On Friday, April 19, Clark University will host A New Economics Summit, “Connecting the Dots: Pathways to a New Economy,” from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall. The event will allow Clark students, faculty, and local representatives to discuss how to develop pathways to a new economy in the City of Worcester; it will highlight local businesses and stakeholders who are leading the way for this movement and expose participants to potential career opportunities in new economy fields.
The summit is free and open to the public; registration is required. It will include two nationally recognized keynote speakers, six workshop sessions, a panel discussion, and a poster session displaying New Economy themes.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. in Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall. A keynote address by Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, will follow.
Before joining Boston College, Schor taught at Harvard University for 17 years, in the Department of Economics and the committee on Degrees in Women’s Studies. She is author of “Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth” (2010 Penguin Press), “The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don’t Need” (Basic Books, 1998) and the national best-seller “The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure” (Basic Books, 1992)
Schor has served as a consultant to the United Nations, at the World Institute for Development Economics Research, and to the United Nations Development Programme. She appears frequently on national and international media, and profiles on her and her work have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and People magazine.
Workshops will follow the keynote, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Topics include alternative banking practices, food and environmental justice, buying local, and alternative business ownership. Visit the event’s website for more detail about the workshops and the full schedule.
At 1:30 p.m., Stephen McCauley, visiting assistant professor of environmental science and policy and geography, will moderate a panel discussion with three local leaders working on diverse initiatives that strengthen the Worcester community and economy.
Community activist Karen Washington will speak at 2:30 p.m. Washington has lived in New York City all her life, and has been a resident of the Bronx for over 26 years. Since 1985 she has been a community activist, striving to make New York City a better place to live. As a community gardener and board member of the New York Botanical Gardens, she has worked with Bronx neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate, Washington has stood up and spoken out for garden protection and preservation. She helped launched a City Farms Market, bringing garden fresh vegetables to her neighbors.
Washington is a Just Food board member and Just Food Trainer; she has led workshops on food growing and food justice for community gardeners all over the city. She is also a board member and former president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, a group that was founded to preserve community gardens. She co- founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS), an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings.
Later in the afternoon, two documentary filmmakers, Micha X. Peled (founder of Teddy Bear Films) and Matt Feinstein (co-director of Worcester Roots), will hold a workshop.
In January, the New Economics Institute (NEI) chose Clark and 13 other campus groups across North America to host “strategic summits on the New Economy” on their campuses and in their communities. In addition to the NEI, funding for this event was also provided by Clark’s Graduate School of Management; the International Development, Community, and Environment Department; the Clark Sustainability Collaborative; Clark’s Net Impact Chapter; the Graduate Student Council and the IDCE Fellows.
If you have any questions about the Summit or to register, email Latoya Jones or call 917-587-3231.