Sustainable food, renewable energy and air quality—these are just a few of the things the Intermountain Sustainability Summit will address this week in the WSU Shepherd Union.
The sixth annual Summit covers two days from March 5-6 with a full schedule of conferences, workshops and guest speakers, running from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Summit is hosted by the Weber State University Utah Recycling Alliance and will primarily feature several guest speakers who will address a wide range of sustainability and environmental campaigns, according to the Intermountain Sustainability website.
According to sustainability conference coordinator Emily Mead, they are expecting to have a lot of interesting speakers lined up this year’s summit
Plenary speaker P. Wesley Schultz, professor of psychology at California State University, San Marcos, will kick off the first day at 8:30am with a discussion about sustainable behavior and attitudes on the topic of conservation and statistics, according to the official statement.
David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and Senior Adviser to the President at Oberlin College, will be this year’s keynote speaker and will share his expertise at 9:40am on the first day.
According to his biography, Orr has served in eight different organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Aldo Leopold Foundation, in the last 25 years.
He is the author of seven books and currently serves as executive director of the Oberlin Project, which focuses on overall sustainability for economic, environmental and community growth.
Mead stated in the official statement that the summit is “thrilled to have such a renowned figure from the environmental field as our keynote speaker.”
Following the keynote address, the summit will also host a variety of conferences that are broken into four tracks (waste and recycling, energy, sustainability, and food and agriculture), each located in different rooms of the Union Building.
Each track will discuss a variety of topics, such as renewable and efficient energy, food sustainability, recycling and air and water quality.
The second day will build upon the previous sessions with a range of professional workshops and networking opportunities for students and experts alike.
“The summit is a great way for students to network with all of Utah’s sustainability professionals,” Mead said.
According to the Intermountain Sustainability website, the overall goal of the summit is to bring people together to learn and come up with new ideas for promoting more sustainable lifestyles and a sustainable future.
For more information about the Intermountain Sustainability Summit, please visit http://www.intermountainsustainabilitysummit.com/home-1
