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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Experts meet for sustainability panel

Executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council Jesse Kharbanda speaks during a panel on "Who is responsible for sustainability?" at IMU on Thursday afternoon.

Students and faculty gathered Thursday to debate who is 
accountable for sustainability.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs, in collaboration with the Integrated Program in the Environment, the IU Office of Sustainability and the ISOS Center for Social Responsibility presented “Who’s Responsible for Sustainability?” a public panel featuring speakers addressing the topic of sustainability from public, private and 
nonprofit perspectives.

Ken Richards, a professor of environmental economics and policy at SPEA, as well as an affiliated professor of law at the Maurer School of Law, organized the event.

Richards said the panel was spurred by SPEA’s recent review of its sustainability concentration, which resulted in 19 recommendations for strengthening the concentration.

Among the many goals identified within the review, Richards said two were particularly important.

“First, we set the goal of providing our students and the greater Indiana community with the opportunity for training in the skills, standards and concepts that are critical for sustainability professions,” Richards said. “Second is the goal of providing our students with an understanding of sustainability that incorporates private, government and not-for-profit sectors to create a truly tri-sectoral approach.”

Richards said the panel marks one of the first small steps in 
reaching these goals.

In order to provide a breadth of perspective on the topic, the panel included four speakers from a variety of backgrounds and expertise.

“What will emerge, we believe, is an exciting program that prepares students for careers and fluency in the field of sustainability,” Richards said.

First to speak was Karen Cecil, the director of global environmental sustainability at Cummins, which is a corporation of complementary business units that design, distribute, manufacture and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, according to the 
company’s website.

Cecil is responsible for the company’s global and environmental strategy and goal setting, including business integration and measuring. She is also responsible for employee engagement, environmental 
relations and external reporting.

“The business community has an important role to play in 
sustainability,” Cecil said.

Outlining the company’s strategy, Cecil explained the steps Cummins is taking to become a more 
sustainable company.

“We have the resources, we have employees who care and want to be part of the solution, we have problem-solving skills and tools,” Cecil said. “So really, a win for the environment is a win for Cummins, it’s a win for all business, it’s a win for our 
customers and it’s a win for our earth.”

Jesse Kharbanda, the executive director of Indiana’s largest environmental policy organization, the Hoosier Environmental Council, spoke after Cecil.

As the executive director of HEC, a state-wide, nonprofit organization that looks for solutions to advance air, land and water quality as well as Indiana’s economy, Kharbanda has focused the company’s efforts on building bridges with the business community, religious congregations and public health professionals.

During his speech, Kharbanda discussed why sustainability matters to Indiana, as well actions HEC is taking to address sustainability in the state.

Kharbanda said when compared with other states in the country, it becomes clear that Indiana is in need of improvement in categories such as air quality and water quality.

Because Indiana is such a powerhouse in terms of industrial production, Kharbanda said legacy waste is pervasive in many of the state’s 
communities.

Despite this, Kharbanda said he is confident meaningful action will result in positive change.

“Rather than being negative, we are working to unleash the clean energy economy of this state and unleash a different type of paradigm about how we grow our food and foster a different type of approach to transportation,” Kharbanda said.

Bill Brown, IU director of sustainability, spoke after Kharbanda.

“Design is about moving from the existing to the preferred or from the normal to the special,” Brown said. “I think if we stop what we are doing and keep those two things in mind, we will move towards sustainability naturally.”

Maria Koetter, director of the Louisville Office of Sustainability, spoke after Brown.

“We can’t be too shortsighted and say, ‘We can’t tackle that now,’” Koetter said. “It’s about starting and setting the course for a long-term goal.”

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