This week I attended the US Society for Ecological Economics Conference in Washington, DC. Entitled "Science and Policy for a Sustainable Future" this four day conference housed at American University was attended by more than 100 representatives from universities, government agencies, nonprofits and the private sector.In an attempt to shift traditional "growth" economic thinking towards that of a "steady-state economy" Herman Daly, the father of ecological economics provided a compelling lunch time presentation on Monday. Other noteworthy presenters included Pavan Sukhdev of UNEP, Bob Costanza of the Gund Institute and author Bill Mckibben. Topics ranged from biodiversity conservation and human welfare to fisheries management and developing new indicators for economic progress. Students and researchers from the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont provided a strong presence at the conference with more than 15 presentations.
This conference was important for my upcoming research in the Dominican Republic providing me with the opportunity to network, receive feedback and attend more than a dozen lectures on approaches for accessing rural livelihoods, agricultural sustainability and measures to value ecosystem services flows.
Jeff Frank from CDAE has a really nice overview of the conference on his website.. be sure to check it out. www.economixt.com
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