OPEN AND FREE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES
Friday 18 April 2008, 4- 5:30pm
Seminar Room, Centre for Innovation, 87 St. David St.
Dr Mark Hostetler
Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida
Residential developments have a huge impact on natural resources and wildlife, and sustainable or "green" communities are beginning to be built throughout the United States with goals to conserve natural resources, to create healthy lifestyles, and to promote a sense of community. The long-term "functionality" of a Community is based on decisions made by planners/policymakers, developers, and homeowners. Even with the best design for a site, based on proper sustainability principles, long term management is a key issue. This leads to the question ?How can we engage homeowners, developers, and policymakers to make informed decisions about Designing and managing sustainable communities?? At the University of Florida, an interdisciplinary team called the Program for Resource Efficient Communities has been formed to address growth management issues in the state of Florida. In this talk, Dr. Hostetler will present some research results, outreach programs, and ideas about ways to engage various sectors of society.
Dr. Mark Hostetler is an Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida. With over fifteen Years of experience in urban wildlife and natural resource issues, Dr. Hostetler conducts research and outreach on how urban landscapes could be designed and managed, from small to large scales, to become more resource efficient. He is currently visiting New Zealand with thanks to a Fulbright scholarship with Landcare Research.