The College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture will begin its annual ‘Sustainable Built Environments’ lecture series on Friday, Jan. 12 at 11 a.m. 

Sustainable Built Environments is designed to get students engaged in sustainability and begin networking with professionals. 

“Instead of you searching the internet,” said Adriana Zuniga, the organizer of the event. “Here’s a person who answers your questions directly.” 

Students that attend the series will have the opportunity to learn from professionals. 

“For example, I’m bringing in—this last one, I’m very proud of it— John Wesley Miller,” Zuniga said. “He’s a practitioner here in town who is very successful.”   

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Students can also be exposed to fields outside of sustainability, as well as internship opportunities. 

Five lectures are scheduled at various points in the semester, the first of which will be given by Ben Champion, the director of the University of Arizona’s Office of Sustainability. 

“He directs all the activity related to sustainability, the [UA] Green Fund—which is a major funding opportunity for projects, for students and so on,” Zuniga said.

Zuniga hopes that Champion talks about the UA Green Fund. 

“It’s very encouraging to see that their projects can get funded, that their dreams can become a reality,” Zuniga said. “That there’s a way to do things and solve problems.” 

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