AbstractThe educational and research roles of universities in environmentally conscious technologies are discussed from a historical perspective. The American university system, and in particular its interactions with government and industry, is compared with that of the United States' main trading partners including Japan, the NAFTA countries, and Western Europe. Examples of federally funded U.S. programs related to green design are also tabulated. The role of universities within the framework of society, politics, and economics is discussed in regard to emerging concepts such as sustainable development, life‐cycle analysis, and design for environment, as well as the functioning of local recycling infrastructures. The means by which universities can contribute to environmentally conscious technology are summarized, as are the demands placed on the next generation of engineer