Sustainability expert Alex Steffen to speak March 2 as part of the University Lectures series

Alex Steffen, founder and executive editor of the popular Worldchanging website on sustainability, will offer his insights on creating a sustainable world during a University Lectures presentation on Tuesday, March 2.

Steffen will speak on “Worldchanging: A User’s Guide” at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The event is free and open to the public; reduced-rate parking is available in the Irving Garage. A sign language interpreter and CART will be available for the lecture.

Steffen co-founded Worldchanging in 2003, and since then it has become one of the world’s leading sustainability-related publications. Every day, Steffen and his team of journalists and practitioners deliver bright new ideas that The New York Times lauds as “solutions-focused reporting on innovation.” The ideas range from the small and clever to the huge and inspiring—and all are proof that the tools and models to build a better future are already here.

Steffen brings them all together on the site, in his talks and in his edited book “Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century (Abrams, 2006), a 600-page compendium of writings from more than 60 noted leaders around the world.

The site has won the Utne Independent Press Award and been nominated for Webbys for Best Blog and Best Magazine, as well as Bloggies for Best Writing and Best Group Weblog. Steffen’s next release, “Bright Green,” a book aimed at helping business people understand where the big opportunities for change exist, is currently in the works.

Steffen, who has been the subject of a CNN documentary, serves on the boards of numerous NGOs and is a much sought-after speaker on the power of new thinking and innovative solutions for sustainable cities. Prior to founding Worldchanging, Steffen was an environmental journalist and provided strategic consultation to environmental groups and foresight projects.

Now in its ninth season, University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment. The series is supported by the generosity of the University’s trustees, alumni and friends. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Other lecturers for the 2010 spring semester include:
• March 9—Scott Simon, host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition”
• April 6—Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund (This lecture was rescheduled from the fall semester due to a conflict in Edelman’s schedule.)
• April 13—Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney

The Office of University Lectures welcomes suggestions for future speakers. To recommend a speaker, or to receive additional information about the University Lectures series, contact Esther Gray in the Office of Academic Affairs at 443-2941 or eegray@syr.edu.