Katharine Hayhoe, director of the university's Climate Science Center, was the keynote speaker.
For the first time, Texas Tech University hosted the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) Summit March 2-3. Katharine Hayhoe, director of the university's Climate Science Center, was the keynote speaker for this year.
The summit helped create a statewide network among higher education institutions to inspire a collaboration of ideas on how to create a sustainable future committed to environmental preservation, economic development and social equity. This year's TRACS Summit took place in the Student Union Building on Texas Tech's campus.
“The summit was a success by all accounts,” said Carey Hewett, director of services and sustainability officer in the Operations Division. “More than 20 institutions of higher education from around the state were represented by 79 participants who enjoyed an agenda full of sustainability programming. This was only the third TRACS summit and the first time Texas Tech has had the opportunity to host the event. Many thanks to our partners on campus that helped to make the event a success, particularly Katherine Hayhoe, our keynote speaker for the event.”
Hayhoe is a well-known climatologist who was named by TIME as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2014.
“Sustainability is such an important concept,” Hayhoe said. “At its core, sustainability simply means making sure we will have everything we need in the future. Today, we know we can only ensure our future by being wise stewards of our resources, and our campuses are the perfect place to start.”
Hayhoe's research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to evaluate the future impacts of climate change on human society and the national environment. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and served as lead author on key reports for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academy of Sciences.
Speakers from Texas Tech University, the University of Texas-Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of North Texas and other top universities spoke about sustainability.
For more information on the event, visit the TRACS Summit website.
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