UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 4th Annual Goddard Forum, Entitled "developing Sustainable Communities: State And Local Practices, Technologies And Policies To Promote Economic Development And Social Equity While Sustaining The Environment," Will Be Held May 10-12 At The Radisson Penn Harris Hotel And Convention Center In Harrisburg.

The forum is co-sponsored by the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resources Conservation in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. The forum will examine methods for state and local governments and private companies and institutions to promote sustainable economic development.

"At the 1992 and 2002 Earth Summits at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa, respectively, the world focused on the goal of achieving economic development that will promote and sustain a high standard of living, while sustaining the natural environment and promoting social equity," explains Robert McKinstry, Maurice K. Goddard Professor of Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservation. "This vision of sustainable development recognizes that policies for environmental protection, economic development and social equity are interdependent and must be integrated to best promote a high quality of life."

According to McKinstry, many state and local governments, as well as private industries, have developed programs for promoting these goals and measuring and assessing indicators of their progress in meeting these goals.

"Many of the world's largest corporations have found that the discipline of examining their operations with sustainability in mind assists them in developing programs which improve their bottom line, both in the long term and the short term," he says. "The 2004 Goddard Forum will examine some of these successful programs and the policy elements that have been important to these successes. It will explore the elements of sustainable development in the fields of land development and urban planning, transportation, biodiversity conservation, agriculture, forestry, water quality and quantity conservation, air quality and climate change, industrial ecology, public health and government policy. Participants will consider policies that might be applied to develop a program for Pennsylvania."

The Goddard Forum is an outreach effort of Penn State's Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resources Conservation, focusing on emerging issues in natural resources policy. The sessions are intended to be educational and are focused for individuals who may have influence over how conservation issues are addressed. The sessions are designed to promote dialogue among decision-makers, enabling them to work towards consensus in the use and management of natural resources. The event also is aimed at facilitating cooperation at several levels and ultimately contributing to the improvement of our economy, environment and quality of life.

The forum has received financial support from the following co-sponsors: the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Canaan Valley Institute Inc., Environmental Standards Inc., McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, PPL Corp., Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, Environmental Resources Management Inc. and R.K.R. Hess Associates Inc.

The Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resources Conservation is an endowed chair at Penn State created in 1983 to honor Maurice Goddard's distinguished career and to carry on his legacy. He is known for his role in creating Pennsylvania's modern state park system, one of the finest and largest in the nation, and for his vision of the centrality of environmental protection to long-term economic development. During his quarter century as the first secretary of the state's environmental department, Goddard achieved his goal of having a state park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvanian. The mission of the Goddard Chair is to "enhance the university's commitment to the Commonwealth to provide direction in balanced resource conservation and utilization through programs of public service, research, and instruction."

For more information about the Goddard Forum, visit the Web at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu/Goddard/Goddard.html.

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EDITORS: To contact Robert McKinstry, call 814-865-9390 or by e-mail at rbm10@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877