Get your green on at the sustainability symposium

An evening-only format is new to the annual Symposium on Sustainability, Feb. 23-24 in the Memorial Union. Sustainability director Merry Rankin said busy workdays and class schedules impacted daytime attendance, prompting the change.

All events are free and open to the public. No registration is required to attend.

Event details

The sustainability symposium kicks off Monday at 7 p.m. in the MU South Ballroom with a reception and poster session highlighting the university's green initiatives and accomplishments. At 8 p.m. in the Great Hall, keynote speaker John Warner, cofounder of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, Wilmington, Massachusetts, will present "Green Chemistry: Helping Create a Safer, More Sustainable Future."

On Tuesday, the winners of this year's Live Green! Awards for Excellence in Sustainability will be announced at 5 p.m. in the Sun Room. The posters from Monday night's reception will be on display in the South Ballroom.

Sustainapalooza is Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Great Hall. This interactive, activities-based event features the "green" carpet, pledge wall, refreshments and giveaways. Attendees also may participate in green-it-yourself centers, which offer information on:

  • Upcycling (making new things from old items)
  • Outdoor skills (learning Leave No Trace principles)
  • Green personal care (turning plastic bottles into containers for homemade lip balm and making air fresheners from pine cones)
  • Greening your plate (creating healthy snacks that are quick, easy and inexpensive)

At 8 p.m. in the Sun Room, Tim Lindsey, global director of sustainable development at Caterpillar, will present "A Corporate Perspective on Sustainability."

More information about the Symposium on Sustainability is online.