Largest Campus Sustainability Conference Heads to Portland, Oregon

Portland, OR — Themed Innovation for Sustainable Economies & Communities, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2014 Conference & Expo will be held in Portland, Oregon on October 26–29.

“The annual Conference & Expo is a very important and ‘must attend’ event for like-minded higher education sustainability professionals to come together to learn, share ideas and best practices with one another and take back to their institutions,” says AASHE Executive Director Stephanie A. Herrera. “We are excited and proud to see this year’s conference come together in one of the most sustainable American cities in the country, and look forward to unveiling the location for the 2015 AASHE Conference & Expo.”

The AASHE Conference & Expo is the largest gathering of higher education sustainability professionals and students in North America. Attendees from around the world will come together at AASHE 2014 to network and share new innovations, activities, frameworks, learning outcomes, tools, strategies, research, theory and leadership initiatives that are changing the face of sustainability on their campus and surrounding communities.

At the Oregon Convention Center, a LEED-certified building, everyone can look forward to hearing:

  • Annie Leonard, Greenpeace USA executive director and “Story of Stuff” creator, featured keynote
  • Marcelo Bonta, founder of Environmental Professionals of Color and the Center for Diversity & the Environment, Monday keynote
  • Rob Bennett, founder and CEO of EcoDistricts, Tuesday keynote
  • Andy Keller, president and founder of ChicoBags, opening Student Summit keynote
  • Anna Lappé, national bestselling author and sustainable food advocate, closing Student Summit keynote

These inspirational speakers are sure to excite and leave attendees with a drive to increase sustainability efforts at their college or university.

Attendees can also expect a full schedule with pre- and post-conference workshops focused on AASHE’s STARS program, leadership training and other professional development opportunities in addition to an Expo Hall with innovative products and services and sessions that will ignite participants to take action.

Plenary session topics include:

  • Promising Practices for Transformative Sustainability Education
  • Indigenous Practices for Sustainability
  • Driving Innovations Simultaneously at the Economy, Community and Campus Scale
  • Data to Action: Advancing Sustainability Investment Decisions

To view the agenda and to learn more about this year’s educational program, please visit the AASHE 2014 Conference & Expo website.

About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 
AASHE is helping to create a brighter future of opportunity for all by advancing sustainability in higher education. By creating a diverse community engaged in sharing ideas and promising practices, AASHE provides administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the businesses that serve them, with: thought leadership and essential knowledge resources; outstanding opportunities for professional development; and a unique framework for demonstrating the value and competitive edge created by sustainability initiatives. For more information, visit www.aashe.org.

Featured

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.