September 30, 2015

Roundtable to address climate change on college campuses

A roundtable discussion on the ways that college and university campuses can embrace sustainability measures in response to climate change is 9 a.m., Oct. 1 in the Nebraska Union. The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are requested at http://go.unl.edu/7gmf.

Titled “Institutional Responses to Climate Change: Implications for College Campuses in Nebraska,” the roundtable will bring together facilities managers from UNL, UNO, UNK, UNMC, Union College, Metropolitan Community College and Peru State to discuss strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of Nebraska’s campuses. The group will discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies for responding to climate change, as well as identify potential research and policy areas in this area.

“I see great interest in colleges and campuses in Nebraska on the subject matter,” said Prabhakar Shrestha, UNL sustainability coordinator. “We have a great potential driving forward and I look forward to a healthy discussion.”

The roundtable agenda includes a presentation by UNL’s Don Wilhite, professor of natural resources, and by Don Guckert, vice president of facilities at the University of Iowa. Wilhite will discuss future climate impacts to Nebraska. Guckert will provide an overview of programs implemented at the University of Iowa.

“I am really looking forward to interacting with colleagues from other colleges and campuses in Nebraska to discover our common challenges and opportunities as we address impacts of a changing climate,” Shrestha said. “The roundtable provides us the platform to address what we need: policy, engagement and cooperation to ensure that we continue to serve our communities throughout Nebraska.”

For more information, go to http://go.unl.edu/geex.