Sustainability Strategic Planning @ Macalester College

We're happy to announce that an article, Engaging the Campus Community through Participatory Sustainability Strategic Planning at Macalester College, co-authored by Jonathan Bucki and Suzann Savanick Hansen will be published in the April 2011 edition of Sustainability: The Journal of Record.

Here's the abstract:

During the 2008-2009 academic year, Macalester College engaged over 400 students, staff and faculty in sustainability strategic planning. Macalester, in urban St. Paul, Minnesota, is a small, liberal arts college with an educational program known for its high standards for scholarship and its special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society. Macalester has had a long commitment to sustainability and environmentalism. Using a highly participatory approach, the campus generated a plan with specific, measureable priorities and increased engagement in sustainability efforts on campus. Making use of several cross-college teams, the process engage the campus community in several planning phases: 1) Capacity Building, 2) Practical Vision & Obstacles, 3) Data Collection and Stakeholder Input, 4) Strategic Directions, and 5) Implementation. In addition, a senior Environmental Studies seminar worked on developing recommendations for climate neutrality. Lessons learned include how to provide for appropriate and constructive participation, the importance of multi-modal communication strategies, the importance of staff capacity, leveraging college resouces for tasks such as data collection, and the importance of connections to senior college leaders.

"Suzann brings a special combination of passion and expertise into her role, along with a genuine regard for others. As an inexperienced board, we desperately needed someone to step into an interim Executive Director role, and were very fortunate to have Suzann accept the position. She quickly developed an understanding of the company’s mission, built a rapport with the team, and identified the critical factors that we as a board needed to address. She has the experience to assess many aspects of an organization, and the credibility to develop realistic solutions. I learned a tremendous amount through working with her, and would highly recommend her services to other organizations."

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