Why You Should Attend the 2013 Symposium on Sustainability and Sustainapalooza- Guest Post!

Events you can’t miss!!!  - Sustainapalooza and the Symposium on Sustainability.  Mark your calendars, register, and attend whatever you can.  You won’t be sorry!!!

My freshman year at Iowa State I attended the Symposium on Sustainability and learned all about sustainability efforts on and off campus, and also learned about the missions and outreach of different green oriented ISU student organizations. One of the reasons I attended the event was to obtain extra credit for a class on globalization and sustainability, and after taking this class and learning about the new ISU minor program in sustainability, I looked for different ways to become involved. I joined the Green Umbrella at the beginning of my sophomore year and had the opportunity to help plan and volunteer at Sustainapalooza in 2012.

Sustainapalooza is in its second year as an annual spring event hosted by the Iowa State University Live Green initiative and The Green Umbrella student organization. The highlights from last year’s event included opening remarks by President Steven Leath, Empowerment Centers, and a Live Green! carpet (made by The Green Umbrella from reused Astroturf discarded from renovations of the indoor football practice facility). The event was fantastic with over 300 students attending.  Walking down the green carpet at Sustainapalooza was something I will remember for a long time… not just the walk itself, but all that it symbolized… students committed to a sustainable future and making a difference and knowing I had helped make such a successful and memorable campus event happen.

This year’s events are sure to prove no different; the Symposium on Sustainability has combined with Sustainapalooza to offer several key events throughout two days, February 25^th and February 26^th.

Sustainapalooza (February 25^th) features the opportunity to walk down the green carpet for the second year in a row, as well as student research poster presentations, and “Green it Yourself” centers (to learn about Urban Gardening, Green Cleaning, Slow Fashion, and Food Labels).  All this is followed by an evening lecture from award-winning journalist, Charles Fishman - The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water.

The Symposium on Sustainability (February 26^th) features a keynote panel presentation from sustainability leaders from Iowa-based corporations including Becker Underwood/BASF, Kum and Go, Hy-Vee, and WebFilings. The symposium also includes additional presentations from university leaders on sustainable energy initiatives on campus, sustainability in curriculum as well as the presentation of the Live Green Awards for Excellence in Sustainability.

I would encourage everyone to attend this event… learn from students, faculty, business leaders and the community about specific projects, events, and initiatives that are taking place to make Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and the world a better and more sustainable place to live and take your walk down the green carpet.

Check out the Live Green! website for more information about both Sustainapalooza and the Symposium on Sustainability www.livegreen.iastate.edu.

See you next week!!

Dylan Gaudineer

Junior, Technical Communication, Minor Sustainability

American Packaging Corporation Intern