The United Nations defines the term sustainability as “choices that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

(below, from left) Frances Webber, Max Frankel, Andy Pratt, Julie Boshae, Cameron Evans

Members of the “Planeteers,” William Jewell’s new student sustainability organization, had the chance to explore the many dimensions of the UN’s definition of sustainability when they traveled this fall to a Colorado workshop conducted by Robert Mann, co-director of the Shadowcliff retreat center and a member of the William Jewell College class of 1963.
 
The goal of the workshop was to connect social justice and sustainability by looking at values, ethics, stewardship and personal responsibility. “When we think of sustainability as an integration of values and behaviors that are good for the natural environment, good for the human economy and good for society, it is clear that there is inherent in sustainability some aspect of justice,” Mann said. “In the workshop we explored these concepts as informing our own values and began the adventure of integrating some conscious expression of justice and sustainability into our own behaviors and those of William Jewell College.” 

Attending the workshop were Jewell students Julie Boshae, Frances Webber, Cameron Evans and Max Frankel, along with Dr. Andy Pratt, Director of Jewell’s Center for Justice and Sustainability.

Shadowcliff’s distinctive location affords workshop participants the opportunity to utilize the nearby Rocky Mountain National Forest and Park as a laboratory for observing the laws of nature and the practice of sustainability.  Mann included in the workshop studies of Grand Lake and the water needs of the east slope, elk population in the national forest and the current pine beetle infestation.

“The experience taught me to think about sustainability in ways that go deeper than quick-fix solutions to broad environmental problems,” said Jewell student Frances Webber. “We learned how to think in terms of systems, that is, in terms of people as well as the environment, to identify crucial issues and to generate truly effective and lasting solutions.”

In the final sessions of the workshop, Mann led Jewell students through a collaborative process of planning the most important next steps in focusing William Jewell College on issues of justice and sustainability. The students have developed a brief presentation on sustainability to share with campus departments and organizations.

Mann will return to his alma mater in January as a guest at the Center for Justice and Sustainability’s first annual Justice Summit. Mann practiced business law in Kansas City for more than 25 years before founding Bridging The Gap (BTG), Inc., in 1992. As founder and CEO until 2005, he led BTG to its position as one of the largest environmental education organizations in the Midwest. He has served as counselor to four Kansas City mayors and countless elected officials and business leaders on environmental issues over the last 19 years. During the last seven years, Mann has facilitated Shadowcliff workshops teaching the principles of sustainability and assisting participants to apply those principles to their daily lives.