Hanley Sustainability Institute

By Mark Gokavi

Nine experts are keynote speakers for the Oct. 20-22 virtual Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education (GCSHE), which carries the theme, “Mobilizing for a Just Transition.”

The conference, put on by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), touts itself as the “largest stage to exchange effective models, policies, research, collaborations and transformative actions that advance sustainability in higher education and surrounding communities.”

The University of Dayton is a host institution for the conference, which allows anyone with a @udayton.edu email account to register here for free. On the submit payment page, enter discount code UDAYTONEDU093020, which should drop the total due to $0.00.

One huge benefit of host status is access to 70-plus live presentations and more than 300-plus on-demand sessions until Nov. 22.

More information about the keynote speakers and the full schedule is available on the conference website. A recent HSI news blog post highlights a discussion about an update on UD's carbon neutrality efforts and the other five UD-led sessions.

The conference “will deliver the same inspiring content, engaging networking opportunities, and thought-provoking keynote speakers and presenters we celebrate each year in person – now virtually produced with the opportunity for an even larger global audience of innovative professionals committed to a more sustainable future,” according to the AASHE website.

KEYNOTE SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, OCT. 20

10:30-11:15 a.m. - Colette Pichon Battle: Drawing from her experiences with the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, Battle will address the need for a just recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic and its associated impacts.

1:30-2:15 p.m. - Panel with Tia Brown McNair, Davarian L. Baldwin and Megan Red Shirt-Shaw: The panel of experts will discuss how, to effectively support a just transition, higher education will need to acknowledge and atone for the historical and ongoing ways in which it perpetuates racial injustice.

7-7:45 p.m. - Sean Sweeney: Sweeney will talk about the evolution of the concept of just transition and why public ownership is necessary to achieve the transformative potential of a just transition.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21

9-9:45 a.m. - Tasneem Essop: Tasneem will share lessons learned from her efforts to advance the concept of a just transition in global climate negotiations.

1:30-2:15 p.m. - Ibram X. Kendi: Kendi will give us a new frame for understanding racism and provide guidance on how to be an antiracist.

7-7:45 p.m. - Mateo Nube: Nube will share Movement Generation’s pioneering work to develop and deepen the concept of a just transition.

THURSDAY, OCT. 22

9-9:45 a.m. - Robin Wall Kimmerer: Kimmerer will offer reflections and an indigenous perspective on the meanings of a just transition.

12:30-1:15 p.m. - Sara Goldrick-Rab: Goldrick-Rab will speak about meeting students’ basic needs during the pandemic and associated economic turmoil.

4-5 p.m. - Panel with Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru, Joshua Dedmond and Suparna Kudesia: A closing session intended for all audiences.