In the article, Christiansen describes how he and Fischer have never been happier living “car-ownership-free” after selling their car two years ago and relying on their bicycles and, if necessary, the metro transit system.

Christiansen also revealed his tips for healthy living as well as his reasoning for choosing a car-free lifestyle, noting that the sense of community gained in such a lifestyle could easily be reason enough.

“…when you ride a bus, train or bike, you’re in public,” he said. “You encounter a greater diversity of people with whom you develop camaraderie.”

To learn more about living car-free, read “.”

The post The Line highlights Lars Christiansen and Nancy Fischer appeared first on News and Media.

Each year, Augsburg College honors the legacy of an individual who helped shape the College’s mission by hosting the Torstenson Lecture in Sociology, and—for the first time—the 2013 presentation will highlight the important work of a current Augsburg faculty member.

The Torstenson Lecture is an opportunity for a sociologist from the Twin Cities area to share with the Augsburg community the contemporary scholarship, research, and thinking on a sociological topic.

This year’s speaker, Garry Hesser, is the first Augsburg professor selected to be the Torstenson lecturer, and Hesser will present “Place Matters…So?” at 5 p.m., April 2 in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center.

A college in the city

Hesser’s lecture will focus on concepts with a clear connection to the legacy of the event’s namesake. The annual lecture acknowledges the contributions Augsburg professor emeritus Joel S. Torstenson ’38 made to the College by founding the Sociology Department in the late 1940s; laying the foundation for the Metro-Urban Studies and Social Work programs as well as the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs; expanding experiential education; and uplifting Augsburg’s identity as “a college in the city,” according to Nancy Fischer, associate professor of sociology and presentation coordinator.

Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders, and—as acknowledged in the institutional mission—the College is shaped by its urban and global settings.

“Joel Torstenson shaped that part of the College mission, and Garry became the bearer of that torch when Joel retired,” Fischer said.

In 2012, the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) presented President Paul C. Pribbenow with the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education. Pribbenow, in an acceptance speech delivered on his behalf, said the award was possible because of the work of Hesser and others who have dedicated themselves to the experiential learning that is at the heart of the identity and character of the College.

Hesser is regarded as one of the pre-eminent experts on experiential education and urban education, according to Lars Christiansen, chair of sociology. In his lecture, Hesser said he will illustrate how “cities can be both the ‘best’ and the ‘worst’ places to live and grow, depending upon your resources and where you live in the city.” He will then discuss examples of what citizens and policy-makers are doing and might do to address some of the disparities and inequities in “our own tale of two cities.”

About the presenter

Hesser is the Martin Olav Sabo Professor of Citizenship and Learning and professor of sociology and metro-urban studies. He chaired the Augsburg Natural and Social Sciences Division from 1996 to 2006 and chaired the Augsburg Metro-Urban Studies program for more than 30 years.

Hesser will retire at the conclusion of the 2012-13 academic year, and the Torstenson event will include a celebration of Hesser’s career immediately following the lecture (schedule below).

Hesser is the author of Experiential Education as a Liberating Art; “Principles of Good Practice in Service-Learning”; “Examining Communities and Urban Change”; “Benefits and Educational Outcomes of Internships”; and more than 30 other publications that include research in the area of housing, community building, planning, and neighborhood revitalization. He received his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame after earning a bachelor’s degree from Phillips University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

2013 Torstenson Lecture event schedule

Tuesday, April 2

Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

5 p.m. – Lecture by Garry Hesser

6 p.m. – Remarks by Hesser’s colleagues

6:30 p.m. – Reception

Event hashtags

Share your event experience using social media. The hashtag for the lecture is #Torstenson.

The post Torstenson Lecture in Sociology features Garry Hesser appeared first on News and Media.

Original story, July 25, 2008

How can a major metropolitan area — with all its concrete, glass, and steel — be green? How can it be eco-friendly and implement measures that will ensure its healthy future? That is precisely what students in the Sustainable Cities summer course are attempting to discover. Sociology professors Nancy Fischer and Lars Christiansen are leading a group of students through Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia to examine different facets of sustainability in an urban context. The course is a faculty-led seminar through Augsburg Abroad.

Looking at food systems, waste and recycling programs, transportation, public policy, and community development, students will see how nature and the city can coexist. According to Fischer, the purpose of the course is to learn what’s being done and how to promote sustainability in North America. “It’s easy to get down and say there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “We want students to know what can be done and hope they see what they can do in their own city and on campus.”

Fischer got the idea while teaching Human Community, Modern Metropolis at Augsburg two years ago. She shared an article on peak oil, the theory that predicted the terminal decline of the world’s petroleum production, with the class. “The students thought the idea that we would run out of oil was crazy,” Fischer said. Ensuing class discussion about the world’s dependence on oil led Fischer to examine urban efforts to “go green.”

At the same time, she and Christiansen began to see reports on Vancouver, ranked consistently at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s livability survey. Vancouver is a leader in sustainability measures, particularly with regard to urban planning, public transit, waste management, and food production. Based on their shared interest in urban sustainability the two began discussing the idea of a course to explore Vancouver’s initiatives.

The class began its journey on a flight from Minneapolis to Portland. After their arrival, students and instructors will use public transportation, bicycles, and their own two feet to get around. In each city Christiansen and half of the 13 students in the class will use bicycles to travel. Fischer will join the remaining students, getting around on foot or by light rail train, bus, or streetcar. Fischer said, “We won’t be getting in a car for 20 days.”

While in Portland, the class will stay in Epler Hall at Portland State University. Epler Hall is Portland’s first mixed-use LEED certified building. The design includes “stack” ventilation and a rainwater harvesting system that is used for onsite irrigation and toilet flushing. The building was designed to integrate new technologies with wind and sun for climate-responsive heating and cooling systems.

The class will travel from Portland to Vancouver by Amtrak. From its green building strategy to energy conservation measures including using methane gas captured from the landfill to generate heat and electricity, Vancouver is a leader in urban sustainability. The city has 40 km of off-street bike routes and 393 km of on-street routes with 258 cyclists’ right-of-way buttons and 1,000 bike racks. There are five producer-only farmers markets in Vancouver that allow for the purchase of locally grown food year round.

Portland has now surpassed Vancouver on sustainability measures. In the downtown area, all public transit including light rail, bus, and streetcar, is fare-less. Portland also has more bicycles than any U.S. city. When the professors visited the city to prepare for the course, Fischer said they timed bicycle sightings in the downtown area. “We saw a bicycle every 30 seconds,” she said.

The class will meet with policy makers, university professors, and community organizers to discuss sustainability efforts in both cities. They will also have an opportunity to participate in several bike rides including the Critical Mass demonstration in Vancouver and the Night Ride in Portland. Beginning in early evening, the Night Ride’s costumed or pajama-clad riders take off from the Portland Train Station. They watch bike-themed movie shorts at stop one, have a disco party at stop two, and enjoy an all-you-can-eat midnight donut feast at the finish line. This 15-mile street ride benefits the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) which promotes bicycle use and works to improve cycling conditions in Oregon.

For more information on Augsburg Abroad programs including faculty-led seminars go to 

The post Auggies traverse the concrete jungle appeared first on News and Media.

Looking at food systems, waste and recycling programs, transportation, public policy, and community development, students will see how nature and the city can coexist. According to Fischer, the purpose of the course is to learn what’s being done and how to promote sustainability in North America. “It’s easy to get down and say there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “We want students to know what can be done and hope they see what they can do in their own city and on campus.”

Fischer got the idea while teaching Human Community, Modern Metropolis at Augsburg two years ago. She shared an article on peak oil, the theory that predicted the terminal decline of the world’s petroleum production, with the class. “The students thought the idea that we would run out of oil was crazy,” Fischer said. Ensuing class discussion about the world’s dependence on oil led Fischer to examine urban efforts to “go green.”

At the same time, she and Christiansen began to see reports on Vancouver, ranked consistently at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s livability survey. Vancouver is a leader in sustainability measures, particularly with regard to urban planning, public transit, waste management, and food production. Based on their shared interest in urban sustainability the two began discussing the idea of a course to explore Vancouver’s initiatives.

The class began its journey on a flight from Minneapolis to Portland. After their arrival, students and instructors will use public transportation, bicycles, and their own two feet to get around. In each city Christiansen and half of the 13 students in the class will use bicycles to travel. Fischer will join the remaining students, getting around on foot or by light rail train, bus, or streetcar. Fischer said, “We won’t be getting in a car for 20 days.”

While in Portland, the class will stay in Epler Hall at Portland State University. Epler Hall is Portland’s first mixed-use LEED certified building. The design includes “stack” ventilation and a rainwater harvesting system that is used for onsite irrigation and toilet flushing. The building was designed to integrate new technologies with wind and sun for climate-responsive heating and cooling systems.

The class will travel from Portland to Vancouver by Amtrak. From its green building strategy to energy conservation measures including using methane gas captured from the landfill to generate heat and electricity, Vancouver is a leader in urban sustainability. The city has 40 km of off-street bike routes and 393 km of on-street routes with 258 cyclists’ right-of-way buttons and 1,000 bike racks. There are five producer-only farmers markets in Vancouver that allow for the purchase of locally grown food year round.

Portland has now surpassed Vancouver on sustainability measures. In the downtown area, all public transit including light rail, bus, and streetcar, is fare-less. Portland also has more bicycles than any U.S. city. When the professors visited the city to prepare for the course, Fischer said they timed bicycle sightings in the downtown area. “We saw a bicycle every 30 seconds,” she said.

The class will meet with policy makers, university professors, and community organizers to discuss sustainability efforts in both cities. They will also have an opportunity to participate in several bike rides including the Critical Mass demonstration in Vancouver and the Night Ride in Portland. Beginning in early evening, the Night Ride’s costumed or pajama-clad riders take off from the Portland Train Station. They watch bike-themed movie shorts at stop one, have a disco party at stop two, and enjoy an all-you-can-eat midnight donut feast at the finish line. This 15-mile street ride benefits the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) which promotes bicycle use and works to improve cycling conditions in Oregon.

For more information on Augsburg Abroad programs including faculty-led seminars go to .

The post Auggies traverse the concrete jungle appeared first on News and Media.