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ESW To Hold Sustainability Summit April 1 and 2

Engineers for a Sustainable World and the Northwestern Energy Technology Group will host the Northwestern University Summit on Sustainability on April 1 and 2 at the Jacobs Center, 2001 Sheridan Road.

The summit, which has a theme of “Environmental Equity in the 21st Century,” will include speakers, discussions groups, and a poster luncheon and networking session. Friday’s keynote speaker is Majora Carter, an environmental advocate from the South Bronx who founded the non-profit environmental justice solutions corporation Sustainable South Bronx. Carter is a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant winner and was listed as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in the June 2010 issue of Fast Company magazine.

The summit, which is open to the public, will “explore appropriate technical, social, and political responses to environmental inequities. By bringing together student leaders, sustainability experts, and community members to strengthen common bonds and share expertise, the summit will aid participants in their ongoing efforts to advance sustainability and social justice in the 21st century.”

Other speakers include:
- Michael Dorsey, assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth, who will deliver Saturday’s opening plenary lecture on carbon markets.
- Mari Gallagher, principal of Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, who will speak on food deserts.

Discussion topics for sessions include: policymaking for environmental justice, sustainable urban planning, food as a lens for understanding inequities, stories of local transformation, and sustainability in corporations.

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) at Northwestern is a student organization that partners with organizations to build a more sustainable and equitable world while preparing a new generation of leaders. Since 2006, ESW has completed eight engineering projects that directly benefit more than 300 people around the world, helped build technical capacity of local leaders in four countries, and prepared more than 100 students to take leadership roles in sustainability and social justice. Since 2005, ESW has held an annual conference exploring various topics in sustainability. Formerly known as Energy Day, the event has now been renamed as the Northwestern University Summit on Sustainability to reflect the broader scope of sustainability issues covered at the conference beyond energy issues.

Northwestern Energy Technology Group (NETG) promotes informed discourse about energy issues and provides opportunities for collaboration among Northwestern University students and between students and external people and organizations. The group hosts talks and panel discussions, trips to energy technology facilities, and social events that encourage networking with other energy-related organizations.

Click here for more information on the schedule and to register.