EFS West's
Sustainability and Higher Education Conference

"Defining the Vision for Higher Education"

October 21-23rd (Thurs.-Sat.), 2004 – Portland, Oregon


Concurrent Session Schedule
Index of Session Participants
Abstracts


Waldschmidt Hall, first building at the University of Portland.

This is the first major conference of its kind to be held in western North America. Aiming to advance sustainability at college and university campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada, it will also build support for the U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), 2005-2014, with a special plenary featuring Chuck Hopkins of UNESCO and Wynn Calder of the US Partnership for the DESD. Over 350 participants are expected to attend.


Please join us for this exciting event!


Audience

Participants include faculty, administrators, campus facilities and operations managers, students, business leaders, policy makers, and others affiliated with higher education in the government and nonprofit sectors.


Goals

  • Provide a forum for those interested in the connections between sustainability and higher education - from teaching and research to campus operations, facilities, and community outreach.

  • Explore the most effective and appropriate practices in sustainability in higher education and discuss options for making sustainability the central focus of the entire college community.

  • Accelerate the transformation of U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities into models of sustainability.


Host Campus

The conference will be hosted at the University of Portland, a private university north of downtown overlooking the Willamette River. The university is opening its meeting and dining facilities to us during fall break, when school is not in session. Lodging will be off campus. Please read the welcome message from Conference Chair Steven Kolmes for more information about the facilities.


Guest Speakers

Plenary and keynote speakers include the following sustainability leaders (click here for speaker bios):

Plaza behind Franz Hall with statues.

Earl Blumenauer - U.S. Congressman, Oregon.

Wynn Calder - Associate Director of the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF)

Anthony Cortese - President, Second Nature, and co-founder, EFS West.

Chuck Hopkins - UNESCO Chair, "Reorienting Teacher Education Towards Sustainability," York University, Canada.

Freda Pagani - Director of Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Rollin Richmond - President, Humboldt State University, California.

Catherine Grey - President, The Natural Step U.S.

Matthew St. Clair - Sustainability Specialist, UC Office of the President.

Donald Wheeler - Executive Director, New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability.


Session Themes

Each paper session will focus on one of four themes (below) selected by conference organizers. Underlying each theme is the central aim of enhancing/transforming the educational experience of students.

Sustainability and College Curriculum
Reorienting the disciplines so that sustainability is a major focus. Envision a future where sustaining the Earth's life support system and achieving a healthy and just society form the content and context of all college curriculum.
Example topics:

  • retraining faculty to teach in a sustainable society paradigm

  • developing/using innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum

  • using campuses as learning tools for sustainable practice

  • re-orienting schools that train future professionals (Business, Education, Architecture, etc.)


Sustainable Campus Operations and Facilities
"A college or university that models sustainability in all its operational functions. but does not involve the faculty and students as an integral part of the educational process will lose 75 percent of the value of its efforts and cannot fulfill its role in society." (Anthony D. Cortese)
Examples topics:

  • moving forward with sustainable transportation

  • green and sustainable operations (procurement, information technology, dining services, investments, etc.)

  • sustainable design and buildings (redesign, retrofitting, new buildings, landscaping, green roofs, water and energy conservation)

  • adopting systems thinking and business principles of sustainability

  • assessing the true ecological footprint of a campus

  • environmental health & safety - making it second nature

  • getting to zero waste


Sustainability Beyond the Campus
Helping communities in our back yards and across the globe improve and sustain their environment, health, social fabric, and economy.
Example topics:

  • campus-led community and environmental planning and design for a sustainable society

  • research toward a sustainable world (from global climate change to sustainable cities)

  • socially conscious university investments

  • national/international programs on education and sustainability

  • higher education and social justice - preaching, practicing, and promoting

  • the business world & the ivory tower - working together toward a sustainable future

  • Education for sustainable development


Student-Led Sustainability Efforts
Students or student groups are behind many of the most successful sustainability efforts on campus and in the community.
Example Topics:

  • student-run "alternative technology" demonstration centers and homes

  • student-led waste reduction, energy & resource conservation, or alternative transportation efforts

  • student organizing on campus around sustainability

  • student-conducted campus ecological footprint analysis (e.g., greenhouse gas assessment)


Lobby of Franz Hall (conference registration area).

Papers, Posters, Panels, and Workshops

Deadlines for submission of papers, panels, posters and workshops have passed.

A number of "self-organizing" sessions will be held during the four concurrent sessions. These are open discussion sessions on topics announced at the conference and facilitated using the techniques and principles of Open Space Technology. Announcements and sign-up sheets for self-organizing sessions will be available each day in the registration area. If interested in holding a self-organizing session, contact Harvey Clawson at harveyclawson@yahoo.com.


Key Dates

Paper proposals
Poster proposals
Early registration deadline
Exhibitor registration deadline
Refund deadline
Conference dates

May 31 (acceptance notification by June 31)
July 31 (acceptance notification by Aug 13)
September 10
September 17
October 15
October 21-23 (Thurs-Sat)


EFS West

EFS West (Education for Sustainability Western Network) is a professional association of individuals and institutions working to make sustainability a foundation of higher education in the western U.S. and Canada. We do this through collaboration among members to share strategies and resources that will assist them in making sustainability central to all teaching, research, professional development, campus operations, facilities, investments, and community outreach. The Network was founded in 2001 as a partnership with Second Nature, whose goal is to see sustainability become "second nature" in higher education within a generation.

The idea for this conference arose from the realization that growing interest in sustainability & higher education will now support additional conferences beyond Ball State University's widely acclaimed, biennial "Greening of the Campus" conference. It is hoped that EFS West's conference will also become biennial, thereby helping to build and broaden the EFS movement.


Conference Planning Team

Many thanks to our Planning Team members who have worked hard to develop an excellent program and ensure that the conference is as "green" as possible.


Conference Chair

Steven Kolmes - Rev. John Molter, C.S.C., Chair in Science; Professor, Department of Biology; and Director, Environmental Studies Program, University of Portland


Coordinating Committee

John Baldwin - Associate Professor, Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, University of Oregon

Matthew Buck - Assistant Executive Director, Food Alliance (Portland, Oregon)

Regina Hauser - Executive Director, Oregon Natural Step Network

Bob Koester - Professor of Architecture, Ball State University; Director, CERES (Center for Research/Education/Service); Organizer, "Greening of the Campus" Conference, Ball State University, Indiana.

Steve Oberg - Director, Department of Environmental Health & Safety, University of Nevada, Reno

Mike Pasqualetti - Professor, Department of Geography, Arizona State University

Will Toor - Director, University of Colorado Environmental Center; former Mayor of Boulder, Colorado

Judy Walton - Executive Director, EFS West.


Program Committee

Stephen Frenkel, Program Co-chair - Consultant

Kyle Diesner, Program Co-chair - Office of Sustainable Development, City of Portland

Greg Hill - Professor, Mathematics Department, University of Portland

Justin Yuen - President, For My Innovation (FMYI)

Stephanie Sanford - Program Coordinator, Center for Water & Environmental Sustainability (CWESt), Oregon State University

Paul Wack - Associate Professor, Department of City & Regional Planning, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo


Local Publicity Committee

Colleen Kaleda - Assistant Director of Student Media, Student Activities Office, University of Portland


Food & Facilities Committee

Bill Reed - Director, University Events, University of Portland

Kirk Mustain - General Manager, Bon Appetit, University of Portland


General Conference Assistance

Stacy Carroll - Secretary, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Portland

Harvey Clawson - Business Consultant

Erik Fast - Associate, Development, University of Portland

Sinnamon Tierney - Administrative Assistant, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Portland

Maura Bannon, Sarah Dempsey, Maralea Lutino, Andy Maggi, Noelle Studer - EFS West Interns