“Greening the Local Economy” is the theme for the next College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Brown Bag Lecture Series on Wednesday April 1. The discussion will take place in the Williams Center Room 204ABC at noon.
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| Dr. Lei Huang |
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| Zachary Beaudoin |
Panelists will explore ways in which campus and community partners are working in the region and globally to generate economically sound means of improving sustainability at the local level. The workshop aims to bring attention to the implementation of municipal eco-procurement policies as a means of promoting the greening and sustainable community in Fredonia and Dunkirk. Panelists will focus on discussing a local green garden, pedestrian-friendly spaces, bicycle lanes and other related sustainability issues.
The moderator will be Dr. Lei Huang of the School of Business. Dr. Huang holds a Ph.D. in Management (Marketing) from McGill University. He serves as the Associate Editor of the World Journal of Management and is also an adjunct professor (Research) in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Huang’s research interests relate to social marketing, corporate social responsibility and health marketing. His work is published in both refereed academic journal articles and practitioner reports. Dr. Huang’s research is funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Centre for International Governance Innovation. He worked in the creative side of strategic marketing management before joining academia.
Panelist Mary Croxton is a retired registered nurse and chairperson of the “Complete Streets” committee in Fredonia. She will explore the “Complete Streets” concept, which states that streets and roadways should be safe and accessible for all transportation users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and vehicular motorists. The concept locally focuses on the roads of Fredonia and changing the decision-making and design process so that all users are routinely considered during the planning, designing, building and operating of all roadways. “Complete Streets” centers on policy and institutional change and promotes public health by encouraging walking and biking, leading to increased community interaction and pride. Slowing traffic is also an essential aspect of the effort. The “Complete Streets” committee seeks community input and involvement to ensure the community is safe for all transportation users.
Student Zachary Beaudoin will discuss the importance of sustainability on university campuses and why it is beneficial to the campus community and to the neighborhoods surrounding the campuses. He will review plans to implement a community garden on the Fredonia campus and will also talk about current initiatives and the “little victories” that are contributing to the national discussion of climate change and sustainable infrastructure. He is a junior English and International Studies dual major with a minor in Political Science. In addition, he is president of Fredonia Democrats as well as vice president of Fredonia Amnesty International, Sierra Club and the Junior Class. Beaudoin is the Chair of the student Environmental Relations group within the Student Association and sits on the campus Sustainability Committee. He served four years in the U.S. Army Reserve and has previously worked for various progressive leaders in Maryland politics. For the past two years he taught in Belize during J-Term and assisted the schools with their agriculture programs.
To learn more about the event, contact series co-director Natalie Gerber at gerber@fredonia.edu or call 716-673-3125. Since 2004, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Brown Bag Lecture Series, sponsored by the Fredonia College Foundation’s Carnahan-Jackson Humanities Fund and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has offered free monthly talks showcasing scholarly and creative work by Fredonia faculty, staff, students and community partners. The talks provide an opportunity for intellectual conversations across disciplinary boundaries and seek to create a broad and vigorous community of learners on the campus.
