Thomas W. Hoekstra, PhD
Co-founder and President of the Board for The Sustainability Institute
Instrumental in organizing and developing the first approach to sustainability that integrates ecological and social science, Dr. Thomas Hoekstra provides practical solutions to improving outcomes by aligning resource management with natural processes.
Supply-Side Sustainability, written by Dr. Hoekstra, TFH Allen, and Joseph A. Tainter (Columbia Press, 2003), is the scientific reference for many sustainability professionals.
In 1996, Dr. Hoekstra received the Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award presented by Purdue University. In 2007, Dr. Hoekstra was honored by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (Jewish National Fund) to recognize his unique contribution to KKL, Israel, and the neighboring countries. This great honor commemorated having his name entered in the Jewish National Fund Golden Book.
A lifetime of studying natural systems and the impact of managed and unmanaged change has led Dr. Hoekstra to apply macro perspective strategies in problem solving some of our greatest global ecological threats from local to multinational scales. As an international expert in sustainability Dr. Hoekstra has played a leading role as strategic planner for sustaining vulnerable ecological systems.
Dr. Hoekstra has combined a career as educator, scientist, author and international consultant. Dr. Hoekstra received his Ph.D. from Purdue University, before going on to serve on the faculty at the University of Vermont and Colorado State University.
As a scientist, Thomas Hoekstra held a Director position in the National Office of the USDA Forest Service where he led a team of experts in providing critical inventory, monitoring and planning guidance to Forest Service managers and planners throughout the United States. Dr. Hoekstra also served as senior science advisor to the USDA Forest Service on the nationwide sustainability study Local Unit Criteria and Indicator Development Project (LUCID), in 2002.
Scientific work in the 1980's was focused on hierarchy theory and ecological systems. TFH Allen and Thomas Hoekstra published their first explicit paper on sustainability in 1994 in Toward a Definition of Sustainability (RM-GTR-247, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Exp Station). An overview of Supply Side Sustainability was published in 1999 (Systems Research and Behavior Science).
Dr. Hoekstra served as co-manager and lead sustainability expert of the Forest, Rangeland and Associated Waters National Assessment for the USDA Forest Service, during which time he developed the initial national sustainability framework for the Resource Assessment and Sustainability Reporting project.
Dr. Hoekstra was selected International Program Manager for the Middle East, with responsibility for forest and rangeland research, technology transfer, and education. Among other accomplishments, he administered a multinational study to monitor and evaluate Middle Eastern watersheds in several Middle Eastern countries including Israel, Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
As an author, Thomas Hoekstra has contributed to several important works on sustainability in addition to Supply Side Sustainability. His works include the book Toward a Unified Ecology, co-authored with Dr. TFH Allen in 1992 and the report Arid Land Management - Toward Ecological Sustainability, co-authored with Dr. Moshe Shachak in 1999.
Dr. Hoekstra is the co-founder and President of the Board for The Sustainability Institute, a nonprofit organization established to conduct sustainability research, technology application, and education to improve human well-being.
Dr. Hoekstra's global experience and research in sustainability systems make him a highly respected resource in environmental stewardship. To learn more about how your organization can improve its environmental footprint or to set up your next speaking engagement, visit Sustainability International at www.sustainabilityintl.org
Fee (Explanation): $
Availability: Tom lives in Colorado. Contact JNF Speakers Bureau for availability.
Topics:
- Sustaining Israel’s Forests for Future generations: This lecture will present the story of what it means to sustain natural and planted forests in Israel and the role of JNF/KKL.
- Global Change, Desertification and Israel’s Forests: This lecture will present the story of how sustaining Israel’s forests will contribute to mitigating important global environmental issues. This lecture material will develop the science behind the JNF Go Neutral Campaign.
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