April 2,
2007
Faculty, students organize University’s first
sustainability conference
Professors James Allen (left) and Judith Hook are
organizing the University’s first conference dedicated to
sustainability issues, such as smart growth, local food production, and the
role of higher education. Eight national speakers will give talks and
participate in workshops April 13 and 14 on the River Campus. Register
online at ecotransformation.org.
When James Allen and Judith Hook began organizing the
University’s first sustainability conference last fall they
didn’t know who would be invited to speak or how they would pull it
off.
The Rochester professors were, however, certain of one
thing—If they were going to do it, they were going to do it big.
“Once we committed to the idea, we realized the
conference needed to be extraordinary to have an effect,” says Allen,
professor of computer science. “That has been our focus all along.
We’re raising awareness and encouraging the personal transformation
that is required to act to change the world.”
The efforts of both Allen and Hook, the director of
the Program of Movement and Dance in the College, have resulted in the
two-day event “Pathways to a Sustainable World” on April 13 and
14 that features eight national speakers on issues such as ecology,
community development, local food and economies, and the role of higher
education in the sustainability movement. Among those speaking is David
Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and
Politics at Oberlin College who is known for his work on environmental
literacy in higher education and is author of The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift, and Lois Gibbs, an environmental activist who led the
fight to clean up Love Canal in Niagara Falls.
Allen and Hook point out that the conference is based
on solutions and success stories—what is working in today’s
world. In addition to the eight speakers, the conference will include
sessions and workshops on regional issues and community solutions,
opportunities for networking and entertainment, and meals featuring locally
produced food.
Hook says the conference is an opportunity for the
University and local community to explore critical issues facing the world
today and discuss innovative ways to address those issues. One of the main
goals, she says, is to endorse changes at the regional level as a way
to strengthen local economies and open new channels for discussion.
“The message is simple: Attend and get
involved,” says Hook. “Sustainability is not just about
protecting the environment, it’s about connecting our own wellbeing
to that of the planet’s. The conference is a way to have a dialogue
and start conversations that will help shift the way we think and bring a
multidisciplinary perspective to examine the issues.”
The conference kicks off with two free preconference
workshops from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 13, in Hubbell
Auditorium in Hutchison Hall. Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Cafe
in Philadelphia and cofounder of the Business Alliance for Local Living
Economies, and Michael Shuman, author of The SmallMart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating
the Global Competition, will lead a workshop on
local business networks. A second workshop with Christopher Uhl, professor
of biology at Penn State and author of Developing Ecological Consciousness: Paths to a Sustainable
World, will discuss how educators can
incorporate topics related to sustainability into the classroom.
Registration is required.
There also will be a series of afternoon panels that
pair national guests with regional speakers, including Elizabeth
Henderson from Peacework Farm in Arcadia and Derrick Hazle, executive
director of the Rochester-based Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning.
Rochester students are participating in a variety of
ways, from sponsorship to speaker introductions to performances. Hook says
it is a unique opportunity to not only examine the problems, but to imagine
and take action to address them.
“The conference is an outlet for creative
endeavor and a chance to explore new ways of thinking, to create
communities, and have rewarding conversations. Perhaps it’s also a
chance to envision solutions yet to be imagined,” says Hook.
“On top of that, we’ve priced the conference so that it is
affordable for students and the students. The only expense is the cost of
meals and students can pay for those using declining balance. We are
offering a sliding scale registration fee for the community so everyone who
wants will be able to attend.
“I hear students say all the time that these
problems are too big, too daunting. It’s time to move beyond that
type of thinking and instead learn how to approach the issues and ask the
right questions, begin to connect the dots, focusing on interconnectedness
while at the same time recognizing the broader impact we can have, both as
individuals and as members of communities. We encourage everyone to join
the conversation.”
The conference is sponsored by the Program of Movement
and Dance and supported by many campus and local organizations.
Preregistration is recommended, and meal tickets are not guaranteed for
on-site registrations. Register online at www.ecotransformation.org. For
more details, contact Judith Hook at hook@mail.rochester.edu, x3-5150, or
(585) 330-4410.
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