Go green: UW Tacoma to host sustainability expo and conference

As energy prices rise, resources become scarce and global climate change threatens, people talk of sustainability as a solution to the environmental crisis. But for the average consumer, it's not easy to figure out just what sustainability is — or how to achieve it.

Local colleges and universities have responded to the need for information about sustainability by organizing the South Sound Sustainability Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 on the UW Tacoma campus. Local businesses, agencies and environmental organizations will offer practical tips on how to be more sustainable and help South Sound residents make connections with local sustainability resources. The event is free and open to the public, and advance registration is not required.

"This isn't going to be a discussion of how bad the environment is; it's going to be an opportunity to get empowered to be more sustainable in our own lives," said Associate Professor Jim Gawel, the event's chief organizer. "We want to give South Sound residents an opportunity to find out exactly what is available to them locally to be more sustainable."

Speakers at the expo will discuss organic farming, public transportation, urban habitat, community-based energy solutions and more. In addition, representatives from more than 50 local and state agencies, businesses, colleges, and organizations offering sustainable products and services will be on hand to meet with consumers. A full schedule is available at www.tacoma.uw.edu/summit.

The expo is part of the two-day South Sound Sustainability Summit. On Sunday, Feb. 10, all students, faculty and staff from Pierce County colleges and universities are invited to discuss sustainability on college campuses at the Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. Speakers will address developing green campuses, finding transportation alternatives and measuring progress, and participants will be charged with developing concrete initiatives for addressing sustainability needs. Advance registration is required for the Feb. 10 conference, and the event is free.

The conference was developed by a committee of faculty, staff and students from eight local colleges. Each college contributed money and staff time to support the event.

"The idea for a sustainability conference arose during a brainstorming session with leaders of our local colleges and universities last summer. The meeting was coordinated by the city's economic development office. We talked about how we could collaborate more so that the region could gain more benefit from its wealth of higher education institutions. Since each of us has a strong commitment to sustainability, bringing our students and faculty together around this issue seemed a great way to start." says Pat Spakes, Chancellor of UW Tacoma. "This very successful collaboration is only the beginning."

The sponsoring colleges are UW Tacoma, Bates Technical College, Clover Park Technical College, The Evergreen State College - Tacoma Campus, Pacific Lutheran University, Pierce College, Tacoma Community College and the University of Puget Sound. To register for the conference or learn more about either event, visit www.tacoma.uw.edu/summit or call Gawel at (253) 692-5815.