Mia Birk presentation, reading highlight Sustainability Week at WWU

Western Today staff

October 12, 2010

This week is Sustainability Week at Western Washington University, and a number of events have been planned for students, faculty, staff and the community.

Mia Birk, author, professor and transportation planner, will speak at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13. Birk's presentation, "JoyRide: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet," will take place in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. She will be providing insight on creating low-carbon transportation infrastructure and motivating individuals to use city-friendly travel options.

At the event, attendees can visit the RE Sources info booth and enter to win a Trek Urban Commuter bike donated by SSC.

A few of the other remaining events:

  • Wed., Oct. 13 - Noon to 2 p.m.: Sustainability Fair, VU Multipurpose Room. The Sustainability Fair is a chance for Western and the Bellingham community to connect with the large number of groups on and off campus who are working on sustainability on the academic, operational, research and outreach levels. Come get informed and connected!
  • Wed., Oct. 13 - 7 p.m.: Speaker, Mia Birk, “Joyride” book reading, VU Multipurpose Room. Mia Birk will be reading from her new book, "Joyride," as part of her book tour. Sustainable transportation groups and community activists will be tabling at the event. Brought to you by the Office of Sustainability and the ReSources.
  • Fri., Oct 15 - 10 to 11 a.m.: Green Roof Tour of Miller Hall, meet in front of Miller Market. Join the WWU Facilities Management and the Emerging Green Builders student group on this tour of the newly vegetated roof at Miller Hall, WWU's first green roof! Architects and project managers will be present to answer questions about the sustainable building practices in the LEED renovation of Miller Hall.
  • Wed., Oct 20 (Next week) - 10 a.m. to noon: Empowering a Low-Carbon Movement At Your Campus: WEBCAST - OM 340. David Gershon’s three decades of behavior-change and large system transformation research has proven that people are willing to change when they have a compelling vision and the necessary tools to help bring it to fruition. To stay motivated, people need others of like mind going on the journey with them. And, with a well-designed change platform that is replicable and scalable, these behavior changes can be widely disseminated throughout a college or university campus, community, country and across the planet. He calls this approach “social change 2.0.”

For more information about Sustainability Week, including a full list of events, visit the WWU Office of Sustainability website.