Beyond the classroom

Presidio students put sustainability into practice

Learning sometimes begins with a question. At the Presidio Center for Sustainable Solutions, that question might be: What does sustainability look like in practice?

Through Experiential Learning, Presidio graduate students work with businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations to explore questions like this one. Student teams conduct research, engage stakeholders, evaluate alternatives, and deliver recommendations that partners can put to work.

Two recent projects show what that work can make possible.

Building a Clean Tech Future in Antioch

A Presidio student team partnered with Silos to Systems to support the development of a Clean Tech Hub in Antioch, California. The project asked how the community could participate in the transition to a clean economy while creating local economic opportunity.

Antioch has assets for clean technology development, including industrial waterfront land, relatively affordable real estate, water and utility infrastructure, a skilled regional workforce, and inclusion in California’s Green Empowerment Zone.

Students Lindsey Jo Smith, Malik Coburn, Declan Durand, and Andrew Duggar researched the clean technology landscape, interviewed entrepreneurs, and developed an attraction playbook. Their work identified promising types of companies, barriers to locating or scaling in Antioch, and steps the city could take to strengthen its competitiveness. Subsequent market outreach connected the initiative with 10 clean-tech startups and entrepreneurs interested in Antioch.

The project contributed to a vision of Antioch as a place where companies can scale, manufacture, and deploy climate solutions. It also gave students a chance to examine how clean technology intersects with workforce development, land use, infrastructure, permitting, and economic mobility.

Helping Shape San Francisco’s Circular Economy Future

From September through December 2025, Presidio MBA candidates Alex Bogdan, Nick Cresta, Maggie Moellering, and Alexa Ortega partnered with the San Francisco Environment Department to help lay the groundwork for the city’s first Circular Economy Roadmap.

The team studied how communities are moving beyond a “take-make-waste” model toward systems that keep materials in use, reduce waste and emissions, and create economic and community benefits. Students reviewed research and policy, interviewed experts, analyzed priority sectors, and benchmarked strategies across eight cities: Amsterdam, Adelaide, Boulder, Dublin, Glasgow, Melbourne, Montréal, and New York City.

Their analysis examined governance, policy tools, funding, measurement, workforce implications, and economic development. The team found that some of the strongest approaches treat circularity as more than waste management: they connect environmental goals with business competitiveness, innovation, workforce development, affordability, and community resilience.

For San Francisco, the students recommended establishing a shared definition of circularity, coordinating across agencies and regional partners, connecting circularity with economic development, and measuring progress. Their analysis now serves as a foundational step toward the city’s roadmap.

Learning That Creates Value Beyond the Classroom

These projects reflect Presidio’s approach to sustainability education. Students learn to listen before recommending, understand systems before trying to change them, and weigh environmental and social outcomes alongside financial, political, operational, and organizational realities.

Presidio has embedded sustainability and social justice throughout its curriculum since 2003. Experiential Learning bridges the gap between that foundation and professional practice: students build a portfolio of experience, while organizations gain research, fresh perspectives, and actionable recommendations from faculty-supported teams.

For both, a semester-long project can become the starting point for a new strategy, policy direction, or partnership.

Authored by Presidio Staff and OpenAI ChatGPT interface