This year, Village Earth has chosen to honor Colorado Governor Bill Ritter with the Albertson Medal in Sustainable Development at its third annual fund raiser, the Maury Albertson Sustainability Gala. The medal and event are named for Maury Albertson, who was co-founder of Village Earth and the Peace Corps. Governor Ritter will receive his medal as recognition of the positive role he has played in introducing and implementing the New Energy Economy in Colorado. “Governor Ritter has championed a new found passion for sustainability in Colorado,” said Jerry Kennell, Chairman of the Board of Village Earth. “Through his efforts we are seeing renewable energy and its supporting infrastructure rapidly expand and thrive. Throughout the state, companies with sustainable products and services are growing at a breath-taking rate. We owe Governor Ritter a debt of gratitude for the encouragement and support he has given to sustainable development. We are honored that he is accepting the Albertson Medal in Sustainable Development and providing heightened visibility to Village Earth’s efforts to improve the quality of life in impoverished communities worldwide.” The Event The Maury Albertson Sustainability Gala is an annual dinner and dance that promotes sustainable development and features the presentation of the Albertson Medal in Sustainable Development to an individual who has demonstrated a deep commitment to encouraging sustainable development in the U.S. or abroad. It will take place on August 28, 2010 at the Colorado State University Lory Student Center Ballroom at 6:00 p.m. The 2009 winner of the Albertson Medal in Sustainable Development was Dr. Bryan Willson, Professor at Colorado State University and Founder and Director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory for his work on energy and the environment. The 2008 Gala honored Dr. Maury Albertson at his 90 birthday and awarded the first medal to Dr. Bernard Amadei, founder of Engineers Without Borders. Dr. Albertson passed away January 2009. If you are interested in attending the event, tickets for the Sustainability Gala are $75.00 per person and $600 for a table of eight. For more information or to reserve tickets, please contact Mims Harris at (970) 493-1117 or [email protected] Maurice L. Albertson Dr. Maurice Albertson, cofounder of Village Earth and Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Colorado State University (CSU), worked with Sergeant Shriver to establish the Peace Corps in 1961. Dr. Albertson continued to be a major influence in the field of international development, serving as a consultant to the World Bank, USAID, UNESCO, and other important agencies.
GSLL 1501 – Approaches to Community Development
This course provides a framework for community development based on a participatory, bottom-up, multi-sector model. Various approaches have been used in community development with varying degrees of success. One approach that has consistently demonstrated effectiveness is the Village Earth model based on participatory practices.
Through personal and structural empowerment, the objectives of economic well-being, environmental sustainability, and socio-cultural vitalization can be met. By looking at an overview of the entire development process and using case studies, this course will prepare participants to work in the field of community development and illuminate how all of the development efforts fit together to support the overall goal of sustainability.
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
Compare different development approaches and evaluate their effectiveness.
Understand the basic principles that underlie sustainable development.
Incorporate participatory practices into community development activities
Design a development project based on the Village Earth model
Who should take this course? This course is suited for people who are interested in community development and work or plan to work in this field. This includes people working or volunteering at NGOs, NPOs, governmental organizations, without border organizations, or missionary organizations. In addition, people involved in funding community development projects benefit from this course.
