Exercising Your Sustainable Brain Tracy Dixon, University Sustainability Office

1. Exercising Your Sustainable BrainTracy Dixon, University Sustainability Office

2. Pre Presentation – Write Down • Extent to which I currently include sustainability in my life Infrequent 1 2 3 4 5 Frequent 2. Sustainability is not something separate in which you can choose to participate, it is connected to everyday life and work. Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Agree

3. Goals – Reframe Sustainability • Refresher – What is Sustainability • Why Care About Sustainability • The Sustainable Brain • Exercising Your Sustainable Brain

4. WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY? “……development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” • Our Common Future/Brundtland Report, UNWCED WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

5. SUSTAINABILITY IS ABOUT BALANCE Triple bottom line: • People matter • Economy matters • Environment matters

6. SUSTAINABLE DREAM WORLD Renewable energy Strong workforce Clean water Balanced population Economically diverse Mobility Zero waste Wise water use Healthy citizens Stable society Clean air Safe communities Community participation Energy efficient Educated citizens Livable wages & prosperity

7. Why Care About Sustainability What Matters Most? Typical answers: • Children/family/friends • Health, well being, safety • Happiness and fun • Job security and quality • Learning, growing, personal development • Sense of purpose, doing a good job at work • Sense of community/participation/belonging • Health or well being of the planet, its people • Clean air and water • Faith

8. What does sustainability look like? The Typical Brain The Sustainable Brain

9. A Look Inside The Typical Brain Enlarged View The Typical Brain nice house in the suburbs air pollution my car my beautiful lawn my daughter’s asthma cancer electricity bill local farmers the food I eat pesticides

10. A Look Inside The Sustainable Brain What does the sustainable brain think about? Enlarged View nice houses in the suburbs The Sustainable Brain electricity my daughter’s asthma my car air pollution local farmers cancer pesticides the food I eat my beautiful lawn

11. There is no awayWhere are these persistent chemicals?

12. Sustainable Brain • Sustainability is not something new • Sustainability is a framework in which to think How we think • Interconnections • Long term • Balance

13. VIDEO

14. What Now? • Rephrase the question • Save the planet or kill ourselves • Better questions • What are the systems we rely on to meet our needs? • How do these systems affect what matters most? • Goals • Think about our impact at NC State • Ask these questions about our own lives

15. Making Connections Stuck in a silo • Old model – few connections • Expert in field, collaborate with others in field of expertise, publish in field • Little interaction with other fields • The silos • Today’s model – lots of connections • Interaction across fields • Interdisciplinary • Social • Working together/collaboration Collaboration galore

16. Example Sustainability Silos Energy Land use Material selection Buildings Water Waste & recycling Transportation Health Sustainability = across sectors

17. Exercising Your Sustainable Brain - Making Connections • Group 1: Water • Group 2: Energy • Group 3: Waste Reduction & Recycling • Group 4: Transportation • Group 5: Land Use & Grounds • Group 6: Materials & Purchasing • Group 7: Buildings Think of as many words as possible in 5 minutes

18. Exercising Your Sustainable Brain- Facilities Projects • Water • Energy • Waste Reduction & Recycling • Transportation • Land use & Grounds • Materials & Purchasing

19. QuestionsFeedback