Sustainable International Development: Dr. ALFREDO SFEIR-YOUNIS ON RIO+20

Rio+20: Hopes and Challenges for a Sustainable Future

Join us for a conversation with Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, PhD

former environmental economist at the World Bank

THE TOPICS DEBATED IN RELATION TO THE CONFERENCE ARE

Climate change | Green economy | Water scarcity | Food security | Population | Institutional frameworks

7 December 2011 (Wednesday) 

12pm to 1:15pm 

DePaul Center 

1 East Jackson, 

North Café 

11th floor, next to cafeteria

This is a brown-bag lecture – you are welcome to bring your own lunch.

Dr. Alfredo Sfeir-Younis will discuss the upcoming international Rio+20 Conference at Rio de Janeiro, 20 to 22 June 2012. He will map out the plans, hopes and challenges facing governments, NGOs, youth, universities and the world’s people. And, he will present his “lessons learned” from 29 years at the World Bank, having traveled the world dealing with issues of poverty, food security, the green economy, sustainability, etc.

The event is coordinated  by Prof. Patricia Zzczerba, United Nations Coordinator for DePaul University's School for New Learning and Dr. Marco Tavanti, Associate Professor School of Public Service

FREE ENTRY

October: Eating Local, Organic & Urban

Eco-Representatives, Blog #1

Go Green! No. 1

Most students recognize similar trends between students, such as metropolitan styles of clothing and a greater interest in healthier foods. After all, college is analogous with freedom right? A miserable 18 years of oppression evaporates the moment a new college student steps foot on campus. Not a parent in sight, no responsibilities, and no legal obligation to go to class. We’re officially adults. And what a place live! Chicago, a city that never sleeps, a city that fast-moving innovative youth flourish and last, but certainly not least, is a large city in itself.
DePaul students come from all corners of America and even the world, and amidst the diversity in the great city of Chicago there seems to a piece of normality missing. Southern Illinois students, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan students might find themselves missing the expansive cornfields that blanket the world of the Middle-West. Though Chicago is one of the largest cities in America, it comes as no surprise that among the fields of industrial parks, glass and steel buildings and concrete streets there is no room for the traditional agrarian lifestyle that once fueled the economies of America in the past.
Nonetheless, DePaul has been able to avoid the lack of abundant agriculture and organic foods through Chartwells and the growing interest in greener foods and means of sustenance. Even Chicago has retaliated against the sterile metallic future with Whole Food’s, Trader Joe’s, and dozens of other environmental safe groceries. In conjunction with these efforts to promote the health of Chicagoans and DePaul students, the Eco-Representatives, known as the ‘Green Team,’ will host a farmer’s market in the Quadrangle on Thursday, October 27^th.
To all those fortunate enough to have attended a farmer’s market before, as well as to give a memorable experience to those who have not, the event will begin at noon and end at 4:00 PM. Many of the popular groceries that supply organic food will be represented at the farmer’s market, to promote October’s theme: Food and Urban Agriculture. While Food and Urban Agriculture Month (October) was arranged to promote a month of eating healthy, the habits and interests that are sparked during the month support lifelong healthiness.
The connection everyone has with food, the very symbiotic relationship that ties the produce of the earth, which nourishes and contributes to a long and prosperous life, is reason enough to eat healthy. It’s your life and your body, why wouldn’t you want to make the best decisions?

With each new month, a new area of environmentally-friendly practices will be represented; November’s theme, Conscious Consumption, targets overuse and reuse, in areas such as water, energy and traditional concepts of recycling like reusable plastic bottles.
Interested in DePaul’s Eco-Reps? Check us out on Facebook and follow our updates on Twitter! (Facebook: “Eco Reps” in search under “People” and we’re the first hit! Twitter: “depaul_ecoreps”) New events, places, and environmentally friendly tips are always available!

Written By Matthew Morley

The SUSTAINABILITY.DEPAUL.EDU website!

 

The DePaul website on sustainability is here! www.sustainability.depaul.edu

Indeed, sustainability at DePaul is green, but also brown, blue, red and many other colors. DePaul University as a community has many expressions of sustainability. The area that probably best exemplifies DePaul's social justice and community service tradition with the values and practices of sustainability is the ENGAGEMENT in social justice and local/international community work. This is a short selection of a few initiatives and university centers and institutes engaged in sustainable practices. Please check the SUSTAINABILITY.DEPAUL.EDU website for more information. 

• Haiti Initiatives
• University Ministry, Community Service and Civic Engagement
• Steans Center
• Center for Interreligious Engagement (CIE)
• Institute for Business and Professional Ethics
• International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI)