Sustainability Conference
 Eco-Municipalities: What Does a Sustainable City Look Like? |
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| Penn President, Dr. Amy Gutmann, and Jerome Peribere, President and CEO of Dow Advanced Materials, Speak on the Launching of O.D. Sustainable Development Concentration |
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Organizational Dynamics announced the launch of Sustainable Development Studies, a concentration of study in the MSOD and MPhil degree programs at a panel discussion and workshops on November 13 and 14, 2009. The Sustainable Development initiative has been generously supported by a gift from The Dow Chemical Company.
Organizational Dynamics' Associate Director, Dr. Alan Barstow, who has been instrumental in the planning of the Sustainable Development curriculum, hosted the events. A compelling presentation, available here on video, was given by Panelists Neil Hawkins, V.P. of Sustainability, Environment, Health & Safety at Dow Chemical; Anne Papageorge, V.P., Facilities & Real Estate Services, University of Pennsylvania ; Katherine Gajewski, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia; and special guest David Cook, Chief Executive, The Natural Step Foundation, a global NGO founded in Sweden, celebrating 20 years of groundbreaking leadership on sustainable development. |
November 14 Workshops
As notes were shared among the groups, it became evident that all agreed upon the importance of a systems approach to sustainability initiatives. The necessity of involving all stakeholders in ongoing discussions and of working from the top down and bottom up simultaneously Dr. Alan Barstow, Associate Director of Organizational Dynamics and coordinator of the Sustainable Development Concentration, says the panel discussion and workshops were a great beginning: "We hope to build and be part of a Sustainable Development Commons where people can get information and updates and exchange ideas and plans. As a result of one of these table workshops, we are better connecting programs and departments across the University who are working on Sustainability." Reports from the November 14 workshop leaders are included in the "Additional Resources" section at right. |
A number of people returned to campus on Saturday November 14 to participate in workshops dealing with an array of topics, including the Dow~University of Pennsylvania Collaboration, led by Dr. Larry Starr; The Roots of Going Green: Your Fork, Your Power (e-book and discussion topic), led by Ali M. Shapiro; Urban Renovation and Renewal, led by Marlayne Dundovich; Community and Grassroots Initiatives, led by Chris Wilson; Getting Beyond Compliance and Making the Business Case for Sustainability, led by Dr. Syd Havely; 
and How to Impart Sustainable Thinking to Penn Students and the Community around the University, also led by Chris Wilson.
was noted in several groups, as was the desirability of following the guidelines established by The Natural Step Foundation, whose CEO, David Cook, participated in both the Friday panel discussion and the Saturday workshops. Dr. Cook noted that perhaps surprisingly in an information-drenched society, there is in the U.S. a major communications problem among those involved in sustainable development. And from outside the U.S., he said, 
the perception is that America is not doing much of anything to promote sustainability. He encouraged publicizing sustainability initiatives as broadly and frequently as possible. In addition to improving our image, such broadcasting might also increase sustainability momentum by emphasizing the successes enjoyed in many communities that have implemented sustainability policies. A third common theme was the challengeof finding project funding. Partnerships like 
the Dow Chemical ~ Organizational Dynamics liaison are examples of win-win funding solutions.| Additional Resources | |
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