The 2013 Vermont Foodbank Hunger Action Conference: Moving to Action, Achieving Results will be held on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington. Check out some of the featured speakers, you may be familiar with!  You can read more and sign up at: https://www.vtfoodbank.org/ForNetworkPartners/HungerActionConference/2013HungerActionConference.aspx#.UXg5a-B5hRA

Student Training for Environmental Protection (STEP) is growing! We now have three STEPs confirmed for this summer, one in Virginia and one in Wisconsin, and one in Connecticut. The STEP program is designed to give students and young folks the skills they need to become effective environmental advocates and organizers. STEP is an intensive course facilitated […]

The BECC Conference is a great small event with both academics and practitioners from different fields. The sessions and plenary speeches are amazing. This year the conference is in Sacramento, CA on November 18-20, 2013 and there is a pre-conference Community Based Social Marketing workshop with Doug McKenzie-Mohr. “The Behavior, Energy and Climate Change (BECC) Conference 2013 is […]

On behalf of the Sustainability Improves Student Learning initiative (SISL), you’re invited to participate in a one-hour discussion centered around the opportunities and challenges of teaching STEM content in the context of real-world societal issues such as sustainability, climate change, public health and others.

Background: The SISL initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is leveraging the influence of 11 STEM disciplinary societies to contextualize undergraduate STEM teaching and learning in terms of 21^st century global challenges. The ultimate goal is to prepare students who not only understand the scientific and societal dimensions of the challenges we face, but who also are motivated and equipped to help solve the underlying problems. These discussions will contribute to this goal by helping to identify best practices, opportunities, barriers, and effective framing for infusing these issues into STEM curricula.

Who should participate: All faculty in the science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) disciplines, particularly those who teach the introductory courses, are invited to participate. Participants can be at any stages in their career and work at 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities. We encourage participation from those who currently incorporate societal challenges (e.g. sustainability, climate change, public health, etc.) into their teaching as well as those who do not currently do so. Participants need not be a member of one of the disciplinary societies engaged in SISL.

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This Summer, Learn All About Composting Ecology and Management

Curious about composting? Ever imagined yourself working at a compost facility? This summer you can learn all about how to run a compost facility, and meet seasoned professionals in the field.

PSS 154 Composting Ecology and Management is a new course offered this summer for all UVM students. We will cover the basic biology and ecology of compost, site management, stormwater management, recipe development, feedstock analysis, and compost management techniques. In addition to lectures, students will perform feedstock analyses, build their own compost pile, visit working compost facilities in the state, and receive insights from guest lecturers on site permitting and state policies behind composting. We will visit local compost facilities including Green Mountain Compost, Highfields Center for Composting, Grow Compost, and Karl Hammer’s Vermont Compost.

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The Greenpeace Semester: Do you care about the environment and want to learn skills to make a real difference?  During the Greenpeace Semester, you’ll learn what it takes to protect the planet and gain career experience to become an environmental leader.  The program combines intensive workshops, groups projects, and real experience working on important issues in different communities, working side-by-side with Greenpeace staff.

You will:

• join in conversation on critical issues with experts on climate change, protecting our oceans, nuclear energy, forest conservation, toxic pollution, and corporate abuse of the environment
• learn the skills of environmental advocacy, strategic campaigning, communication, and grassroots organizing to win real victories for the planet
• learn about non-violence as a means of making change in the world

Click here to apply

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CHECK OUT AASHE’s  NEW Professional Development offerings!

Campus as Sustainability Living Lab    Deadline for registration is APRIL 23, 2013

• AASHE Professional Development Workshop:  Developing a Campus as a Sustainability Living Lab
• Registration deadline:  April 23, 2013….only a week away.
• Dates:  June 7-9 at Portland State University in  Portland, Oregon
• This innovative workshop that will introduce a new model for both education and sustainability action: the campus sustainability living lab. Participants will leave with: a plan and a set of actions/strategies for implementing a living lab at their campus; a deep understanding about the underlying theory and value proposition in implementing a sustainability living lab on campus; clear typology and definition for a living lab program and courses that increase sustainability education; a network of peers; and more.
• Register by April 23.

Next Steps for Campus Sustainability    August 26 – 28

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We hope you will join us to share inspiration, stories and resources around leadership and sustainability. We invite you to register today at the early bird rate, and save $50. Early bird registration lasts until March 31st. Please visit our page on the  University of Wisconsin-La Crosse conference website to access all the information you need to know about this year’s conference, You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader.

Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) was founded on the belief that the solution to many of the Earth’s biggest challenges lies in the power of collective change: by taking action in our own lives and inspiring the people around us, each of us contributes to a world of impact.

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Where: Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln, VT

When:  June 15^th-30^th, July   6^th-21^st, July  29^th-Aug 4th

Credits: You may be able to earn credits through your university. Assistance is available.

Cost:  Two Week Course $1500, One Week Course: $800

(Program tuition, meals, housing, and materials are included.)
*Alternative financial arrangements and fundraising assistance may be available.

 Join us for a Metta Earth Leadership Training igniting a generation of emerging leaders to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world. The Metta Earth Leadership Trainings are one and two week trainings for young people which take a holistic approach to addressing the rampant environmental and social justice issues facing society today by providing young people with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to be effective leaders back in their communities. Participants will build their inner and outer leadership abilities through experiential learning opportunities in topics such as: organic farming & permaculture, ecovillage planning, primitive skills, yoga, meditation, and social change organizing.  The training will be held at the Metta Earth Institute- a learning community actively committed to balancing the contemplative lifestyle with activism in the mountains of Lincoln, Vermont.

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Hosted by the Energy Initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory; Clean Energy Trust; Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (University of Chicago); Energy and Sustainability Engineering (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Initiative for Sustainability & Energy at Northwestern (Northwestern University); Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (Illinois Institute of Technology)

2013 Program Theme: Sustainable Transportation
The Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy (SISE) is a two-week intensive workshop and lecture series geared towards individuals interested in the title subjects: sustainability and energy.  From August 5-16, a diverse body of participants will converge on the UIC campus and immerse itself in a broad spectrum of sustainability and energy related topics.  Issues presented will be of interest to scientists, economists, political scientists, urban planners, engineers, architects, and entrepreneurs.  Continue reading →