Co-hosted with the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) – a network of higher education associations with a commitment to advancing sustainability within their constituencies and the entire system of higher education.

This presentation will explore the psychologies of sustainability and safety and will demonstrate how differing narratives are often describing the same action. A deeper understanding of semantics will lead audience members to see these fields as two sides of a single coin. The goal of this session is to help bridge the gap between safety and sustainability professionals and foster dialogue between these two groups. Both can learn and benefit from one another to strengthen their individual programs. This talk is an exploration between the two “languages” of these fields and aims to help audience members learn to decode and better understand one another. It will cover how the framing of narratives drives perceptions and attitudes, and how this can benefit all of us in our daily pursuits. This presentation will help EH&S professionals understand they are already sustainability champions and will help sustainability professionals better understand both the regulatory considerations of specific spaces, as well as the ‘language’ of safety professionals. This talk will provide several case studies of functional and dysfunction interactions between EH&S and sustainability groups with the goal of gaining a clearer understanding of the psychologies, languages and narratives driving each group’s point of view.  Finally, this presentation will explore the highly-relevant and current topic of Social Justice and how it falls under the purview and responsibility of both professions.

For members: watch on demand   For members: archived webinars on demand   Upcoming webinars

Presenters

Star Scott, Green Lab Program Coordinator, University of Georgia With a background in wildlife biology and ecology, Star Scott spent nearly a decade as a Research Professional in conservation-driven research at the University of Georgia (UGA) prior to joining the Office of Research Safety as a Chemical Safety Specialist. During this time, she developed and advocated for a Green Lab program at UGA. In 2016, the program was created with Star as the Green Labs Program Coordinator. Star is passionate about conservation, sustainability and research. She is a member of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) Laboratory Waste Landfill Diversion working group, the I2SL University Alliance Group, the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) Environmental and Sustainability Community of Practice, and the Bringing Efficiency to Research (BETR) Grants working group. Star is the CSHEMA representative for The Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), as well as the co-vice president for the Georgia Chapter of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories.