{"557391":{"#nid":"557391","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Forging New Paths to Social Sustainability","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EA conference hosted recently by Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECenter for Serve-Learn-Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E had participants look at how to blaze new paths in sustainable education and community engagement \u2014 and even took them into the field to get their hands (or rather, shoes) dirty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain, in partnership with the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability, College of Design, and College of Engineering, with funding from the National Science Foundation, hosted the Paths to Social Sustainability conference earlier this summer. The goal of the conference was to identify ways to develop stronger and more coordinated social sustainability research, teaching, and action agendas for the Southeast. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe three-day event was attended by Tech faculty, staff, and students; industry and community partners; government partners from Atlanta and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and representatives from other universities. The conference showcased Georgia Tech expertise as well as that of peers and partners in related fields. Topics included the need for adaptable designs, plans, and regulations for future conditions caused by climate, weather, and extreme events, as well as resilience and social sustainability.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOne popular component of the conference was a journey through the Emerald Corridor, a seven-mile stretch of the Atlanta BeltLine abutting Proctor Creek. Decades of neglect and illegal dumping have polluted the creek and created several environmental hazards, making this one of the most contaminated waterways in the metro Atlanta region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe saw firsthand the impact of an ancient combined sewer system on community functioning and health,\u201d said Iris Tien, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. \u201cWe passed routes to schools with cracked sidewalks, or no sidewalks at all. We passed parts of Proctor Creek with water so polluted it not only should not be drunk, it should not even be touched. These elements \u2014 the water system, and transportation infrastructure \u2014 are all part of the daily functioning of the communities they are designed to support. This is not a question of if these systems can survive a disaster, but about the challenges communities face on a day-to-day basis.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EMany people, even those who have been at Tech for some time, did not even know the Emerald Corridor was there, much less have an awareness of its current state.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cMeeting community leaders and hearing directly from them brings awareness and perspective about life near Georgia Tech that is not apparent from news outlets or politicians,\u201d said Linda Wills, associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who participated in the conference.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe conference also featured keynote addresses by sustainable community experts, roundtable discussions, and cross-site panels broadcast live online. Small group sessions gave participants the opportunity to identify key actions to work on moving forward. Takeaways included exploring the creation of a community-based Institutional Review Board so Institute research projects could be vetted by the communityw and incorporating social sustainability into K-12 curricula.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThe panels and the working sessions were particularly insightful and engaging because \u003Cbr \/\u003E of the dialogue that occurred,\u201d Wills said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe next step for the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain will be to create a draft agenda for social sustainability in the Southeast \u2014 and Atlanta in particular \u2014 and then to support working groups for implementation. The Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain also hopes to connect faculty with surrounding communities and resources for their courses and research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EServe-Learn-Sustain is an institutional effort to equip Georgia Tech students to learn and serve around the theme \u201ccreating sustainable communities,\u201d through engagement with content and context. The initiative was developed as a Quality Enhancement Plan, as a key component to Tech\u2019s reaffirmation of accreditation in 2015.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003ELearn more at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eserve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EA conference hosted recently by Tech\u2019s Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain had participants look at how to blaze new paths in sustainable education and community engagement \u2014 and even took them into the field to get their hands (or rather, shoes) dirty.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A conference hosted recently by Tech\u2019s Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain had participants look at how to blaze new paths in sustainable education and community engagement \u2014 and even took them into the field to get their hands (or rather, shoes) dirty."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-08-01 13:34:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:12","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"557401":{"id":"557401","type":"image","title":"Paths to Social Sustainability Conference","body":null,"created":"1470072908","gmt_created":"2016-08-01 17:35:08","changed":"1475895358","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:58","alt":"Paths to Social Sustainability Conference","file":{"fid":"206681","name":"image001_1.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image001_1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image001_1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1204383,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image001_1.png?itok=imdO7XJz"}},"557411":{"id":"557411","type":"image","title":"Paths to Social Sustainability Conference","body":null,"created":"1470072961","gmt_created":"2016-08-01 17:36:01","changed":"1475895358","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:58","alt":"Paths to Social Sustainability Conference","file":{"fid":"206682","name":"16c3008-p1-152.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16c3008-p1-152.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16c3008-p1-152.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1025759,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/16c3008-p1-152.jpg?itok=_7EDtDpH"}}},"media_ids":["557401","557411"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu","title":"Serve\u2022Learn\u2022Sustain"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1270","name":"conference"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"166867","name":"living Building"},{"id":"168071","name":"serve-learn-sustain"},{"id":"172223","name":"social sustainability"},{"id":"166890","name":"sustainability"},{"id":"1561","name":"undergraduate education"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:cory.hopkins@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECory Hopkins\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUndergraduate Education\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}