The Importance of a Sustainable Society
Join panelists to discuss the importance of a sustainable society. Learn the best ways to make your home and business green.
Friday, May 20, 2011, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Jonas Clark Hall, Room 118
Panelists include
Jenny Isler, Campus Sustainability Coordinator, Clark University
Paul A. Larkin '86, President and Chief Operating Officer, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
David Schmidt '04, M.A. '09, Senior Special Programs Coordinator, Mount Wachusett Community College and the Department Chair for the Energy Management Program Jennie Stephens, Assistant Professor, Environmental Science and Policy Program, IDCE Department, Clark University
Jenny Isler is Clark University’s Sustainability Coordinator. Jenny is a recent graduate of Antioch University New England, with an MBA in Organizational and Environmental Sustainability. She is the Chairman of the Eliot Energy Commission in Eliot, ME; serves on the boards of the Piscataqua Sustainability Initiative, the Mayor’s Committee for Sustainable Portsmouth, the KEYS Region Energy Initiative, Slow Food Seacoast; and is the founder of Seacoast Community Garden Network. Jenny’s professional background spans educational program management, executive management, marketing and public relations, corporate sales, large-scale community organizing and volunteer coordination, entrepreneurial start-up, sustainability consulting and organic farming. She is thrilled to be part of the Clark community as we work toward becoming climate neutral by 2030.
Paul Larkin '86 is currently the President and Chief Operating Officer of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company. Mr. Larkin spent ten years in a number of operating capacities for Office Depot, Inc., including, from 2007 through 2008, as Vice President for International Strategy; from 2005 to 2007 as Regional Vice President of Retail Stores, and from 2000 to 2005 as Vice President of Supply Chain and Inventory Management. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Larkin was the Director of Logistics for AutoNation USA, Inc. From 1987 to 1996, Mr. Larkin served in the United States Army in a number of command and staff positions culminating as Aide de Camp for the Director of Logistics, United States Atlantic Command. Mr. Larkin received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University.
Dave Schmidt '04, M.A. '09 is a Senior Special Programs Coordinator at Mount Wachusett Community College and the Department Chair for the Energy Management Program. The Energy Management Degree and Certificate Programs prepare students for careers in the energy services industries. Courses focus on a variety of content areas including energy analysis and auditing, building science, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources. Previously, he served as the Campus Sustainability Coordinator at Clark University from 2006 to 2010. He led the process for creating Clark’s Climate Action Plan and developed the methodology for designing a portfolio of cost-effective initiatives that best achieved the goal of carbon neutrality, targeting a 20% reduction in GHG levels by the year 2015 and net-neutral emissions in 2030. Schmidt also participated in developing the City of Worcester’s first-ever Climate Action Plan and made contributions through his work with the Transportation Subcommittee. He was appointed to the City of Worcester’s second Energy Task Force in 2010, for which he is collaborating with city leadership and local utility representatives to develop the city’s future Municipal Energy Policy. His professional, volunteer, and research interests center on issues of change management, sustainability science, urban sustainability, fostering change agents, and exploring social-technical transitions. Schmidt received a Bachelor's Degree in Geography and a Master's Degree in Community Development and Planning, both from Clark University. He is a life-long resident of Worcester, Massachusetts and is connected to various environmental and community groups in the city.
Jennie Stephens' research, teaching, and community engagement focuses in various ways on accelerating a societal transition toward sustainability, with a particular focus on climate change mitigation. Jennie has particular interest in energy technologies with potential to contribute to a stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. She focuses on understanding non-technical factors influencing the deployment of renewable energy, particularly wind power, and also in understanding the social dimensions of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Other components of Jennie's work include climate change education, campus sustainability, and universities as change agents in sustainability.
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