Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference

Western Washington University | March 4-6, 2024

The noted geographer, Dr. Yi-Fu Tuan coined the term, “topophilia” as the affective bond with one’s environment. The 2024 WOHESC theme builds on that thought by using the environment to ground our inquiries that span politically drawn boundaries to be inclusive of place within a bioregion.

The Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) is a platform for inspiring change, facilitating action, and promoting collaboration around sustainability and social justice within the Cascadia region’s higher education institutions. Educational sessions, meetups and networking opportunities empower participants to advance action steps to create change. Solutions shared at the conference are tailored for implementation in our unique political, social, economic and environmental climate.

Conference theme: Learning From Place: Solutions Beyond Boundaries

2024 Conference Program Coming Soon

WOHESC 2024 program announced – December 6, 2023

View the 2024 Program »

2024 Keynote Speakers

Running-Grass | Executive Director, Three Circles Center; Former Environmental Justice Program Manager, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ▾

Running-Grass is an educator and a long-time social justice and environmental activist. His expertise spans several fields including multicultural education, critical pedagogy, and environmental education. Running-Grass led the creation of Three Circles Center for Multicultural Environmental Education in the late 1980s and published articles in its journal, Cultures, Ecologies, and Communities. www.threecircles.org. He is nationally recognized for his formative contribution to the field of Multicultural Environmental Education and Environmental Justice. Running-Grass was one of the 300 delegates to the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, which launched the Environmental Justice movement onto the national stage.

Running-Grass worked for 22 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, focused on Environmental Justice issues at multiple levels of government, where he applied his expertise to identifying and addressing these issues at the community level.

He is appointed by Governor Inslee of Washington State to the first Environmental Justice Council in the state, which is tasked to track the implementation of the State HEAL Act and the Climate Commitment Act.

Running-Grass is a founding faculty member of the Urban Environmental Education MA Program at Antioch University Seattle where he teaches courses on Multicultural Environmental Education, Multicultural Environmental Leadership, and Race, Culture, and Equity.

He is a long-time student of Yoga, Buddhist philosophy and practice, and the Japanese martial art, Aikido.

Belinda Chin | Lead, Race & Social Justice Change Team and Acting Manager, Public Programs, Cedar River Watershed Education Center City of Seattle and Seattle Public Utilities

Belinda Chin joined the Watershed Management Division of Seattle Public Utilities in August 2023 to lead the Watershed Public Programs Section at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center. Belinda has been working with the City of Seattle in multiple capacities for nearly 30 years and brings a depth of experience in environmental education and interpretation, race and social justice, systems thinking, partnership development, and leadership and supervision. Proud to work for a municipality that is equity-forward, Belinda has a deep respect for and experience with community engagement, especially in addressing policies and practices that discriminate by race, class, and place

Click Here to Learn More About Other 2024 Speakers