WSU Hosts Sixth Annual Intermountain Sustainability Summit
OGDEN, Utah — One of the leaders of the “green-campus college movement,” David Orr, will present the keynote address at the sixth annual Intermountain Sustainability Summit at Weber State University March 5-6 from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Building.Orr is the author of seven books and is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and senior adviser to the president at Oberlin College in Ohio. He serves as executive director of the Oberlin Project, created to revitalize the city of Oberlin’s economy, eliminate carbon emissions, restore local agriculture, food supply and forestry, and create a sustainable base for economic and community development.
"We are thrilled to have such a renowned figure from the environmental field as our keynote speaker at the summit,” said conference coordinator Emily Mead. “Right now David Orr is helping spearhead the Oberlin Project, which aims to make the city of Oberlin the first climate-positive community in the United States."
WSU and the Utah Recycling Alliance host the annual event. In addition to the keynote address, the conference will feature sessions covering a range of sustainability topics, including food and agriculture, renewable and alternative energy, air quality, water and recycling.
“Sustainable food and agriculture will be a new track at the summit, and we have some excellent speakers lined up,” Mead said.
The summit’s first speaker is P. Wesley Schultz, professor of psychology at California State University, San Marcos. Schultz is an expert in the areas of sustainable behavior and attitude change, conservation psychology, and statistics. He will be followed by Orr, and then the summit will break into various group sessions.
The second day will include a series of professional workshops, including a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate course for those pursuing a professional LEED credential, and a new workshop on sustainable behavior change.
The summit provides networking and trade show opportunities for students, sustainability professionals, politicians, government officials and interested members of the public. Students from universities throughout Utah will submit posters that showcase their own sustainability research.
"The summit is a great way for students to network with all of Utah’s sustainability professionals,” Mead said.
For more information on the Intermountain Sustainability Summit and for a complete schedule of events, visit intermountainsustainabilitysummit.com.
For more information on the Oberlin Project, visit oberlinproject.org.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
- Marcus Jensen, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7295 • marcusjensen@weber.edu - Contact:
- Emily Mead, sustainability summit coordinator
801-626-6326 • emilymead@weber.edu