Several members of FGCU’s faculty and administration will share their expertise in panel discussions at the inaugural Southwest Florida Sustainability Summit on Thursday, April 30 in Fort Myers.
A showcase of environmentally sustainable practices for business owners and community leaders, the event will feature some of the best thought leaders, educators and experts in environmental sustainability, conservation, economic development, engineering and education. The mayors of six Lee County communities will participate in the event organized by Visaggio Community Consulting, in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Mei-Mei Chan, President and Publisher of the News-Press, will serve as emcee.
FGCU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ron Toll will moderate a panel titled “What’s Our Vision,” which includes FGCU chemistry professor Laura Frost, director of the Whitaker Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education. Gary Jackson, director of Regional Economic Research Institute of FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business, will participate in a panel called “How Do We Work Together?”
Afternoon workshops will delve into the principles of sustainability, smart facility management and electric vehicles. A showcase of sustainable art also will be presented.
The summit is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Harborside Event Center, 1375 Monroe St., and is open to the public. Tickets are $50, including breakfast and lunch, with proceeds going to the Imaginarium Science Center in Fort Myers to support science and technology education for youth. Anyone who brings canned food for Harry Chapin Food Bank, a gently used children’s book for Literacy Council Gulf Coast and a donation for Goodwill will receive a voucher for one box of free shredding from Goodwill Secure Shred.
For more information or to register for the summit, go to www.swflsustainability.com.
For more information about FGCU’s Whitaker Center for STEM Education go to http://www.fgcu.edu/whitakercenter.