ABOUT
Mick Dalrymple is an explorer and storyteller at heart; a writer, photographer, filmmaker, and sustainability innovator whose career bridges creativity and impact. His adventures have carried him from film sets and exotic locales around the world to boardrooms and campuses where the future of sustainable society is being forged. Whether behind a camera, a script, or a sustainability plan, Mick’s work reflects a deep curiosity about how people, places, and ideas connect — and how creative thinking and empathy can help communities and institutions thrive.
As the Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of Southern California, Mick helps the university community pursue its aggressive Assignment: Earth goals, inspiring collaboration across education, research, operations, inclusion, and engagement. Since arriving, USC has earned an AASHE STARS Gold rating ahead of schedule and achieved a QS sustainability ranking of #8 in the U.S.. Prior to USC, he directed University Sustainability Practices at Arizona State University, helping ASU reach climate neutrality six years early, achieve STARS Platinum status, and gain recognition as one of the world’s most sustainable universities.
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A fan of biomimicry (learning from nature’s 3.8 billion years of research and development experience), Mick views effective leadership as providing the vision, tools, and inspiration to encourage free birds to flock in a similar general direction toward solutions.
Beyond academia, Mick’s creative roots run deep. His film and television work includes projects with major studios such as Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, and 20th Century Fox. As co-writer and co-executive producer of Y2K (Terminal Countdown) starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Malcolm McDowell, and creator of the Build It Green! television series, he has long used visual storytelling as a way to inspire awareness and action.
HONORS & AWARDS
2025
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Greenbuild Host Committee Co-Chair
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LA28 Olympics Sustainability Working Group
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Jurist, LA Business Council Architecture Awards
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Jurist, Ming Family Social Impact Challenge
2024
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Jurist, Innovate x LA: Das Family Student Competition
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Jurist, Ming Family Social Impact Challenge
2023
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Named LEED Fellow by U.S. Green Building Council
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Jurist, Ming Family Social Impact Challenge
2022
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Co-Recipient, ASU President’s Sustainability Award
2020
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Co-Recipient, ASU President’s Sustainability Award
2018
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Jurist, SRP Champions of Energy Efficiency Awards
2015
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Jurist, SRP Champions of Energy Efficiency Awards
2010
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Jurist, BIG Green Awards
2009
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Named Green Pioneer by the Business Journal of Phoenix
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Named one of The Valley’s 25 Most Intriguing People by AZ Magazine
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Participating Expert, Wavelength Magazine Sustainability Roundtable
2008
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Expert Jurist, Green Builder Magazine Home of the Year Awards
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Panelist, Congressman Harry Mitchell Sustainability Town Hall
2007
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Co-Recipient, Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Award for Education (Public Sector) – for Green Building Expo
2006
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Recipient, Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Award for Education (Private Sector) – for a.k.a. Green
