The University’s Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability conference will kick off today with an emphasis on the aquatic environmentalism.
HOPES is organized by the students of the Ecological Design Center and aims to promote the understanding and the application of sustainable design principles in architecture. Registration for the three-day conference is free for students and can be done online or at the keynote address tonight in 177 Lawrence at 7 p.m. Students can also earn academic credit for the conference by picking up a form from the organizers anytime during the conference and completing certain requirements.
The theme for the conference this year is “Confluence: Where Water Meets Design,” and the keynote addresses will be given by Joan Iverson Nassauer, a professor of Landscape Architecture in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, Nina Maritz, a member of the Namibia Institute of Architects and South African Council of Architects, David Leatherbarrow, chairman of the Ph.D. Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and Paul Kephart, a renowned biologist and ecologist.
Other activities include discussions and workshops, which will feature hands-on projects such as the building of a bioswale – a site with native plants and soil that acts as a natural filter for polluted runoff.
On Saturday there will be a “Trashy Fashion Show,” which will feature people wearing outfits made of trash. Show participants will fashion their outfits in a workshop earlier that day. To register and for a full schedule of events go to http://hopes.uoregon.edu.