Sustainability expert Cain to visit NSU campuses Sept. 19-22

Dr. Kelly Cain, director of the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, will visit Northeastern State University on Sept. 19-22.

Cain comes to NSU to assist the institution in identifying ways to assess campus efforts to reduce carbon emissions and to assist in improving community sustainability in NSU's 20-county service area. His itinerary includes a public lecture at 11 a.m. on an ideally sustainable campus, and a second lecture at 7 p.m. on Sept. 20 titled "Gateway Communities. The latter lecture will discuss best practices on how other communities around the nation have move forward with growth and change while balancing economic development, environmental stewardship and sociological challenges. The presentations are in the Webb Center auditorium.

NSU President Don Betz and Vice President for University Relations Mark Kinders were colleagues of Cain's at Wisconsin-River Falls and participated in sustainability studies with him.

"Dr. Cain is a recognized, hands-on expert in building sustainable communities and educating students for relevant careers with over 25 years of experience," said Betz. "He has been a potent force in positioning UWRF in the regional and national conversation on sustainability. We are delighted that Kelly will be visiting NSU and sharing his insights and encouragement with us."

NSU has stated a goal of establishing environmentally sustainable practices and operations on its campuses and in assisting communities in its service area to prosper. Steps toward achieving this goal include minimizing environmental impact and reducing the institution's carbon footprint on its campuses. For communities, it is providing residents with the tools to help them come to agreement on a common future that expands economic development while balancing environmental impact to the advantage of families and schools.

Kinders said Cain is a leader in working out ways to create the most sustainable and energy efficient campuses possible, adding that Cain has also worked with regional development issues.

"Kelly helped come up with a common vision of how communities in the St. Croix Valley watershed could advance," said Kinders. The St. Croix is designated a National Scenic Riverway and is stradled on the west by 2.5 million persons in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and in the Wisconsin to the east by small towns and agricultural communities. "All regarded the river as a resource, but the small towns also possessed an ethos that made them attractive and livable they didn't want to lose as they faced growth and change. By assessing community capacities for sustainability, ways were found for these towns to not only survive, but to thrive."

Betz said Cain brought knowledge and passion for sustainable development to communities throughout the area.

"Through his classes and his numerous projects, Kelly has inspired and trained knowledgeable advocates for sustainability who are directly impacting the quality of community and family life in the region," said Betz.

In addition to his lectures, Cain will visit NSU's campuses in Tahlequah, Broken Arrow and Muskogee and visit the Illinois River. He will also meet with NSU's sustainability committee, facilities staff, and hold brown bag lunches with faculty, staff and students.

As a professor in UWRF's College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Cain teaches graduate courses and manages community service projects in sustainability-based planning and management.

He is actively involved in community outreach and service-learning, speaking and consulting on sustainability-based lifestyles, business models and community development throughout the Upper Midwest. He has also lent his expertise to other nations including Bolivia, China, Nicaragua and Trinidad.

Cain was named a Wisconsin Idea Fellow by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents in 2004, and in 1999 he was a National Peer mentor for the Learn & Serve America Exchange. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.