J840 Communicating Social and Environmental Initiatives

Reading/Viewing: Sustainability Messaging 

1) Leading Change Toward Sustainability, Bob Doppelt (pp. 7-90 and 173-209)

2) TED: Alex Steffan Sees a Sustainable Future (http://www.ted.com/talks/alex_steffen_sees_a_sustainable_future.html)

3) Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard (http://www.storyofstuff.com/)

4) Review five entries of your choosing from the Dictionary of Sustainable Management (http://www.sustainabilitydictionary.com/t/triple_bottom_line.php)

 5) Pamela Ronald, Pop!Tech 2008 (http://www.poptech.org/popcasts/popcasts.aspx?lang=&viewcastid=216)

6) “Green Business and the Conscience Premium,” Bryan Welch (http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/author/bryanwelch/)

 7) The Gort Cloud, Richard Seireeni.  Review Web site and read The Missing Chapters (http://thegortcloud.com/chapters.html)

Prepare call questions and participate in conference call on 7/15 or 7/18 from 1-2 p.m. CT.   The dial-in number is 1-877-278-8686 and PIN is 148874.  You are welcome to attend all calls but are only required to participate in two of the four offered.  Attendance will be taken.  Contact Cheri if you encounter any technical difficulties. Our guests have been asked to lecture for 30 minutes and engage in a Q&A for 30 minutes. 

Guest Lecturers:

• 7/15: Chris Doran is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Pepperdine University who teaches courses on Christianity, ecology and public policy (http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/member.htm?facid=christopher_doran).  He will discuss the intersection of public policy and personal sustainability, creating space to build bridges with persons of faith when constructing public policy and learning how to tell the “story” of sustainability in ways that will galvanize faith-based communities. Watch all chapters of “Is God Green?” before the call.(http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/green/watch.html)
•  7/18: David Clark is a sustainability consultant at Orchard Advisors (http://www.orchardadvisors.com/) specializing in helping strategic companies become more sustainable, and sustainable companies become more strategic.  He will address the inner resources needed to effectively cultivate messages on sustainability.  Review Paul Hawken’s commencement speech at the University of Portland prior to the call. (http://www.paulhawken.com/paulhawken_frameset.html) (on homepage) 

Continue fieldwork for final project.  This may include attendance at the Lawrence Coalition for Homeless Concerns meeting at 3 p.m. on 7/14 at the Lawrence Public Library (http://www.myctb.org/wst/chc/Lists/Calendar/DispForm.aspx?ID=1.0.2009-07-14T20:00:00Z&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myctb.org%2Fwst%2Fchc%2Fdefault.aspx). 

Write a post about your personal definition of sustainability informed by all the readings and lectures by Friday 7/17 at 5 p.m.  The definition should be specific yet expansive enough to encompass a variety of initiatives.  Explain the rationale for your definition and why you think it is an effective one.  Post under “Week 5” and in the appropriate category.

Respond to a colleague’s post and at least one comment to your post.  Blog post responses and comments are due by Sunday 7/19 at 5 p.m.