MIT, Cornell, Duke and the University of Michigan.[8] Also highlighted by the Aspen Institute was the research published by Golden and his Sustainability Consortium, the results of which have “provided a platform for the development of a more holistic approach to quantifying the sustainability of consumer products that accounts for all phases of a product’s life cycle.”[8]
In December 2009, Golden was designated Number 23 of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere Magazine for his work (as Co-Director of the Sustainability Consortium) with Wal-Mart on their sustainability index initiative.[10] This recognition was given to individuals that had a “significant impact in the realm of business ethics over the course of the year [2009]”.[10]
Golden was also awarded an Industrial Ecology Fellowship by AT&T in 2004.[7]
The Sustainability Consortium was founded in 2009 by Jay Golden (ASU) and Jon Johnson (University of Arkansas) and continues to be jointly administered by the two universities today.[11][12] Walmart Stores Inc. provided the initial financial investment that allowed the creation of the Sustainability Consortium and since then several other large corporations have joined (including companies like McDonalds, Disney and Coca-Cola).[12][13]
Regarding the history of the Sustainability Consortium, Golden said "It became very clear to us that no one researcher, no one institution, could do that[quantify the sustainability of products] because you're dealing with geographies around the world and with various sciences – physical, life, and engineering – and that required a multidisciplinary approach. So we outlined a proposal to Walmart to develop a consortium of academic researchers from institutions to think through the process and try to bring it to life based on the best available sound science and engineering principles available."[14]
Walmart’s goal in creating the Consortium was to “develop a global database of information on the lifecycle of products – from raw materials to disposal” in order to develop a “worldwide sustainable product index” which would aid in the creation of a “simple rating for consumers about the sustainability of products”.[15][16]
When asked in July 2009 about the creation of the Sustainability Consortium Golden said “Today an idea has come to reality, and it is even more exciting to envision the outcomes of the next part of this effort, as we create the science, technologies and strategies that vastly transform how businesses operate and how sustainability is infused into our everyday life.”[17]
Golden emphasized the “transparency” of the research being done by the Consortium, with information on product lifecycle and consumer research available to all companies regardless of their membership status.[14]
The Sustainability Consortium has continued to expand since its initial launch in 2009 from 15 initial members to 75 member companies in the first quarter of 2011.[18] Golden currently serves as the Sustainable Systems Science Coordinator, directing a working group that collaborates to “better understand the impact of the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry as a whole, rather than one particular product category, and examine the commonalities that exist within the life cycles of different consumer products and unintended consequences.”[19]
In 2004, during his time at Arizona State University, Golden created ASU’s Certificate of Sustainable Technologies and Management program.[9] He also founded and co-directs the summer Sustainable Energy Fellowship, a week long summer program that exposes 40 undergraduate students to “research and education in energy production, conversion, storage and sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable” educating them on “critical sustainability, energy, and climate change challenges faced by business.”[9][20]
Also during his time at ASU, Golden served as a Special Advisor to the Mayor of Phoenix on Sustainable Technologies, a Special Advisor for Sustainability to the management team at the Dial Corporation and helped found the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders.[21] Golden was the founder and director of the EPA-designated National Center of Excellence on SMART (Sustainable Materials & Renewable Technologies) Innovations at ASU.[7][21] The Center “partners with industries and governments worldwide to develop a new generation of strategies and technologies to address climate-energy system impacts” with a focus on “engineering innovations for sustainable materials and renewable technologies”.[1][7] As stated on the Center’s website the research goal of the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations “seeks to quantify complex climate-energy system interactions resulting from all phases of a product or technology's life cycle and to develop cost effective solutions to reduce any negative impacts.”[22]
Golden has also been invited to testify about his research before the United States Congress and sits on a United Nations Life Cycle Management Task Force, the American Council on Renewable Energy Higher Education Committee and the Advisory Council to the Pew Center on Corporate Energy Efficiency.[9][1][4][21] He is currently an editor for the Journal of Green Building and sits on the editorial board for the International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology & Urban Development.[1][23]
Golden is the editor or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers in addition to over 60 research proceedings and numerous technical reports, several of which are referenced below.
Books:
Articles, a selection:
Technical Reports, a selection: