Call for Presentations -- 2nd Annual Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference

Print Version

November  8, 2006

Conference Partners:
AASHE: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
C2E2: Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence
CSHEMA: Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association
NACUBO
SCUP: Society for College and University Planning
United States Environmental Protection Agency
University of Maryland, College Park

A call for presentations has been issued for the 2nd Annual Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference, to be held on April 18 and 19, 2007 at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.  Presentation proposals are due by January 10, 2007.

College and universities are faced with many environmental issues and a have significant impact on the built and natural environment.  Institutions are addressing issues associated with growth, energy, transportation, waste management, and relationships with local communities through innovative practices and solutions.  This conference will bring together university and college leaders in the areas of campus planning and development, environmental health and safety, sustainability, finance and business, facilities management, and procurement as well as decision makers in communities in which colleges and universities are located. 

Conference participants will discuss a wide range of innovations and solutions associated with achieving smart and sustainable campuses.  It is our hope that this conference will help guide colleges and universities that are in the process of finding their own workable solutions to these environmental challenges.

This is a call for presentations to showcase best practices that are appropriate to the program session.  While all pertinent proposals related to campus sustainability will be considered, this year we are specifically seeking proposals related to the following four topics:

1. Smart Growth and Campus Planning – development issues, master planning, open spaces, density, mixed uses, future growth, connection between growth and carbon emission reduction
2. Engaging Your Campus in Sustainability – student-led work, integration into student government, housing, dining, and recreation/campus lifestyle, generating interest among administrators, faculty and staff, academic assignments, faculty research, curriculum
3. Facility Construction and Operation – high efficiency buildings, practical LEED accreditation case studies, sustainable technologies related to heat, power and water use, environmental management, climate change and greenhouse gas reduction, recycling approaches and practices
4. Assessment and Measurement – case studies and approaches to measure behavioral changes, metrics associated with campus improvements and reporting

Review:
Presentation proposals will be peer reviewed.  Ideas will either be rejected or accepted, however, there may be a short period during which some authors may be invited to revise and resubmit their ideas for consideration with acceptance based on a second review of the proposal.  All notifications will be made by February 14, 2007.

Submissions may be either in form of a single presenter or a panel of presenters (no more than 3 speakers on a panel) speaking on a common theme.  The conference organizers will group submissions into panels for concurrent breakout sessions.  Each presenter will be expected to speak for approximately 20 minutes.  Concurrent breakout sessions will be 90 minutes in length, with time allotted for three speakers and time for questions/discussion.

Session Requirements:

• Presentation Title
• Identify all speakers by name, title, and affiliation.  When more than one speaker is listed, please describe in a few sentences what each speaker will cover.
• Describe 3 learning objectives for the submission.  Objectives should be no more than 20 words each.
• Abstracts must contain the following in up to 500 words:
  - Central theme or hypothesis: what question are you trying to address
  - State how the submission fits within the context of the conference
  - Adaptability: How can this information be applied on other campuses
• Designate a point of contact.  (usually the submitter) Include name, organization, postal address, e-mail address, phone and fax numbers.

Conference organizers reserve the right to combine proposals, select one speaker, or modify submissions based on content and space limitations.

Registration for the conference is required of all speakers. Upon acceptance of proposal, speakers will receive additional information and will need to register for the event at a reduced rate of $199.

Submit your abstract via e-mail to nelson.kevin@epa.gov as a Word document.
For more information contact:
Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference
c/o Kevin Nelson
Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation
United States Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Mail code 1807T
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 566-2835
E-mail: nelson.kevin@epa.gov