The 3 Pillars of Sustainability: Creating a Thriving World Requires All 3—Ecology, Equity and Economy

March 26: Part 1, 4:00-4:45 pm Part 2, 5:30-6:15 pm

Sustainable Life Stage

We now know that every major issue (both global and local) requires a holistic, multi-faceted approach, in which we take into account the factors of environment, social justice and economics. Therefore we will only make real progress toward creating a healthy, harmonious world by having stakeholders at the table that can address these different sides of the issues. This has many implications, such as foundations funding coalitions of organizations to bring in a more diverse skill base, and businesses accounting for their environmental and social impacts, rather than only tracking finances. 

Convener and Moderator:

Vinit Allen

Author; founder and director, Sustainable World Coalition

Vinit Allen is founder and director of Sustainable World Coalition, a project of Earth Island Institute, focusing on sustainability education. He is the publisher of the Sustainable World SourceBook 2010. He is also co-coordinator of the Marin regional facilitator team for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium.

Barbara McLean

Chair, Columbia Group of the Sierra Club

Barbara McLean is the Chair of the Columbia Group of the Sierra Club. She is a lifelong environmentalist, and the co-founder of the One Stop Sustainability Shop with her mother, whose goal is focused on education and to make sustainability an everyday and practical household concept. 

Regina Hauser

Director, The Natural Step

Regina is a former attorney and avid nature enthusiast. Regina sees the challenge of sustainability as a defining opportunity for individuals and organizations alike, and believes our response to that challenge will define our character for generations to come.

Lisa Libby

Director of sustainability, the office of the Portland Mayor

Lisa Libby is the Planning and Sustainability Director to Portland Mayor Sam Adams.  Lisa has worked for the City of Portland since 2004, and previously served as the Environmental Policy Director to Adams when he was a Portland City Commissioner.  Lisa holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Portland State University.  She is currently working to implement the City of Portland/Multnomah County Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Additionally, she is leading development of the Portland Plan, the City's roadmap for the next 25 years to make Portland a more thriving and sustainable city.

DR. Sharif Abdullah,

Author; founder and president of Commonway Institute

DR. SHARIF ABDULLAH is an author and advocate for inclusivity and the social/ spiritual transformation of society.  Sharif is a transformationist, working to align our global human societies with our common spiritual values. His vision and work for a world that works for all beings stems from his spiritual awareness and his experiences in over 100 distinct cultures.  He is founder and director of Commonway Institute. 

His books include The Power of One: Authentic Leadership in Turbulent Times, the award-winning Creating a World That Works for All, and the recently completed Seven Seeds for a New Society.

Sharif is a graduate-level adjunct professor of Conflict Resolution at Portland State University, a Senior Advisor to Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka and is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions.