Sustainability Symposium 2015 Slated for March 26 and 27

Bucknell University's third annual Sustainability Symposium will be held March 26 and 27.

The 2015 symposium opens Thursday, March 26, with three panel discussions in the Forum of the Elaine Langone Center: "Imagine" at 9:30 a.m.; "Design" at 1 p.m.; and "Create" at 2:30 p.m.

The student art installation, Figure/Ground, a large-scale, collaborative art installation with hundreds of individually silkscreened works portraying endangered animals and plants on reclaimed materials, may be seen from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Elaine Langone Center.

A straw-bale construction demonstration by architect and Bucknell alumna Sigi Koko '90, who founded Down to Earth Design, a sustainable building design and green consulting service, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the uphill entrance to the Elaine Langone Center. Koko will give a short presentation at 11 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m. describing techniques and benefits of this durable, earth-friendly construction method.

A student-led day of activities, "Sustainability in Action," will be held Friday, March 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Larison Dining Hall in partnership with the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium. Lunch is included. The event is free for Bucknell students. Registration is required.

Keynote Speaker
Green-building expert Jason F. McLennan will give the 2015 keynote address March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Trout Auditorium of the Vaughan Literature Building. No registration required for keynote address. The talk, which is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, is free and open to the public.

Considered to be one of the most influential people in the green building movement, McLennan has made a pivotal impact on the shape and direction of green building in the United States and Canada.

Recipient of the prestigious Buckminster Fuller Prize for socially responsible design, McLennan serves as the CEO of the International Living Future Institute, a leading NGO that focuses on transformation toward a world that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. He is a sought-after designer, presenter and consultant on a wide variety of green building and sustainability topics.

An Ashoka Fellow, McLennan is the founder and creator of the Living Building Challenge, widely considered the most progressive and stringent green-building program. He works on cutting-edge projects through a unique collaboration with the Integral Group — one of the world's most innovative engineering firms — as well as his own architectural practice, McLennan Design.

Recently awarded the World Changer Award by Green Biz magazine, McLennan was voted by Yes! Magazine as one of the 15 people helping to reshape the world. He is the author of five books on green building including the Philosophy of Sustainable Design — considered by many as the authoritative text for green building.

For more information about the Sustainability Symposium, contact the Bucknell Center for Sustainability and the Environment at BCSE@bucknell.edu or 570-577-2437.