Environmental Sustainability the Topic
at USM’s L-A College
The public is invited to several events that will be held
at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn
campus September 24 as part of the 2003-2004 Convocation.
The theme of the 2003-2004 Gloria S. Duclos Convocation is
“Environmental Sustainability.” The main objective
of the Convocation will be to explore how the world can meet
present needs without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own. “As a public university it seems
particularly appropriate that we search for answers. We will
dedicate the year to exploring our prospects for leading more
sustainable lives and creating a vision of a promising future,”
said USM Provost Joseph Wood.
The activities scheduled for September 24 at L-A College
are as follows:
Greening the Curriculum Workshop (1:00 - 3:00P) Room 170,
Open to Students, Faculty & Staff only.
With Rick Clugston, Director, University Leaders for a Sustainable
Future (ULSF).
Panel Discussion - Sustainability: Buzzword or Valuable New
Paradigm? (4 - 5:15P)
Panelists will discuss what sustainability means in their
discipline, the extent of support for the goal of sustainability,
and the extent to which sustainability is a workable concept.
Video: Religion and the Environment (5:30-6P)
A half-hour television interview in which Elizabeth Dodson
Gray of Harvard University
explores the compatibility of religious doctrines and environmentalism.
Workshop: The Comforts of Home - For Less! (6-7P)
Dudley Greeley, USM’s Sustainability Coordinator, will
provide information, training, and a demonstration of diagnostic
hi-tech tools that will help you identify simple steps you
can take to stop wasting money on unnecessarily high utility
bills.
Public Lecture: Spirituality and Sustainability: The Role
of Religion in Creating a New Model for Economic and Social
Development. by Rick Clugston. (7 - 9P) (Co-sponsored with
Interfaith Maine).
Rick Clugston is executive director of ULSF and the Center
for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE), and publisher
and editor of Earth Ethics. CRLE focuses on the following
program areas: the Greening of Academia, Religion and Ecology,
the Earth Charter Initiative, and Sustainable Livelihoods
and Sustainable Communities." Dr. Clugston has worked
for the University of Minnesota, first as a faculty member
in the College of Human Ecology, and later as a strategic
planner in Academic Affairs, Continuing Education and the
Office of the President. He was a consultant to the State
Department of Education, the Minnesota Business Partnership,
and various colleges and school systems on educational improvement.
Dr. Clugston has taught and published on human development,
strategic planning, educational reform, and most recently
on environmental ethics, spirituality and sustainability.
A variety of other convocation activities are planned for
the Gorham and Portland campuses, including discussions, workshops,
film, food, art and interaction with the greater community.
“We hope to offer opportunities that will strengthen
our personal commitments to making more sustainable choices,”
added Provost Wood, “encourage faculty to integrate
the environmental aspects of their disciplines into course
work, and showcase USM efforts to move toward a more sustainable
future. We plan to celebrate and challenge.”
All events (with the exception of the first) are free and
open to the public. If you need accommodations to participate
fully in a program, contact 780-4321. Persons who are hearing-impaired
can call USM's TTY number, 780-4069.
