Sources: Ben Champion, 785-313-3085, champion@k-state.edu;
and Amber Campbell Hibbs, 785-532-3037, archibbs@k-state.edu
Websites: http://www.greatplainsclimate.org/ and
http://www.dce.k-state.edu/conf/sustainability/
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012
Sustaining momentum: Two upcoming conferences look at progress on addressing great plains climate change, moving Kansas toward a sustainable future
MANHATTAN -- Climate change will be the topic of two upcoming conferences at Kansas State University.
The first conference will deal with how agriculture and rural communities will be affected by climate change, the latest science, adaptation/mitigation options and educational options for preparing the region. Adapting to a Changing Climate on the Central Great Plains will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, in the Ballroom at the K-State Student Union.
It will be followed by Sustaining Kansas: the 2012 Kansas Higher Education Sustainability Conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, also at the K-State Student Union.
The focus of the Adapting to a Changing Climate on the Central Great Plains conference is on the progress and opportunities in interdisciplinary climate change research by the university and its partners through the Central Great Plains Climate Education Partnership and the Kansas National Science Foundation EPSCoR Climate Change Mitigation program. The conference's keynote address, by Bob Inglis, will be presented at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, in Town Hall at the university's Leadership Studies Building. Inglis is a former South Carolina congressman who now is the executive director of the new Energy and Enterprise Initiative at George Mason University. Through this initiative, Inglis is leading national-level policy discussions about responding to climate change based on conservative policy principles.
The Adapting to a Changing Climate on the Central Great Plains conference program will explore the current state of climate science for the Great Plains; impacts, adaptation and mitigation options facing the Great Plains; and communication and education challenges in our region. The conference will feature plenary speakers, panels and interactive sessions, as well as networking opportunities for connecting to the EPSCoR and Central Great Plains Climate Education Partnership projects and other scholars interested in climate change at Kansas State University.
Registration is free through Wednesday, Aug. 29. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.greatplainsclimate.org/p.aspx?tabid=24. More information also is available by contacting Ben Champion at 785-313-3085 or champion@k-state.edu, or Amber Campbell Hibbs at 785-532-3037 or archibbs@k-state.edu.
The second conference is the Kansas Higher Education Sustainability Conference. It will help attendees find new avenues for leadership through higher education in contributing to a sustainable Kansas. They will learn more about and network with others in higher education involved in sustainability efforts around the state; learn about challenges to sustainability work in commerce, nonprofits and advocacy communities, and student life; and the importance of remaining committed to work toward a sustainable Kansas.
The conference includes poster sessions and speakers from Kansas and regional environmental concerns. Featured presenter will be Nancy Jackson, founder and chair of the Climate and Energy Project, which is based in Lawrence, who will speak at the conference's lunch session.
To register and for more information on the conference, go to http://www.dce.k-state.edu/conf/sustainability/. For further questions about registration, contact Rebecca Frakes at 785-532-2530 or rebecca@k-state.edu. For conference questions, contact Kathryn Harth at 785-532-2495 or kharth@k-state.edu.
