Check back here in Summer of 2025 for the 2025 David R. Keller Sustainability Prize application. The prize is made possible through a generous grant from the Keller Family Foundation.
For more information, contact Courtney Burns at [email protected]
David R. Keller was Director of the Center for the Study of Ethics from 1999 until his untimely passing in 2013. He received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Georgia under the guidance of Frederick Ferre. David's work focused on environmental ethics and he advocated for philosophers, scientists, and policymakers to work together for environmental stewardship.
In memory of our colleague, the center supports the David R. Keller Sustainability Prize given to organizations in our region in support of exceptional innovation and leadership on sustainability issues.
These may include governmental, non-profit, and for-profit organizations
Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) is a predominantly youth-of-color-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education, and action. The UYES mission is to connect young people to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders. UYES leads campaigns to decouple the education system from fossil fuels, transition Utah school districts to 100% renewable energy, and address pressing water management concerns in Utah and the greater Southwest, with an emphasis on protecting the Great Salt Lake.
The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah) promotes renewable energy and clean air and protects public health and the environment from dirty, toxic, and nuclear energy threats. HEAL brings decades of experience in grassroots advocacy, science-based policymaking, and coalition building to support environmental justice for all communities and environments to flourish.
The Center for the Study of Ethics is pleased to announce that Bike Utah is the recipient of the 2020 David R. Keller Sustainability Prize.
Bike Utah is a bicycle advocacy leader working to create networks of cycling lanes, paths, and trails that contribute to livable, healthy communities. The grant will support the use of GIS to evaluate bicycle infrastructure throughout the state. Data gathered will help in the policy-making process for various municipalities to help make streets more equitable and safe.
David R. Keller was Director of the Center for the Study of Ethics from 1999 until his untimely passing in 2013. He received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Georgia under the guidance of Frederick Ferre. David's work focused on environmental ethics and he advocated for philosophers, scientists, and policymakers to work together for environmental stewardship.
He served as a founding board member of the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum and served as editor of its journal, Teaching Ethics. David published four books: Ecology and Justice—Citizenship in Biotic Communities (Springer, 2019), Ethics in Action: A Case-Based Approach (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and the edited volumes Environmental Ethics: The Big Questions (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) and The Philosophy of Ecology: From Science to Synthesis (University of Georgia Press, 2000).
As director of the Center for the Study of Ethics, David established the Center as a forum for academic and civic dialogue. His talent for communicating across the ideological spectrum enhanced the Center's programs, as evidenced by his convening the key parties in the Michael Moore controversy of 2004.
Beginning in 2008, he led the Utah Democracy Project, a federally appropriated program that aimed to cultivate political literacy and political engagement. In addition to his academic work, David was a public intellectual who contributed editorials to local publications on a range of ethical issues.
In memory of our beloved colleague, the Center for the Study of Ethics hosts the annual David R. Keller Symposium on Environmental Ethics and supports the David R. Keller Sustainability Prize given to community organizations in support of exceptional innovation and leadership on sustainability issues.
