Report on Sustainable Future Section Annual Meeting

By By Robin B. Seifried

The Section’s 2011 Annual Business Meeting was held on November 4, 2011. At the meeting, Section Chair Jim Kennedy summarized the Section’s activities and accomplishments over the past year. In 2011, the Section successfully increased its visibility in the Bar through its programs and reached 290 members. The Section’s programs this year included an overview of potential legislation relating to sustainability, a discussion of the concept of the steady state economy, a presentation on the current state of and outlook for the nuclear power industry, and an overview of land trusts in Oregon.

In addition to its programs, the Section released four issues of The Long View, including this current issue, launched the resources section on its Web site, and developed the foundation to launch its Partners in Sustainability program. The Section also continued examining through its study groups the extent to which sustainability criteria are incorporated into requests for proposals, and how to implement the idea of protecting the environmental rights of future generations.

The Section is completing the year with a positive cash balance. The largest expense this year was the OSB support services assessment, followed by costs for programs and the Annual Award and Celebration. Next year, the Section plans to charge non-member fees to attend programs, which will cover a portion of the costs to put on the programs.

At the recommendation of the nominating committee, the Section elected the following slate of officers and executive committee members: Treasurer, Robin Seifried; Secretary, Janna Aginsky; members-at-large (two-year terms), Jennifer Gates, Diane Henkels and Barry Woods; and members-at-large (one-year terms), Dallas DeLuca and Robert Mauger. The offices of Chair (Michelle Slater) and Immediate Past Chair (Jim Kennedy) were filled automatically.

Two weeks after the Annual Business Meeting, the Section held its second annual Award and Celebration event. At the event, the Section presented its Law Office Sustainable Leadership Award to Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.

Robin Seifried is an attorney at Stoel Rives.
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