Campus Conversations, formerly known as the Green Lunch Series, kicked off Wednesday in the Student Center.
Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, Campus Conversations is an event designed to provide students, faculty, administration and the community with a forum to discuss important social, economic and environmental issues ranging from a local to global scale.
"The purpose of Campus Conversations is to provide a space where the community can come together to learn about and explore important issues," said Jen Morse, communication and outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.
Unlike the Green Lunch Series, the traditional format of which featured a presenter followed by a question-and-answer session, Campus Conversations plans to take a different approach to facilitate more open discussion among the audience members.
"Each week, invited speakers will provide a context for group learning by giving a 15-20 minute presentation followed by structured small-group and large-group conversations around key issues and questions relevant to the topic," Morse said.
Auburn University was listed as one of the most environmentally responsible universities for the second year in a row by "The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges."
Topics will be sustainability-related, and the forum will cover issues such as transportation, food systems, energy, social justice, building standards and ecosystem resilience.
The Office of Sustainability will also be responding to topic requests from participants.
"These conversations are intended for everyone interested, and no prior knowledge of the topic is required," Morse said.
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