Where in the world is Don Elliott?

Regensburg, Germany!

Don Elliott was recently awarded an Erasmus Mundus fellowship to present a short course on Sustainable Local Development at the University of Regensburg in Germany. The 18 class members are all candidates for a European Union sponsored Master’s Degree in Local Development – and they come from everywhere.  Three Bangladeshis, three Ethiopians, two Guatamalans, two Italians, and one each from Mexico, Columbia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Romania, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia. The course is a revised-and-updated version of a similar course Don delivered in Budapest in 2014 with a similarly diverse group of students.  Class topics reflect a balanced focus on economic, social, and environmental sustainability, including presentations on growing sustainable jobs, water conservation, greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy, integrated housing and social development projects, and sustainable local agriculture, among others. Knitting it all together are the overarching themes of the need to respond to global economic pressures, the need for more efficient governance, and growing desires for effective citizen participation.  Class discussion has been great – since some students come from countries with very advanced sustainability tools and standards, while others have almost none of those tools in place. As with all teaching experiences, Don is finding that he learns as much as he informs.