Norman Sustainability Conference

[Double A]

Sustainability Conference set for Norman
By Rick Hoover
STILLWATER NEWSPRESS (STILLWATER, Okla.)

STILLWATER, Okla. — By day, Seneca Scott operates oil and gas wells in Oklahoma.

By night, he works on sustainability.

Scott, operations manager for Trivestco Energy in Tulsa and president of the Oklahoma Sustainability Network, does admit his dual pursuits draw the occasional comment.

"People oftentimes kid around with me that 'you're in oil and gas and you do the OSN stuff,'" Scott said. "I don't see that it's necessarily competing with it. I see it as complementary."

He hopes more people will take that view after the Oklahoma Sustainability Network Conference is held in Norman on April 21-22. The sixth annual conference, "Ideas to Action: Envisioning the Next 100 Years in Oklahoma," will be held at the National Weather Center.

Information from the OSN Web site states the conference will offer sessions on: farming and agriculture; green building; biofuel, wind and solar energy; business and industry; food; land use; and religion and ethics.

Registration fees range between $40 and $120.

Jennifer Gooden, the conference chair, said attendees will gain knowledge to help make a difference in Oklahoma.

"It's not just abstract education," Gooden said. "We talk about concrete solutions. This is a conference where you go to learn how to make a difference and impact your community."

Gooden and Scott say the work of the OSN and the conference is designed to make Oklahoma better for all.

"Our goal is to connect Oklahomans to the many different aspects of sustainability, that networking helps people make choices and get a better understanding of what products are available and in turn help support those companies and services that are offered by Oklahoma businesses or organizations," Scott said.

Scheduled to present at the conference from Oklahoma State University are:

• Raymond Huhnke, professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering, "Ethanol: Hot or Not?"

• Sarah Kimball, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, "Greening Your University."

• Will Focht, director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute, "Water Wars."

Also planning on attending the conference is Ilda Hershey, chair of Sustainable Stillwater and an OSN board member. Hershey said about 12 people from Stillwater, members of Sustainable Stillwater and ECO-OSU, an undergraduate student organization, will carpool to the conference.

Hershey, who organized the state conference in Stillwater in 2005, said one of the best parts of the annual conferences is sharing ideas.

"It's about protecting the environment and protecting the economy," she said, adding all the food and beverages served during the weekend will be supplied "by local sources."

For information on OSN and to register for the conference, visit www.oksustainability.org.



Rick Hoover writes for Stillwater (Okla.) NewsPress.

[RecycleMichael]

I went.

It was a very good conference with about 350 attendees.