Auden Schendler of Protect Our Winters to speak at Montana State’s Sustainability Summit

BOZEMAN - Montana State University's sustainability office is hosting a Sustainability Summit on campus that is free and open to the public.

The summit will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and will include a slate of sustainability-focused tours, workshops and a keynote speaker.

On the agenda is:

• 9 a.m.: A fire safety workshop with the U.S. Forest Service and Bozeman Fire Department.

• 10:30 a.m.: Tours of MSU's Geothermal Energy System and Plant Growth Center.

• 10:50 a.m.: A workshop with the Center for Faculty Excellence about integrating sustainability into course curriculum.

• 12:30 p.m.: A zero-waste workshop to educate students about zero-waste efforts at MSU and what efforts they can make individually.

• 3:10 p.m.: A moderated panel discussion featuring MSU President Brock Tessman titled "Human(e) Energies: Sustainability in MSU's Land-Grant Mission."

• 6 p.m.: A keynote lecture by Colorado-based environmentalist Auden Schendler.

The keynote will start at 6 p.m. in Inspiration Hall, located on the east side of Norm Asbjornson Hall. Light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be available. Interested community members are encouraged to attend.

Schendler is the former vice president of sustainability at Aspen One and a founding board member of Protect Our Winters, or POW. An avid skier, lifelong outdoorsman and self-described "dirtbag," he is "one of today's leading voices on sustainability," said University Sustainability Office Director Ben Miele.

Schendler will discuss the globe's changing winters, skiing and the humanistic side of environmental challenges in the 21st century. His talk will draw inspiration from his latest book, "Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul," a work Casey Sheahan, former CEO of Simms Fishing, described as both "a rethink of the modern environmental movement" and "a love letter to the world."

"Auden will speak frankly about the lessons we can take away from our current efforts to solve the seemingly unsolvable environmental problems of today and tomorrow," Miele said. "This promises to be a powerful, thought-provoking lecture that also has plenty of humor and heart."

Registration for all summit events is strongly encouraged. People can register for the lecture here and find more information and other registration links at https://www.montana.edu/sustainability/summit/. Paid parking is available at the parking garage adjacent to Norm Asbjornson Hall, or people can park at any general MSU lot (aside from the Eagle and Bison lots) after 6 p.m.