Community sustainability workshop hits Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Two Purdue students are spearheading an effort to make a lasting difference for sustainability – and to change the way the University embraces the global challenge for tomorrow’s leaders.

Doctoral students Aaron Goldner and Lindsey Payne have organized the Student Sustainability Summit, a campuswide event happening from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Discovery Park’s Hall for Discovery and Learning Research.

Executive vice president for academic affairs and provost Tim Sands will give remarks during the event’s student showcase, which begins at 5.

Free and open to the public, the summit is meant to introduce students, faculty and staff leaders in the community to the wide array of activities, programs, partnerships and researched focused on sustainability at Purdue.

"Our goal is to elevate the sustainability discourse and connections on campus resulting in improved sustainability decision-making using the triple bottom line - learning, discovery and engagement," Goldner said.

"We hope to further Purdue's mission by increasing engagement opportunities for developing partnerships between our Global Sustainability Institute centers, the Office of Sustainability and other campus sustainability groups with faculty, students, staff and surrounding community."

You can find a complete schedule here.

Payne said breakout discussions and an envisioning session with faculty, students, staff and community partners are planned to work on future partnerships and projects. Examples of student-led initiatives and projects will also be recognized in a student showcase.

"We hope to collect student voices from across campus and get more cohesion in the structures that control sustainability - linking knowledge to action," Payne said. "We want to advance the role that students can play in these efforts to increase collaboration between centers, faculty, students and staff along with the Lafayette-West Lafayette community."

The summit begins at 2 p.m. with an introduction by directors from the Global Sustainability Institute, Office of Sustainability and Global Policy Research Institute.

An interactive, student-led envisioning session will begin at 3, and professional graphic-artist facilitators will capture the discussion from the envisioning session at 4. A reception and student showcase is at 5 p.m.