Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Oct. 22, 2018
(DALLAS) — Partnerships help cement relationships and cooperative efforts to reach sustainability goals in schools, businesses and communities. Those partnerships will be the focus of the 2018 Dallas County Community College District Sustainability Summit.
The free event, which is open to the public, will be held on Friday, Nov. 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Richland College, 12800 Abrams Road in Dallas. Interested participants must
register by Monday, Nov. 5, to receive lunch during the event at no charge. To register, visit
dcccd.edu/SustainabilitySummit.
“As DCCCD moves forward with its goals for sustainability — inspired by 17 guidelines suggested by the United Nations — we want to focus on goal No. 17, partnerships,” said Georgeann Moss, the district’s executive director of sustainability and outreach initiatives. “One person can’t do it all, but one person — or one organization — can pick one sustainability project or goal and make it their call to action.”
Moss added, “Every person in every community can get involved in activities or sustainable practices, even at home, in partnership with others. Our keynote presentations and breakout sessions during the summit will offer ideas that can help us achieve sustainable goals which benefit everyone.”
Two keynote speakers headline the day’s activities: Marianella Franklin, chief sustainability officer for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, will be the first featured morning speaker; and Kevin Wilhelm, CEO of Sustainable Business Consulting, will address the group at 10 a.m.
Check-in will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., followed by the general session at 8:30 a.m. Dr. Joe May, DCCCD’s chancellor, will welcome participants, along with Dr. Kay Eggleston, president of Richland College, and Ken Dunson, Richland’s director of facilities. Franklin then will deliver the first keynote address.
Morning activities also include two sets of breakout sessions and lunch (at noon). Three sets of breakout sessions are scheduled for the afternoon before the summit adjourns at 4 p.m.
Franklin, who joined UT in 2003, started managing projects for facilities, planning and operations; she then transitioned to the role of director of the office for sustainability shortly after she earned her certification as a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). In 2008, Franklin founded one of the first sustainability offices in the UT system. She earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey N.L., Mexico, and a certificate in global sustainability from the University of Vermont.
Wilhelm, a sustainability thought leader, has taught at seven universities and is the author of four books, including: “Return on Sustainability: How Business Can Increase Profitability and Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy”; “Making Sustainability Stick”; and “An Introduction to Sustainable Business.” He teaches online and has developed online multimedia materials and videos that make learning more student-friendly. He has more than 20 years of experience working with at least 120 businesses; some of his clients are Amazon, Nordstrom and Expedia.
A total of five breakout sessions are scheduled. Some of the topics include: Climate Leadership in Higher Education; The Impact of Our Food; Why an Energy Master Plan?; Sustainability in Dallas: What Is the City Doing?; Wildlife in DFW; State of the State: Aquatic Invasive Vegetation; U.S. Water Services; 21st-Century Policing: Building Communities of Trust; Richland College Sustainability Program Model; Lake Clean-Up; Recycle/Waste; Texas Trees Foundation Campus Tree Farm Education Center Tour; and many others.
Sponsors include: Trane (platinum); Enviromatic Systems (gold); Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas-ERS, ELS Light and Double M Plumbing (silver); and U.S. Water Systems, Dallas Water Utilities, GreenSource DFW, Sierra Club, Natural Awakenings Dallas, Women in the Environment and Greater Dallas Planning Council (green), as of this date.
For a complete schedule of sessions/topics and other information, please visit
dcccd.edu/SustainabilitySummit.
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